Fausto Coppi rode a Bianchi specially built for him that had lugs beautifully cut out with diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. Bianchi promoted this with ads that said something to the extent of "No matter how you deal the cards always a winner..."
Edward Robert Brooks Managing Director Edward Roberts International Auctioneers of the Fine and Rare 1262 West Winwood Drive Lake Forest, Illinois 60045 Phone- 847.295.8696 Facsimile- 847.295.8697 Email- ebrooks@eriwine.com Website- http://www.eriwine.com
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of worthy2@earthlink.net Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 11:45 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Re: spades/clubs/diamonds/hearts
"what's behind the tradition of using hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades as detail in handmade lugs?"
any and all information much appreciate
Since you asked for "any and all"...this is pieced together from hearsay an
d anecdotes, so take it for what it's worth:
I heard that most of the pro racers (and especially the Italians) spent a g
reat deal of their downtime between stages and on the road engaged in card
games...gambling. Since they are a competitive lot, the sideshow of the car
dgames often got to be just as heated and contentious as the actually bike
race, and there could be a lot of payback for last night's gambling in that
day's race. Some of the best racers were the worst losers at cards and vic
e-versa, and the day's winnings from race prizes could completely change ha
nds in the night's cardgame...you get the picture. So, when these racers/ga
mblers went into the next phase of their careers, lending their good names
to a bicycle or bike company, their true love of the cards was part of thei
r image and signature, especially among the peloton who knew who the "lucky
bastards" were. So you see the Heart on DeRosa, the Club on Colnago, the D
iamond on Pogliaghi, and all the suits on Ciocc (who's nickname means "poke
rface") as well as a bunch more that I'm forgetting...anybody have a compre
hensive list? How about those motifs on bikes from other-than-Italy?
In Trivia,
Alan Goldsworthy
SF, CA