Just a random question: Why did Magni only ride the Ronde van Vlaanderen 3 times?

[Panda Claws]

As it says in the title. Could not find it with a google search and figured someone on here would know.

 

[roundabout]

As it says in the title. Could not find it with a google search and figured someone on here would know.

italian wiki says he also raced in 1948, but that's not really an answer you are looking for

 

[Benotti69]

As it says in the title. Could not find it with a google search and figured someone on here would know.

He won it 3 times in a row. What makes you think he didn't ride it more?

 

[Panda Claws]

He won it 3 times in a row. What makes you think he didn't ride it more?

Because the English wikipedia and the Belgian (which is usually good at this stuff), as well as Procyclingstats only showed his 3 victories.

And even the Italian wikipedia only shows that he gave up in 1948 in addition to his 3 victories. No sign of him riding it again after winning it for a 3rd time...

 

[Netserk]

Probably paid not to show up again. Not that unusual at that time, especially considering he was a foreigner. Just a pure guess though.

 

[trevim]

It was just too easy for him

 

[Duke_S]

The Lion of Flanders himself speaks to a reporter (VP). http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/oralhistory/magni.html Likely lost weight to focus on GT's after his '51 win.

VP: In 1949 you started that wonderful run of 3 straight Flanders victories. You prepared your bike and equipment for the Flanders race very carefully. I read that you used wooden rims, for their elasticity and strength, aged tubulars and foam-rubber all around the handle bar, true? More details?

FM: I had never been to Belgium, but I had heard and read in the newspapers that the roads were very tough, much harder than those of the Paris-Roubaix. Today the Tour of Flanders is not as tough as it was in my years.

So I thought it would a good idea to use wooden rims, which are less rigid than the traditional [aluminium] ones. It was hard to find those rims, but I found out that Clement produced them. Then I had a special kind of tubulars, larger and heavier than the normal ones, made. And I put foam-rubber all around the handle bar to cushion the blows.

I repeated all of these preparations the next year, in 1950, when I won again. I didn't use wooden rims in 1951.

VP: But you won all the same in 1951, for the third time! For a man of the Tuscan sun, Flanders seems a long, cold world away. Yet you thrived on these tough conditions. What was it about your body or mind that made you able to win this super tough-race?

FM: Thanks to Mother Nature, cold, windy, rainy or snowy days were music to my ears! It was the same with extreme heat! I had no problems in the torrid summer days.

In all three of my Tour of Flanders' victories I remember cold, terrible weather. I was in my element!

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Proper hardman... don't get these kind of riders nowadays

'50 RVV
1. Fiorenzo Magni (Ganna) 8hr 15min 0sec. 33.09 km/hr
2. Briek Schotte (Alcyon-Dunlop) @ 2min 15sec
3. Louis Caput (Olympia-Dunlop) @ 9min 20sec

'51 RVV
1. Fiorenzo Magni (Ganna) 7hr 43min 3sec. 35.50 km/hr
2. Bernard Gauthier (Mercier-Hutchinson) @ 5min 35sec
3. Attilio Redolfi (Mercier-A. Magne) @ 10min 32sec

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Not an answer to you question, but browsing in the history pages of the RvV website, I came across this beautiful 4 minute interview with the guy (Italian with dutch subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wbx-WdI8UQ

 

[Echoes]

Okay I didn't feel like posting here but can't resist.

Confirmation, Magni appears on the startlist of th 1948 Tour of Flanders with the Willier-Triestina team, his usual team. Apparently DNF, does not appear in the ranking. (source: "La merveilleuse histoire du Tour des Flandres" by Michel Dargenton & Claude Degauquier, Coups de pédales, 2004)

"À l'aube de cette saison, le champion reçoit plusieurs propositions pour qu'il tente d'enlever un 4e succès consécutif dans le "Ronde". Peine perdue ! En 1951, Fiorenzo a clamé: "maintenant assez" et il tient parole. [...] Magni préfère se concentrer sur "son" Giro qu'il souhaite préparer avec minutie... comme d'habitude." (source: Claude Degauquier - Fiorenzo Magni : le lion de Monza, CdP 2006)

On the eve of this season [1952], the champion receives several offers in order to get a 4th straight win in the "Ronde" [lol @ Netserk's post ]. In vain ! In 1951 Fiorenzo said it loud: "now enough !" and he kept his word. [...] Magni would rather focus on "his" Giro that he wishes to meticulously prepare... as usual.

"Magni won nog drie keer de Giro maar zijn overwinningen in de Ronde van Vlaanderen bleef hij koesteren als zijn mooiste prestaties ooit.[...] Na drie overwinninen op rij is hij meer teruggekeerd. 'Ik wilde geen poker spelen, de wielergoden niet uitdagen. Ik was er rotsvast van overtuigd dat het geen vier keer zou lukken'" (source: 100 jaar 1913-2013 De Ronde van Vlanderen, Borgerhoff & Lamberigts 2013)

Magni also won the Giro three times but he kept treasuring his wins in the Tour of Flander as his nicest ever performances.[...] After three victories in a row he never came back. "I did not want to play poker, to defy the gods of cycling. I was definitely convinced that no 4th one would prevail."