Michael Allison and Tom Ward asked about Michael Hiltner and the Pedali Alpini connection.
Michael was a compact and extremely strong rider from Southern California (Santa Monica?) who competed in the larger Northern California races just as Northern California riders competed in Southern California races.
As best I remember, in early 1960 Michael moved to Northern California to train with my Pedali Alpini clubmate Lars Zebroski for the 1960 Olympics two man team time trial. They won the Olympic selection and competed in the Rome Olympics and I believe placed 39th.
Both riders stayed over the winter in Italy and Michael did really well in early season races. I was living in Florence and both Michael and Lars would stop by where I lived. Michael won some races while I felt lucky to even finish my local races.
I think we all ran out of money at about the same time and returned to California in the fall of 1961 where Lars and I ended up living about a mile apart.
Lars and I were very technically minded and started Paragon that fall to build race frames. Our parnership didn't last much past 1963 as I concentrated on school while Lars and Michael moved to different parts of Southern California.
I ran into Michael, now Victor Vincente of America, at some Interbike shows in the early 1980's where he was eager to show me his 20" wheel mountain bikes and saw him more recently at a Pedali Alpini reunion about 10+ years back. I last saw Lars at a reunion party hosted by Peter Rich in Berkeley but unfortunately Lars has since passed away.
Hugh Enox
La Honda, California