In 1948 Swiss cyclist Giovanni Rossi was selected to compete at the London Olympics where he finished sixth in the team road race event. One year later Rossi became the Swiss national amateur road race champion before turning professional in 1950. After some consistent results in Switzerland, 1951 turned out to be Rossi’s breakthrough year. In addition to winning a stage of the Tour de Suisse, he also won the opening stage of the 1951 Tour de France, wearing the yellow jersey for the next day. Rossi then finished second on stage three of the Tour, but was forced to retire from the race on stage six. After the Tour de France he also rode at the UCI World Championships, finishing 24th in the road race. Rossi continued to compete for a couple more years, finishing second on the opening stage of the 1954 edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Switzerland