CyclistPro race history: Costante Girardengo wins the unofficial world championship in 1924They have started! Last night, at two oclock in the morning, the crowds flocked, first to La Villette and then to Pavillons-sous-Bois, to admire them, cheer them and wish them good luck in the third Grand Prix Wolber, a true road world championship.So opened LAutos front page story on 28th September 1924, run underneath profile sketches of Frances Henri Plissier, Switzerlands Heiri Suter, Luxembourgs Nicolas Frantz and Italys Costante Girardengo. Related Posts Pro race history: Bernard Hinault wins a frozen Lige-Bastogne-Lige in 1980 Pro race history: Rik Van Looy is upstaged by his teammate at the 1963 Worlds Pro Log: 5 things to remember from the 2023 UCI World Championships And soon we will see the best of them, the winner, make his entry into the Parc des Princes. Which one will it be? [] Difficult to say in truth, but, in any case, they will deserve the congratulations of sportsmen, because it is obvious that the event will be beautiful, magnificently eventful, the article continued. The course is as tough as can be; the distance is only within the reach of a great ace.That distance was 361km from the Porte de la Villette in Paris to the Parc des Princes via pernay, Reims, Compigne, Chantilly and Pontoise. And the 41-strong peloton was indeed comprised of many an ace. Plissier had won the Tour de France in 1923 and had claimed multiple editions of Paris-Roubaix and Il Lombardia, as well as a Milan-San Remo; Suter had won both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix the previous year; Girardengo had won the Giro dItalia twice and both Milan-San Remo and Il Lombardia three times (he would go on to win six Milan-San Remos, a record until Eddy Merckx took his seventh in 1976).Also in the bunch were the likes of Philippe Thys (the first rider to win three Tours), Ottavio Bottecchia (the reigning Tour champion who in 1925 would successfully defend that title) and two-time Bordeaux-Paris winner Eugne Christophe (he of broken forks on the Tourmalet fame).While LAuto, as race organiser, hyped up the event in its subsequent race report The hunt becomes extremely hectic. Detreille runs like hell. Behind him, Sellier and Francis Plissier charge like demons other reports describe a less frenzied affair.To say that the race presented enormous interest would be excessive, said Le Petit Journal. As was to be expected, this event, because it brought together too many men of substantially equal value, was monotonous for the greater part of its journey.OffsideAs the race entered its final phase, those that remained were pretty much all together. The leading bunch numbered 23 as they began the climb of Coeur Volant, the final obstacle, with 15km to go. LAuto describes Girardengo crossing the top with a lead of 30m over Henri Plissier, with Georges Detreille 40m back and Francis Plissier a further 10m off the pace. Le Miroir des Sports meanwhile has Henri Plissier first over the top with Girardengo fifth in line, an account somewhat supported by Le Petit Journal, which told readers that three clearly stood out from the pack at the top of the climb: Francis and Henri Plissier and Detreille.Either way, Girardengo was at the head of affairs when it mattered. Nine riders entered the Parc des Princes together and with 400m to go the Italian launched his final and definitive effort, edging out Henri Plissier by a matter of centimetres on the line.Girardengo, who had never won a road race in France, triumphed for the first time on cement, like the excellent track rider that he is, reported Le Miroir des Sports.The best of the bestThe quality of the field was due to the fact that the GP Wolber was designed to feature only the best riders from the season. First held in 1922, the race was the idea of French industrialist Antoine Wolber, who in 1898 had formed a rubber and tyre company that carried his surname and which made tyres among other bicycle components.Wolbers idea was to stage a season-closing race with a large prize fund.He began by taking out of his safe 24 beautiful thousand franc notes, reported LAuto, took 15 between his thumb and index finger on his right hand, reserving them for the winner of the race, and, having regard to the significance of the sum, then decreed that his race would only bring together undisputed champions of the bicycle.So it was that the GP Wolber would only be open to the top-three finishers in cyclings greatest races: Paris-Roubaix, Bordeaux-Paris, Tour de France, Giro dItalia and so on.At the time there was no official road world championship so the race became seen as an unofficial one. Girardengo, the original Campionissimo (champion of champions) thanks to his stunning winning record in Italy, was a fitting winner.The de-facto world championshipIn 1927 the UCI introduced an official mens professional road World Championship (it would take another 31 years for women to get their race). Girardengos great Italian rival, Alfredo Binda, took that inaugural title with Girardengo, who launched the attack that had ultimately led to his rivals win, finishing second. One year later both Girardengo and Binda faced the wrath of the Italian cycling federation after refusing to co-operate in the 1928 race, handing the title to Belgian Georges Ronsse. Both were handed suspensions.Girardengo would never ride another World Championship race though he would later direct the Italian team in the event. The GP Wolber continued in its original form until 1931, changing to a French-only race in 1932 and then one for amateurs and independents under 25 years old from 1934 until its demise in 1950. This article originally appeared in issue 154 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe Related Posts Pro race history: Bernard Hinault wins a frozen Lige-Bastogne-Lige in 1980 Pro race history: Rik Van Looy is upstaged by his teammate at the 1963 Worlds Pro Log: 5 things to remember from the 2023 UCI World Championships The post Pro race history: Costante Girardengo wins the unofficial world championship in 1924 appeared first on Cyclist.