I plan to bring the following bikes to the Cupertino Bike Shop Concours this Sunday:
Freddy Maertens' 1976 World Championship Bike - In addition to winning he 1976 worlds on this bike, Freddy rode the bike to victory at Paris-Nice in 1977 as well as to overall victory and a record setting number of stage victories at the Vuelta in 1977. It was made by Ugo DeRosa as is stickered "Flandria". Is it Italian? Or is it considered Belgian?
Rik Van Looy's Track Bike - This bike was used very early on in Van Looy's professional career and was ridden in several six days including his first six day victory in 1957. As to the physical traits of the bike it is the reverse of Freddy Maertens' bike. It appears to be a Belgian frame but has stickers of Learco Guerra, an Italian. (Most of the parts are Belgian.) Cool lugless frame where the head tube lug has been literally painted on so as to more closely replicate a Guerra frame.
Erik Zabel's 2002 Spring Classic Bike - Okay, this is way out of the timeline for the concours. I don't care. It is way cool. Besides, I'm probably using this as my rider for the day. Erik rode the bike in several of the classics where the roads are good including Milan San Remo and Amstel. It is a Pinarello Prince that is over the top with customized touches. It is as trick as trick can be down to custom Campy carbon wheels that were never sold in the retail market, special tires, and ultra-light parts. The provenance is impeccable. Last year I had the team keep a log each time this specific bike was used by Erik. I picked it up a few weeks ago from the team headquarters in Belgium and have a letter detailing the race history of the bike that has been signed off by Walter Godefroot, Erik, and the team mechanic.
1997 DeRosa - This bike is relatively modern but is nonetheless unique. If I don't end up having room to bring the Zabel bike, this will be my rider on Sunday. After several years of begging, with final intervention by a Belgian rider who used to ride Ugo's bike as a pro and now manufactures his own frames, Ugo agreed to make me a pretty special bike. The bike was made solely by Ugo from start to finish. No assistants, period. It was also steel and that was the reason for the drawn out hassles to complete the project. Ugo is bored of steel and doesn't personally build steel frames anymore. He finally relented. The end product is pretty special. He built a one of a kind down to details like a custom silver paint color, frame decals from the 50's mixed with the 70's, and chromed lugs. After it was all said and done, he signed the top tube. I recently ran into him at a race where he told me that he has not built another steel frame since. As far as he was concerned, mine is the last steel frame he will ever build. (As an aside, Ernesto Colnago has recently agreed to build me a frame. The end product will be interesting given that he hasn't touched a torch in years!)
If you can, attend the concours this weekend. It will be a fun time for vintage junkies.
Brett Horton
San Francisco, California