Hi gang, I was searching the web for Cyclo-Pedia, and came up, unfortunately, with an obituary for Gene Portuesi. Mr. Portuesi's demise was certainly news to me. I hope it is in the spirit of the CR list if I attach the text of his obit, as it does a nice job of listing all of his contributions to American cycling. I know that I benefited from the Cyclo-Pedia catalogs and the wide variety of equipment that they sold.
Steve Kurt
http://www.record-eagle.com/
Eugenio 'Gene' Gildo Portuesi
Died July 9, 2000
FIFE LAKE - Eugenio "Gene" Gildo Portuesi,
born Dec. 19, 1916, in Detroit, and local Fife Lake
resident since February 1970, passed away Sunday
at home.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Rita "Rit"
LaBrash Portuesi; one brother, Salvador "Sal"
Portuesi of Riverview, Fla.; niece, Linda Portuesi
Gould of Battle Creek; and nephews, Sebastian
Portuesi Jr. of Seattle, Wash., David Portuesi of
Mount Clements, and Michael Frances Portuesi of
Bakersfield, Calif.
Gene and Rit owned Cycle Sport Shop, which
they moved from Detroit to Cadillac, in February
1970. In October 1980, where as a lifelong
member of the National Rifle Association, Gene
retired in Fife Lake to hunt and fish.
One of the United States' most outstanding
coaches for the sport of bicycle racing, Gene
became interested in bicycle racing as a teenager
when his family lived for several years in
L'Escarene, a village in the vicinity of Nice, France,
where he enjoyed watching the Tour de France
come through his village every year.
He began his racing career in Detroit, with a
bicycle he brought back from France in 1936,
where he won the Men's Michigan State Bicycle
Racing Championships in 1938 and 1939. However,
due to family obligations and finances, he wasn't
ever able to represent Michigan in the National
Championships.
At the end of World War II, Gene, in partnership
with Mike Walden, opened two stores as
Continental Sport Shops in Detroit. Shortly
afterwards Gene was drafted and spent two years
in the Pacific theater in the U.S. Army and was
honorably discharged in 1947. Gene's brother, Sal,
managed one of the stores until his return. In the
early 1950s the partnership was dissolved and
Gene opened Cycle Sport Shop on Michigan Ave. in
Detroit, a landmark for the racing community and
the home of the Spartan Cycling Club.
In 1953 he created the first mail-order
catalogue ever dedicated to fine bicycle racing
equipment, the "Cyclo-Pedia." Not only did this
expert offer the finest in road and track equipment,
the catalogue was filled with information concerning
diets, weight training, and tactics for both road and
track racers. Gene had his team members taking
vitamin supplements and doing weight training that
well prepared them for world class performances.
With his second outstanding contribution to
cycling, Gene was responsible for coaching many
cyclists who became national and world champions.
Because of this talent, he was picked as the coach
of the USA 1964 Olympic cycling team for the
games in Tokyo, Japan.
Visitation hours will be 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8
p.m. today at Covell-Smith Funeral Home in
Kingsley.
Special services will be conducted by Lay
Pastoral Minister, Bernadine Hess on Thursday at
11 a.m. at the funeral home with burial immediately
following in Grayling.
Gene will be remembered by his friends and
family for his dedication to the American principle of
hard work and faithful service to those whose lives
he touched.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to
Father Flanagan's Boys Home, Boys Town
Nebraska, 68010.