Tour De Coal Bike Ride Will Honor Pro From Mt. Clare - thejournal-news.net
The Tour de Coal is for riders of all ages and abilities who have an interest in cycling, held in conjunction with the 16th annual Fall Festival at Benld City Park, where the bike ride ends. Jim Marcacci, a cycling enthusiast and member of the Tour de Coal committee, found out about the professional with Mt. Clare roots "and it blew me away," he said. He connected with Joe's son Rudy and invited him to this year's ride. Magnani was born in LaSalle and grew up in Mt. Clare. He and his sister moved to France when he was 16. His sister married a man who was interested in cycling, and that's the connection that lured Magnani into the sport. He established a name for himself when he won the 1935 race from Marseille to Nice in southern France, a regional classic previously won by Italy's world champion Alfredo Binda. The next year he rode in the week-long Paris-Nice stage race, finishing ninth overall. "He raced against some of the greats and finished ahead of them, too," his son said of the only U. S. racer to compete against Italian legends Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. He reunited with his wife after two years of captivity and Rudy was born in France in 1945. Italian star and. Source: www.thejournal-news.net
