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By Barry Boyce,
CyclingRevealed Historian
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Marino Basso
The 1972 World Road Race Championship was held in Gap, France. The race presented 272.56 km over a difficult 18 laps of a 15.14 km circuit.
SPECIAL NOTE: Franco Bitossi is nicknamed "Crazy Heart" due to a cardiac arrhythmia and the way his heart reacted to stress.
Franco Bitossi (Ita) took his chance and attacked in the closing kilometers. He was alone under the 1 km to go flag with a 250 meter lead, but with the finish line in site doubt crept into Bitossi mind. He lost his power to pedal. The hard charging peloton caught Bitossi at the finish line. Italian teammate Marino Basso flew past Bitossi for the victory. Bitossi held on to finish in second place.
| WCRR August 6, 1972 |
| 272.56 Km [ Gap, France ] |
1. Marino BASSO (Ita) 7h05'59" |
2.
Franco Bitossi (Ita) |
3.
Cyrille Guimard (Fra) |
| Starters: 89 |
| Finishers: 42 |
| Average Speed: 38.392 km/h |
WCRR 1971
WCRR 1973
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39th World Championship Road Race 1972
