professional road bicycle racer. Rossi became an orphan at the age of six and came to France to live in the town of Nogent-sur-Marne

Nogent-sur-Marne

Nogent-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a sous-préfecture of the Val-de-Marne département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Nogent-sur-Marne.-History:...

 with the rest of his family. He started serious cycling at the age of 14 in 1928 and by 1933 had become one of the top amateurs in France riding for the Velo Club de Levallois

Levallois-Perret

Levallois-Perret is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:The name Levallois-Perret comes from two housing developments, Champerret and Village Levallois , and which resulted in the incorporation of the...

. In 1934 Rossi turned professional for the Alcyon-Dunlop team of Ludovic Feuillet. He soon turned in some impressive performances as a professional winning the Circuit of the Allier

Allier

Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...

 in 1935 and Paris-St Etienne in 1936. In 1936 he finished fifth in Paris-Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix

Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. Since its beginning in 1896 until 1967 it started in Paris and ended in Roubaix ; since 1968 the start city is Compiègne , whilst the finish is still in Roubaix...

 and in 1937 he became the first Italian to win that cobbled classic at the age of just 23. In 1938 he won Paris-Tours

Paris-Tours

Paris–Tours is a French single-day classic cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours It is a fairly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200m, at Le Gault-du-Perche. It is known as the “Sprinters' Classic” because...

 in a record average speed for a professional race of 42.092 km per hour, being awarded the Ruban Jaune

Ruban Jaune

The Ruban Jaune is a cycling trophy created in 1936 by Henri Desgrange, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race or stage longer than 200km. The trophy’s name is thought is to have come from comparison with the Blue Riband trophy awarded to the...

 for that achievement. Also in 1938 Rossi won Stage 6A of the Tour de France

Tour de France

The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

 between Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 and Arcachon

Arcachon

Arcachon is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux in the Landes forest...

. Rossi continued to race throughout the years of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 winning Paris-Reims twice (1941 and 1943) and the Grand Prix des Nations

Grand Prix des Nations

The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial for professional racing cyclists. Held annually in France, it was instituted in 1932 and often regarded as the unofficial time trial championship of the world and as a Classic cycle race. The race was the idea of a Parisian newspaper editor...

 in 1941.

Palmarès

1936

Paris - Saint-Etienne

1937

Paris–Roubaix

1938

Paris–Tours

Tour de France

1938 Tour de France

The 1938 Tour de France was the 32nd Tour de France, taking place July 5 to July 31, 1938. It was composed of 21 stages over 4694 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.565 km/h...

:

Winner stage 6A

1941

Paris-Reims

Grand Prix des Nations

Grand Prix des Nations

The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial for professional racing cyclists. Held annually in France, it was instituted in 1932 and often regarded as the unofficial time trial championship of the world and as a Classic cycle race. The race was the idea of a Parisian newspaper editor...

1943

Paris-Reims

1945

Nantua

External links

• Official Tour de France results for Jules Rossi