Posts from the archives <http://search.bikelist.org>:
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From: Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 14:03:26 -0800
Subject: Re: [CR]Colnagos. Flowers? Clubs? Both?
>From a small "vanity press" book, _COLNAGO_, 1986, Sergio Meda. This is
the small book Ernesto hands out at trade shows.
"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." ====================================================================
And this one:
==================================================================== From: "Hugh Thornton" <hughwthornton@hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 16:16:57 -0500 Subject: [CR]Colnagos. Flowers? Clubs? Both?
There seems to be argument as to whether the Colnago symbols are Flowers or Clubs. I am told that Colnago himself calls them flowers. That may depend on how good his English is. He more likely calls them "fiori" which is the Italian for ........, you guessed it, Flowers AND Clubs. Literally fiori are flowers, but it is the name given to the card suit of clubs (the actual symbol derives from the German card suit (now defunct) of Acorns, even though the Italians call them flowers). (cut) ====================================================================
Chuck "I say bananas and you say bananas" Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
.