Luigi Chiodi (18 June 1887 – 17 February 1959) was an Italian professional road cyclist active from 1907 to 1914. He was an Italian pioneer of early competitive cycling participating at the international main races in his era.
Biography Born in Turin on 18 June 1887, Chiodi turned professional in 1907 and competed until 1914. Known as a generous and determined rider, he was considered a specialist in breakaways, having “attacks in his head before even in his legs” and possessed a strong, gladiatorial physique. He won in his debut year the 1907 Susa–Moncenisio, finished second in the and third in the . At the Italian National Road Championships he finished fifth just like in the Coppa del Re, and the Corsa Nazionale. He also finished seventh in both the Milano–Bologna–Firenze and the .
In 1908, riding for Peugeot alongside his close friend Giovanni Gerbi, known as the "Diavolo Rosso", Chiodi produced what many considered his finest season. He took second place in both the and the , fourth in the Giro dell'Emilia, and fifth in the Milano–Verona, Corsa Nazionale, and Coppa Rho. Chiodi participated in the first ever Giro d'Italia in 1909 Giro d'Italia, where he finished 11th overall, claiming four top-ten stage finishes. That same year, he was third in the Gran Premio Biella and fourth in the Coppa Savona. He also competed in two Tour de France editions and three Milan–San Remo races, with his best Sanremo result being 16th in 1909 Milan–San Remo.
In 1910, now with Peugeot and Stucchi, he won the Coppa San Giorgio, placed third in the Coppa Guicciardini, fourth in the Coppa Bastogi and Coppa Val di Ceno, and fifth in both the Genova–Nizza and the Giro di Romagna–Toscana. Although he continued racing until 1914, Chiodi, like Gerbi, experienced a rapid and irreversible decline after his peak years. His last notable result came in his final season with a ninth place in the Genova–Nizza. He died in Druento on 17 February 1959.
Major results 1907 1st Susa–Mont Cenis 2nd 5th Italian National Road Race Championships 6th Corza Nazionale 6th Giro del Piemonte
1908 2nd Giro del Piemonte 2nd Roma–Napoli–Roma 3rd stage 1 9th stage 5 1908 Tour de France 8th Corsa Vittorio Emanuele III e Regina Madre 5th Corza Nazionale
1909 11th Overall 1909 Giro d'Italia 7th stage 5 6th stage 6 5th stage 7 6th stage 8
1910 1st Coppa San Giorgio 4th Coppa Bastogi 7th Giro dell'Emilia 10th Giro della Romagna 5th Giro di Romagna-Toscana 1914 9th Genoa–Nice
Grand Tour general classification results Stage races 1908 1909 Giro d'Italia NH 11th Tour de France DNF DNF
Classic cycle races results + Classic cycle races 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1914 Milan–San Remo — DNF 16th DNF 37th 44th — Giro del Piemonte 6th 2nd NH — 14th — 21st Giro della Romagna NH NH NH 10th 15th — —
References
External links 1909 image in Varese (from left to right: Tibiletti, Ganna, Chiodi and Villa)