Gaetano Belloni

FullnameGaetano Belloni

Born(1892-08-26)26 August 1892
Pizzighettone, Italy

Died(1980-01-09)9 January 1980

DisciplineRoad

Gaetano Belloni

Personal information
Full name	Gaetano Belloni
Born	(1892-08-26)26 August 1892 Pizzighettone, Italy
Died	(1980-01-09)9 January 1980
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Professional teams
1916–1922	Bianchi
1923–1924	Legnano
1925	Wolsit
1926–1927	Opel
1928	Wolsit
1929–1931	Bianchi
1932	Olympia
Major wins
Grand Tours Giro d'Italia General classification (1920) One-day races and Classics Milan–San Remo (1917, 1920) Giro di Lombardia (1915, 1918, 1928)

Gaetano Belloni (26 August 1892 – 9 January 1980) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlights of his career were his overall win in the 1920 Giro d'Italia, the two victories in Milan–San Remo (1917 and 1920), and the three victories in the Giro di Lombardia (1915, 1918 and 1928).

Belloni was born at Pizzighettone, near Cremona, and made his debut in the road cycling world in the wake of his elder brother Amleto. As an amateur, in 1914 he won the "Small" Giro di Lombardia and the Coppa del Re, as well as the Italian championship.

Having avoided to be called to the front, Belloni won surprisingly, the overall Giro di Lombardia in 1915 (a feat he repeated in 1918 and 1928) and the Milan–San Remo of 1917.

In 1920 he obtained his greatest victory, the Giro d'Italia. In the 1920s Belloni constantly rivalled with his friend Costante Girardengo, being almost always defeated and gaining for this reason the nickname of "Eterno secondo" ("Eternal second"). In 1921 he finished second in the Giro, only 41 seconds behind, and he had to retire in 1922 while he as leading the race.^[1]

The latest Giro where he played a big role was the 1929 Giro d'Italia, where he won the first stage, and was leader of the general classification for the first three stages. In that Giro, Belloni collided with a young boy, killing the boy, and Belloni left the race after this accident.^[2][3]

He won a total of 43 races as a professional, including 12 stages at the Giro d'Italia.^[1] Belloni retired when he was 40 years old, and went on to become director of the Velodromo Vigorelli.^[1]