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Home , Bianchi (cycling team), Costante Girardengo, Cristian Moreni, Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Gaetano Belloni

HISTORY History

1885 1886 1887 1888 1890 Edoardo Bianchi, age Bianchi introduces a Having outgrown his Bianchi produces the A new factory is 21, opens his model with front and original quarters, world’s first bicycle opened on via Bor- manufacturing busi- rear wheels of virtu- Bianchi moves his featuring pneumatic ghetto. ness in a small shop ally the same size. growing company to tires, a new invention on ’s via Nirone. a larger workshop on from Scotland. via Bertani.

It was in the year 1885 when Edoardo Bianchi, then 21 first bicycle with tyres, a recent invention by the Scottish years old, started his enterprise as a bicycle manufacturer veterinary Dunlop. in his little sho ceived 120 years ago, was to reduce the In 1895, Edoardo Bianchi was invited to Court, at diameter of the front wheel and balance the gap of the Villa Reale in Monza: Queen Margaret had heard about his motion with the application of a chain, which had just original bicycle and was eager to learn how to ride it. Then been invented by the Frenchman Vincent, and then to Bianchi created, especially for the Queen, the first lady’s lower down the height of the pedals. bike. Since the very beginning of his activity, Edoardo And so “Safety” was born: a safety cycle and the very first Bianchi had been very keen-witted about innovations and modern bicycle. watchful about the sports sector. One of the main advantages of this new means of Bicycle competitions were just the perfect chance transport was stability: no acrobatics were need to keep for the young manufacturer to test his new technical solu- balance. Then Edoardo designed a similar vehicle, whose tions before taking them to production. wheel diameter was further reduced and which had both Bianchi’s first international sport success dates front and rear wheels almost of the same size. found back to 1899, when Tomaselli won the Grand Prix de la out the manufacturer that would have marked the Italian Ville de . This is how Bianchi’s adventure started: production all through the century. sports competitions fuelled the growth of an enterprise The “little blacksmith”, as he was called, moved which was born just four years before as a workshop, but his workshop from via Nirone to via Bertani to enlarge was going to become one of the most important industries it. In this new working place, he produced, in 1888, the in the world.

HISTORY - 2008 HISTORY

1895 1896 1899 1899 Bianchi builds the first Bianchi becomes the first Giovanni Tommaselli wins Trucks loaded with new women’s bicycle, as a spe- bicycle manufacturer to Bianchi its first interna- Bianchi bicyles for dis- cial commission for Queen use races as testing tional cycling victory, at tribution across Italy and Margherita, at Villa Reale in grounds for innovations the world championship of abroad. Monza. Bianchi travels to prior to producing them on track racing: the Grand Prix court to present the bicycle a large scale. of Paris, which later evolves and provide riding lessons into the Tour de . to the Queen.

1906 1911 1914 1915 This Art Nouveau adver- Riding for Bianchi, Carlo WWI begins. Bianchi, Bianchi invents the first tisement reads, “Bianchi Galetti wins the Giro whose factories output mountain bike. Developed are always admired d’Italia. 45,000 bicycles, 1,500 for the “bersaglieri,” the and preferred.” motorcycles and 1,000 elite Italian light infantry cars per year, begins to division, the vehicle fea- design and produce military tured a spring suspension vehicles. frame and forks, 60 cm wheels with wide cross-sec- tion Pirelli tires, a collaps- ible frame with shoulder straps, and optional mounts for a rifle, machine gun, or mortar.

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1919 1923 1925 wins the Giro di Bianchi models, clockwise from wins the 7th stage of Lombardia. top left: R Super Bianchi GL, Track the Giro d’Italia. model, S24, ladies’ L model.

1934 1939 1940 Dictator inspects a Bianchi racing team, left to right: The immortal begins Bianchi factory. Leoni, Lunardon, Bini, Gosi, Olmo, riding for Team Bianchi. Above: Bailo, Romanatti, Marabelli, Ber- Cycling greats (left) and gamaschi. Fausto Coppi. HISTORY - 2008 HISTORY

1943 1946 1947 1949 Bianchi steel processs- Construction is completed Fausto Coppi is Pursuit Coppi wins his first Tour de ing factory is destroyed by on a new facility. World Champion and win- France, despite a punishing aerial bombing. ner of the Giro d’Italia. fall in the race’s Saint Malo stage. He again wins the Giro d’Italia, disproving the physiologists who claimed the feat to be impossible. And he becomes Pursuit World Champion.

1952 1953 1954 1965 1967 A Bianchi ad cel- Fausto Coppi be- Bianchi wins Felice Gimondi wins ebrates the 1949 comes on-road World photo. the . Giro d’Italia & 1952 victories in Champion and wins both the Giro d’Italia his fifth Giro d’Italia. and the Tour de France.

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1986 1993 1998 2000 2002 Bianchi’s Moreno leads wins Jose Hermida is Un- Jose Hermida is Armen’sin becomes Tour de France on both Giro d’Italia der 23 Cross Country Spanish National and World Champion. a Bianchi. Dario and Tour de France; Mountain Bike World European XC Elite Acquaroli wins the Stefano Grazelli wins Champion; Marco Mountain Bike Cham- Mountain Bike World Tour of Switzerland; Pantani wins several pion; Julien Absalon Champion title in the Marco Velo is Italian Giro d’Italia and Tour is French National Cross Country, Junior Trial Champion. de France stages. and European XC division. Under 23 Mountain Bike Champion, repeats as Under 23 XC Mountain Bike World Champion.

2003 After 19 years Bianchi is back as first sponsor of a profes- In the off-road sector, the threesome Absalon-Hermida-Di- sional outfit: leads the Bianchi team and at etsch strengthens the leading role of the Bianchi Motorex the Centenary Tour de France he stirs the crowd of fans by team in Europe and worldwide, while Marco Villa stands challenging , defeating him in the time out on track capturing the win in the Italian Champion- trial race and getting the honour placement in the overall ship and the new Aliverti women team captures 10 suc- ranking. cesses in total. HISTORY - 2008 HISTORY

2004 The year of celebrations. The event of 120 years of pure Championship. Moreni is then summoned to take part “passione celeste” coincides with a brilliant season with the national team in the Olympic Games in Athens loaded with emotions. (where he will give his precious contribution to the Olym- With Julien Absalon, Bianchi hits an unforget- pic win of ) and in the World Championship table double win: the MTB Cross Country Olympic Com- in Verona. petition in Athens and the World title at the World Cham- Bianchi is protagonist also on-track with the pionship in Les Gets, France. Absalon’s magic moment is champion from Vera Carrara, who at the World followed by another important win captured by his country Championship in Melbourne (Australia) ranks second in fellowman and team-mate, Thomas Dietsch, who in July, the World Point Race Competition. after getting the Silver medal at the Marathon World Bianchi collection of medals got rich by two Championship in Austria, captures also the gold medal at more golden medals, those won by Cristian Cominelli of the Marathon European Championship in Poland. Bianchi-Agos Junior team at the Pupils Cycle-Cross Ital- Even in the road race, Bianchi confirms its leader- ian Championship and at the MTB Cross Country Italian ship by capturing, with the Swede Magnus Backstedt, Championship, as well as by two bronze medals con- color-bearer of the Alessio-Bianchi team, the most en- quered in the Male and Female Junior Cross Country MTB thralling and prestigious race among the Northern Classi- tricolour competitions, respectively by Daniele Radici cal competitions: the legendary Paris-Roubaix, followed by from Brescia and Nicoletta Bresciani from Bergamo. the on-road success of at the Italian

HISTORY - 2008