>From old CR post (05 Jul 2002)...
Takao Noda wrote:
>
> To list members , especially in New England,
> I found a senior racer in New England;
> http://www.sencomp.com/
> I eagerly want to make contact with him and to get info. of Galmozzi in old
> days.
> But all e-mails to him bounced back.
> Does anyone know him?
> Takao Noda
> Hachioji Tokyo Japan
Interesting reading + Galmozzi content:
Fioravante "Van" A. Bares, USCF Master Cat 3, member of the Cycle Loft-Sun Microsystems-North East Bicycle Club, 1996 and 1998 NE Regional Road Racing Champion, 1998 MA Criterium Champion, 1996 and 1998 first at the CT TT Championship, 1997 and 1998 Mass. Senior Games Champion, 9th overall at the 1997 National Senior Games, 1996 MCRA Champion, 1996 most accomplished racer in NE, 1998 2nd best accomplished racer in NE.
Born 23 Jan. 1931 in Milano, Italy
Introduced to cycling when 3 years old, on a tricycle.
When 4, progressed to a kids bicycle, red and indestructible.
I still remember pedaling like a windmill beside my father proceeding on a stately Legnano bike, single gear, wooden rims, balloon tires, rod operated front and rear brakes. A beauty. Most probably weighing the best portion of 30 Kg. Great cycling improvements accompanied the financial progress of the family. Thanks to my fathers friendship with a frame builder, in the 40ties the whole family got equipped with top of the line "light frame" bicycles. Three speeds, Simplex gear shifting, aluminum pedal cranks and handle bar, cable operated brakes.
The second world war forced me to switch from my junior "light" bike to the old stately Legnano. The latter would afford more capacity as a cargo bike and as a carrier of my little sister. Anything and everything could be carried on it. What I remember most, was carrying twice a week, half a pane of ice from an ice plant 11 km away from home, having to struggle with weight and with hills.
The war ended. The stately Legnano became my transportation anywhere: to Boy Scouts camps, school, shopping, dates and to explore the country. How many times I dismantled the humangous bicycle and fixed it on the balcony of our apartment transformed in mechanical shop, is beyond memory. Unfortunately, on a dark night in 1952 it was stolen. Otherwise I would still have and revere it.
In 1948, additional family progress brought in a motorcycle for my father and for me, a "custom made" racing bicycle, manufactured by my fathers frame builder friend. At the time, a renown frame builder for some Italian RR champions. His name was Francesco Galmozzi, "Cecchino" for his friends. A skilled frame builder without ambitions. In fact, his frames were most often sold under prestigious names like Colnago, Atala, Frejus and Olmo.
My bicycle came Campagnolo equipped, including the infamous rear gear shifter that required loosening the rear wheel with one lever while switching gears by moving the chain up or down the rear sproket tweaking a second lever. Both levers were placed along the right tube connecting the seat tube to the chain stay. Gear shifting could be made only while reverse pedaling in a right bent-out position. It was launched by Campagnolo as a "solution" to rear derailleur destruction in case of accidents or falls. With all respect and love that I have for Campagnolo products, this was the invention of a lunatic. Certainly not the quick gear shift that a Cipollini would like before a sprint nor a Pantani in the middle of a hill climb. The system disappeared quickly, replaced by the Campagnolo Record derailleur, an improvement of the Simplex system. Still, 5 gears only and no double chain ring.
Training at the time consisted in lot and lot of kilometers and hours spent on the bike. Races were at high school teams meets or at local, popular events and festivities. All road races, point to point or along lenghty loops. Prizes were mostly in kind: a bottle of wine, a salame, bicycle parts, etc. No money: races were free, organized by sport enthusiast. Anybody with a bike and guts could participate. Automobile traffic in Italy was then still very light. On weekends, safe roller skating on empty roads was widely practiced.
Nutrition before a race, as suggested by Mr. Galmozzi our "expert" and coach was: raw meat with a raw egg (substantially a "Tartar steak") washed down with strong coffee. They certainly believed in proteins!
I had some racing success, but not enough to fire up my career. Then my father died. The need of using all available time and forces to work and pay for completing my engineering studies prevailed. Cycling continued but at recreational or utilitarian (transportation) levels. College graduation lead to work and to extensive worldwide traveling and less and less bicycling.
In 1972, once settled in the US, I acquired another custom made "Galmozzi" (a "ten speeds"!) all Campagnolo Record equipped. Totally out of shape, my participation to a few tours lead me to realize that limitless youth energies had vanished. I needed training. In 1974, when I moved to New England, I started that on a systematic base. It consisted mostly of long daily commuting trips, to and from work. In 1975, a sparsely attended criterium held in Winchester (where I live), nudged me back towards racing. Listening to the "Voice of New England", i.e. Dick Ring, describing the action and yelling: "Premie, Premie!", rekindled my enthusiasm. However, when by 1980 I had garnered some success as a "citizen" racer including winning twice the Tour of Lowell, I was transferred to New York. For three years my main bicycling activity consisted of a commute downtown Manhattan using a battered but very sturdy Raleigh Sprite 27, so heavy that nobody cared to steal it.
In 1985, back in New England, my job in Framingham required a 22 miles commute each way. After an initial struggle to cover the distance with the Raleigh, the decision to refit the old 1948 Galmozzi frame was easy. Repainted, with a straight handlebar, it gave wind and substance to my commuting. From there, improving on my training technique and participating to more races, was an easy step and lead me to where I am now. That is: race to train. Training, namely, physical exercise, has become an important part of my daily life.
Wisdom brought by age, motivated me to try and transfer to others what I had learnt in many years of cycling. I joined a "developmental" club and other cycling organizations through which I can pass through advice, training and racing tips. That has reached also into part of my family, making me the coach of my son, his wife, kids and a cohort of friends that have joined in to enjoy the sport. They crowned and gave substance to my efforts by forming the team "El Grande". The "El Grande", in their eyes, being me.
I plan to continue being meaningfully active and competitive on the sport and to contribute to it for as long as I can. It fills me with joy and satisfaction. The only sadness I lament is the gradually increasing solitude I experience at races for the disappearance of equally well aged peers. Why are so many past valid competitors disappearing or quitting the sport? They certainly are not that old and in bad shape!
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Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
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