Gösta Pettersson

Gösta Pettersson and his siblings Erik, Sture, and Tomas were known as the Fåglum brothers, with the quartet enjoying success in Swedish cycling during the 1960s. Gösta competed at three Olympic Games, winning three medals, won three titles at the World Championships, and won the overall classification of the Giro d’Italia. The oldest of the brothers, he also had the longest career of the four, competing from 1960 to 1974.

One of Pettersson’s first victories came in the team time trial amateur race at the 1961 Nordic Championships, with him winning the event again in 1962 and 1963. He had similar success at the Swedish national championships, winning the time trial (1962–64, 1966–67, 1969), team time trial (1966–69), and the individual road race (1969). In 1960 he made his first appearance at the Olympics, finishing fifth in the 100 kilometres team time trial at the Roma Games. Four years later Gösta, along with brothers Erik and Sture and compatriot Sven Hamrin, won bronze in the same event at the Tokyo Games, with Gösta also finishing seventh in the individual road race. His final Olympics came in Mexico City in 1968, where he won bronze in the individual road race and silver in the 100 kilometres team time trial, with all four brothers standing on the podium in the latter. The brothers also won three consecutive team time trial titles at the UCI Road World Championships from 1967 to 1969.

In 1970 Gösta began to focus on longer stage races, winning that years’ edition of the Tour de Romandie. That same year he also finished third at the Tour de France and sixth at the Giro d’Italia. One year later he won the overall classification at the Giro, finishing more than two minutes ahead of his nearest rivals. Over the next three years Pettersson rode in three more editions of the Giro, finishing sixth again in 1972. His final major podium came in 1974 when he finished second at the Tour de Suisse.