 PINARELLO SURPRISEa modern Italian classic |
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The heritage of Italian crafted road racing bicycles cannot be disputed. There is an awe about them. The attention to the minutest detail is obsessive. The artistry and pride of work is inspiring. I think the riders become inspired by these craftsmen for their awards and race victories are well-known. Pinarello is perhaps at the top of these elite few craftsmen. The fit and finish, not to mention the ride and feel is, quite frankly, unbelievable. I feel privileged to ride one of these beautiful pieces of art almost daily. (Continued below) |
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The following few paragraphs are from the Pinarello website: "The making of the Pinarello began in Catena di Villorba, towards the end of the 1940's. The roots of Pinarello can be traced back to the beginning of WW II. This is when, at the age of fifteen, Giovanni began making bicycles at the factory of Paglianti. He continued making bicycles throughout his amateur cycling career. Bicycle manufacturing for the Pinarello family can be traced as far back as 1922, when Giovanni's cousin Alessandro was already making bicycles in a small factory. The beginning of this manufacturing was signified with a gold medal and a diploma in his recognition, given at the prestigious Milan Bicycle Fair of 1925. "In 1952, Giovanni was presented with the dilemma of having to give up the chance to participate in the very prestigious Giro d'Italia. He was to be replaced to make way for the up and coming new star, Pasqualino Fornara. Giovanni had no choice in the matter. His sponsor, Bottecchia, offered him 100,000 Lire, a great deal of money for the times. That loss later became his fortune, career, and success, with the beginning and opening of the first and most renowned bicycle store in Treviso. "Throughout the years the Pinarello victories continued, making it possible for many successful partnerships. One of these teams was Banesto, of which the Spanish champion Miguel Indurain was a team member, made the Pinarello the team bicycle. Indurain was just an amateur then but would ride a Pinarello to victories at five Tour de France's, two Giro d'Italia's, an Olympic victory, a world time trial championship, an hour record, and many other international victories. With the recognition obtained at the Giro d'Italia with Indurain in '92 and '93, and even with the victory of Chioccioli in '91, the victory that most stands out is the first Tour de France win in 1988 with Pedro Delgado of the Reynolds team (later called Banesto). It was during Pinarello's partnership with many professional teams that the Pinarello name became associated with many important Italian teams, such as the Del Tongo team from '88 to '91 and the Mercatone Uno team from '92 to '95. Among the many victories of the above mentioned partnerships, the one that remains the most important is the one formed in '91 with Chioccioli of the Del Tongo. "In addition to the long Tours, the numerous and extraordinary successes of Cipollini, the most internationally well-known "sprinter" have greatly contributed to the popularity of the Pinarello name and deserve to be remembered. Cipollini has infact, together with Indurain, been a famous testimonial of Pinarello's advertising compaigns. More recently, the success of the current teams, particularly Telekom, Brescialat and Banesto, should be mentioned. In 1996 and 1997, Telekom achieved remarkable results, becoming one of the most well-known teams in the world, with unexpected successes including the victory of Riis and the second place of Ullrich in the Tour de France in 1996. The success of Pinarello has been reconfirmed in the seasons 1997 with the 6th consecutive victory in the Tour de France and in 1998 with the second place of Jan Ullrich always in the Tour de France." www.pinarello.com Ted Phelps
© Ted Phelps * Photos taken with Olympus C2100 UZ Permission is granted to freely copy and distribute photos from these pages * tphelps@daystarbotanicals.com Photo album created with Web Album Generator |