Walter Ricci

Walter Ricci, born on February 5, 1946, in Pesaro, is a French cyclist of Italian origin. A professional from 1968 to 1972, he notably won an edition of the Grand Prix du Midi Libre.

Biography

Ricci began competing under the FSGT (Fédération Sportive et Gymnique du Travail). Due to his strong performances, he later obtained a license with the Pédale Conflanaise cycling club. While working as a mason, he built an impressive record at the regional level. He then joined US Créteil and later Les Bleus de France de Suresnes, allowing him to compete in national events. On April 24, 1957, he adopted French nationality.

A strong time trialist and climber, Ricci stood out in the 1967 Route de France. As a result, national coach Robert Oubron selected him for the French amateur team to compete in the Tour de l’Avenir that same year. In this race, Ricci proved to be a valuable teammate for Cyrille Guimard and Christian Robini. Robini ultimately won the event, and the French team secured the overall team classification.

In 1968, Ricci turned professional, joining the Mercier-BP-Hutchinson team, managed by former Tour de France winner Antonin Magne. The undisputed leader of the team at the time was Raymond Poulidor. That same year, Cyrille Guimard and Christian Robini also signed professional contracts with the squad.

After five years in the professional ranks, Ricci was not offered a contract renewal with Sonolor-Lejeune. He then decided to return to amateur racing. Competing for CSM Puteaux and later CSM Persan, he achieved numerous victories on both the road and in cyclo-cross. Excelling in cyclo-cross, he won the Île-de-France championship six times. In 1988, he claimed the French national road title in the veterans’ category, followed by a national track title in 1993.

A skilled mentor, Ricci generously shared his expertise with young cyclists, particularly those at CSM Persan.

 Source: fr.wikipedia.org

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Tour de l’Avenir

Tour de l’Avenir (English: Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle stage race that began in 1961. It was conceived as a race similar to the Tour de France, covering much of the same course but designed for amateurs and semi-professionals, known as independents. Notable winners such as Felice Gimondi, Joop Zoetemelk, Greg LeMond, Miguel Induráin, Laurent Fignon, Egan Bernal, and Tadej Pogačar, have gone on to win a combined 16 Tours de France, along with 10 additional podium finishes.

The race was created by Jacques Marchand, editor of L’Équipe, to attract teams from the Soviet Union and other communist countries, where professional riders were not eligible for the Tour de France.

Through 1967, the event took place earlier on the same day as Tour de France stages, sharing the latter part of the route. In 1968, it moved to September and adopted a separate course. Over the years, the race underwent several name changes: it became the Grand Prix de l’Avenir in 1970, the Trophée Peugeot de l’Avenir from 1972 to 1979, and the Tour de la Communauté Européenne from 1986 to 1990.

Initially restricted to amateurs from 1961 to 1980, the event opened to professionals in 1981. After 1992, eligibility was limited to riders under 25. Since 2007, the age bracket has been further refined to include riders aged 18 to 22. The race is part of the UCI Nations Cup and features national teams rather than trade teams.