Charly Gaul

Charly Gaul (8 December 1932 - 6 December 2005) was a Luxembourgish cyclist, a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and a superb climber who earned the nickname "Angel of the Mountains" at the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1956 and 1959 and rode best in cold, wet weather. A fragile-looking man with disproportionately short legs, he worked in a butcher's shop and an abattoir in Bettembourg before turning professional for Terrot on 3 May 1953 at the age of 20, having already won more than 60 amateur races, including a record stage up the Grossglockner in the Tour of Austria at 17. In later life he became a recluse and lost much of his memory.