[CR]Outing Colnago bike with a twist

(Example: Framebuilders:Dario Pegoretti)

From: "The Maaslands" <TheMaaslands@comcast.net>
To: "CR" <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 20:37:58 -0500
Subject: [CR]Outing Colnago bike with a twist

Ray wrote about the auction http://ebay.com/<blah>

"The seller has got the wrong year. In 1980 Freddy Maertens rode for San Giacomo-Mobilli-no I haven't heard of them either- and had one minor victory in Italy. It was 1981 when he signed for Boule D'Or Colnago ( I

think he also had Sunair on the jersey)and won his second world title. Now call me a cynic but there is no way Colnago would sponser a team and

not have his name on the bikes. I have found two photos from 81/82 and Freddy is riding a bog standard blue and white Colnago. It's got me beat."

I have found a photo from 1980 where the Boule d'Or team did in fact ride Boule d'or marked bikes. Maertens was indeed not part of the team that year. In 1981, the team had different jerseys when they raced in France and when they raced in Belgium, so they may also have had differently sprayed bikes. Not likely, but you never know. In France the jerseys said Colnago in big letters whereas in Belgium they only had the Colnago shoulder markings.

By the way, Colnago sponsored teams that raced bikes under the namer Colner (COLnago ERnesto), Saronni and Rauler (RAUL and ERnesto), so it is in no way odd that Colnago would supply bikes to a team without them being overtly Colnago bikes if the co-sponsor made it worthwhile for him and the bike had the necessary call-outs. The auction bike does have just such a call-out, with the Colnago clubs.

Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ