From a small "vanity press" book, _COLNAGO_, 1968, Sergio Meda (thanks, Phil ;):
"For the present trade-mark, the ace of clubs, we must wait till 1970, when Michele Dancelli won the Milan-Sanremo on a Colnago, ending a 17-year famine that had lasted since Loretto Petrucci's double. The ace of clubs (trans: known as the ace of flowers in Italian) was an idea that came to Colnago, a man easily moved, even to tears, by momentous occasions, the next day while reading the Gazzetta dello Sport. Bruno Raschi had produced on of his usual imaginative pieces, simple but effective. It revolved around Sanremo, 'city of flowers,' and the picture of a cavalcade through two continuous streams of people packed together to cheer the long-awaited Italian victory. Raschi wrote of a bicycle in full bloom surmounted ethereally by Dancelli, effortless, light as a feather. So Colnago created the flower with just a C in the centre, the one that still appears today, and added the rainbow colours to signify the many world championships won on his bicycles. How many? He does not remember, nor is it worth recording, except to continually update the record. The 'ace of flowers' will never wither, however: it has put down roots too deeply."
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, T-shirts and Campagnolo Timeline)