The solitary escapes of Giovanni Fusar Imperatore

Buja, Friuli, with six thousand residents, holds the record of two riders at the Giro d’Italia: Alessandro De Marchi and Jonathan Milan. But there are those who have done much better. Like the Cascina Montana, in Gaggiano, in the Milanese area, with about twenty inhabitants, with two riders – almost – in the Giro d’Italia: Silvano Davo and John Fusar Emperor. Almost because Davo took part in the Giro in 1969 and 1972, while Fusar Imperatore, three years old, from 1970 to 1972, barely missed the Giro.

The pink race is a tour of memories and dreams, adventures and misadventures, businesses and crises, stories and passions. Another round is the address book of Marco Pastonesi who will accompany us along the roads of the Giro d’Italia 2023.

Fusar Emperor, born in a farmhouse in one day from the Tour de France: “On 14 July 1947”, during the Pau-Bordeaux, stage victory for the Italian-French Giuseppe Tacca, yellow jersey for the French René Vietto, “Crema origins, father farmer and then in the factory, mother at home, I was the second of three brothers, fifth grade, then evening middle school, then working in a typography and then in a small chandelier factory, the owner of the small factory was the sporting director of my team and I he left a few half days to train”.

Fusar Imperatore, got on a bike at the age of 12: “Owned by a friend of mine, but he is 1.90m tall, I am a head shorter, I reset the saddle, but it wasn’t enough. It was one of the old bikes, a Monti di Baggio, the gearbox on the rear fork with two hand levers, the first used to shift, the second to close the clamp. When he saw that I was pedaling, Gianni Zucca, who had a bike shop in Gaggiano, gave me one at my height. Then I switched to a Gramaglia, another craftsman from Baggio. But the most desired bikes were those of Pepp Magni, whom we all called ‘il Prof’, who also had a workshop in Baggio. Baggio was the capital of bicycles”.

Fusar Imperatore, who showed that he knew how to do it on the bike: “The first race fourteenth, the second and third fourth, the fourth fifth, the first victory in the fifth race, in the sprint in a small group of seven-eight fugitives. The season began on the first Sunday of April and from Sunday to Sunday it reached the first Sunday of October. I kept running and winning. Even as an amateur. Four years, 27 victories, also in blue at the Tour of Yugoslavia, reserve for the World Cup and the Olympics, nine victories in the last year, and always without a team, I did everything by myself. So much so that I went professional, in the Dreher directed by Franco Cribiori, from Corsico, four pedal strokes from Gaggiano who, we in the area, knew us and followed us all”.

Fusar Imperatore, who didn’t feel so good as a professional: “Because as an amateur I had to make do, instead as a professional I had to help, push and pull, close and protect, days of little or no freedom, and so those few I went on the run. One hundred and fifty kilometers alone in the 1971 Giro di Lombardia, five minutes ahead of the peloton, I was caught up by Eddy Merckx on the last climb, me on the right, he on the left, he had a face that scared me, he flew to the finish line, I no. And another 100 kilometers alone at the 1972 Agostoni Cup”.

Fusar Imperatore, who as a professional took third place in his fraction of the 1970 timed relay, “and it was the best result of the team”, and a fifth in the Chignolo Po circuit, “but the first four places were already planned, booked and assigned , Gianni Motta won on Dino Zandegù, I finished fifth, therefore first”.

Fusar Imperatore, who luckily for him also had a track: “I started on a bet. In Naples, in Vomero, before the Giro di Campania. The punching in the Arenaccia stadium, a 600-metre track. I challenged Giampiero Macchi, who was also a pursuer: ‘Let’s bet I catch you?’. I took it. Since then I too have devoted myself to the pursuit. Third in the Italian championships of Lanciano in 1970, third in those of Varese in 1971, second in those of Bassano del Grappa in 1972, first in the indoor ones in 1971 at the Palazzo dello sport in Piazza VI February in Milan. And I was sixth at the World Cup in Marseille. Then he competed not on the 4, but on the 5 km ”.

Fusar Imperatore, world record holder: “Rome, 1971, collegiate with the blue team on the track, coach Guido Costa proposed us to try to set records at the EUR Olympic velodrome, I threw it there, that of 100 km, that is 250 laps. I adapted the bike by raising the saddle by half a centimetre, I borrowed the wheels from Lorenzo Bosisio, I chose the gear – wrong: 50×14 would have been better than 52×15 – and I tried. The more time went by, the more my saddle hurt, I pedaled all the last 30 km on the tip of the saddle, I was bleeding and from the pain I put the bags arranged along the ring, but I succeeded”.

Fusar Imperatore, that the Giro d’Italia only touched him: “So I still have the desire”.

Fusar Emperor, but that Emperor, where does he come from? “I confess to you: I don’t know.”