Hugo Koblet was the first international cycling star of the post-war period. The son of a baker from Zurich, he was a stylist on the bicycle and in life, a heartthrob for many women. Koblet experienced a meteoric rise and won the Giro d’Italia in 1950. With that he had reached the zenith of his career. Koblet was put under pressure by overly ambitious officials and ruined his health with doping. In 1954 he married a well-known model and they appeared to be a dream couple. After ending his athletic career he began to lose his footing. Threatened by bankruptcy, Koblet crashed his Alfa into a tree.