"Beautiful Hugo" was born March 25, 1925 in Zurich, Switzerland. During his illustrious career, he won many important races, including 10 Suisse National Championships, the 1950 Giro d'Italia, and the 1951 Tour de France. His power on the bike earned him the respect of fellow cyclists and the praise of racing journalists. His good looks and grace transformed many European women into cycling fans.

Koblet's monumental stage win from Brive to Agen in the 1951 Tour de France is considered by many to be one of the greatest days in the history of cycling. Ultimately, Koblet went on to win that years Tour de France by more than 22 minutes over his nearest rival.

Koblet's professional career spanned from 1946-1958. Sadly, only 8 years after he finished his cycling career, Koblet died in a car crash of mysterious circumstances at the age of 39 on November 6, 1964.

The Koblet objects in the collection represent a cross section and snapshot of  "Le pedalleur du charme" and his career. One interesting area, which fell smack in he midst of Koblet's career, is the unique history of cycling trophies. After WWI and through the late 1950's, several of the largest races in the sport, including the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, stopped directly awarding trophies. The tradition became one wherein a rider's local club was expected to honor the riders victories with a suitable trophy that would then be displayed by the rider with pride. Hence, many of the most important trophies of Koblet's career were pewter, a material more associated with Germany and Switzerland than France or Italy. While skeptics may accuse the race organizers of merely being cheapskates, there was an extremely favorable bi-product. The trophies made through the rider's club often reflected a level of craftsmanship and care that far exceeded any of the trophies that were given by the race sponsors and organizers. Koblet's pewter trophies, for instance, represent a quality of craftsmanship that is absolutely on par, if not superior to, any trophy from any time period in our collection.