Steven wrote:
>
> Freddy Maertens claims that he lost the 1973 World Championship
> (when
> he was riding Shimano Dura-Ace) because Merckx (and the other
> riders
> in the break) would rather let anyone else (riding Campagnolo) win,
> rather than letting a Shimano-equipped bike win.
>
> That season was probably the first real incursion of Shimano into
> the European Pro peloton.
Campagnolo did indeed have very much pull among the top pros and it would not surprise me if the 'Campagnolo' Belgians did not support somebody else after Tullio made it worth their while. Francesco Moser is another one whose results are perhaps not fully recognised in Italy as he was among the first top-ranked Italians to use Shimano: Blasphemy in the home of Tullio!
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ