Taken from cyclingnews.com
More revelations in 'Was Coppi murdered?' case
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera yesterday expanded its story that Italian champion Fausto Coppi was murdered, with direct testimony from the Benedictine monk who claims to have heard the murderer's confession.
In a further three-page story on the case, published Sunday, Corriere quotes Brother Adrien, of the monastery at Koubri, near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (formerly the Upper Volta) as saying: "Coppi was poisoned after the death of a rider from Bouake in the Ivory Coast. I believe that he died in a fall in the Tour de france. People from Bouake told me about it. His family and friends wanted revenge. He was poisoned with a potion that is well-known in Burkina Faso, made from a local herb. It acts slowly and causes fevers that can possibly lead to death."
However, the small flaw in the tale is that no rider from the Ivory Coast has ever taken part in the Tour de france, let alone died in a fall.
The doctor who attended Coppi in his final illness, Ettore Allegri, pointed out that, "Blood tests were carried out after his death and confirmed that he died of malaria."
French rider Raphaël Geminiani, a contemporary of Coppi, who also contracted malaria in Burkina Faso while racing with Coppi, confirms that the Campionissimo died of malaria. "It was malaria. I was saved because the disease was diagnosed immediately when I got home. Coppi thought he had influenza but when I contacted his hospital to tell them about my case, the doctors said 'they treated you for your disease, we are treating Coppi for the same.'"
Despite these denials, Italian magistrates have opened an investigation into Coppi's 1960 death.