Broken Clavicle
Thu, March 26, 2009
A fractured clavicle, (Collarbone.) is in the news at this time due to
Lance Armstrong’s injury when he was involved in a pile up near the end of the opening stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon.
In the 1956 Giro d’Italia, Fiorenzo Magni crashed during stage 12 and broke his left clavicle.
The Giro was only at the half-way point with a total of 23 stages. Magni refused hospital treatment and continued the race with his shoulder bound with an elastic bandage.
The picture above, shows the Italian rider during stage 13 holding a piece of rubber inner tube (Attached to his handlebar stem.) between his teeth for extra leverage.
On stage 16, Magni fell again on a descent due to problems with handling the bike while injured. He was unable to use his left arm, and he could only effectively brake and steer with his right hand.
Having suffered a broken clavicle myself in 1978, I can imagine how painful that fall must have been. By his own admission, he almost passed out from the pain.
Not only was this performance one of extreme endurance; it also showed a tremendous tolerance of physical pain. Even more unbelievable is the fact that Magni finished the 1956 Giro in 2nd place only 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind Luxemburg’s Charly Gaul.
Reader Comments (6)
Looking forward to that expanded article. In the meantime -- OW OW OW.
I just posted similar pieces on Gaul and Magni . Okay, I stole them via cut and paste. I also stole one from you within the last week. http://oakwoodlife.blogspot.com
Gunner Berg,
I have no problem with people using my stuff, as long as I get credit and a link. It has been said, if you copy from one person, it's plagiarism. If you copy from more than one, it's research.
History, by its nature has been covered over and over. The facts are facts and you can't make the stuff up. I try not to copy and paste, but to tell the same story differently in my own words.
Dave.
Just want to say, I read these stories here, I see these pictures, and I totally enjoy it. Glad you're back with fresh stuff; fresh to me anyway...
Does this mean that you're going to start actively blogging again dave? HUZZAH!
Great articles once again. I loved the stuff on Bobet.
Super! I think back in the days, when getting good results in a race was the only way to put food on the table, cyclists' went to great lengths to ride against the odds. We just don't find this today. Today, you're always assured a cheque through the back-door, either through some ad deals or modern contractual terms. Any wonder why so many cyclists today diversify their income sources. A rider will have a contract, his own ad filled website, his own sports drink, his own book...the royalty accumulated from all this must add up significantly over time!