Pic of the Day 2 February, 2007
Ercole Baldini's "Frejus"
Here's one for Frejus fans... Ercole Baldini on his way to winning the 18th stage of the 1959 Tour de France. This first day in the Alps, 243 kms from La Lautaret to Aoste (St. Vincent d'Aoste), sent the race over the Galibier, Iseran, and Petit St. Bernard, with a group of six arriving together in Aoste. Baldini (Italie) took the sprint from Charly Gaul (Hollande-Luxembourg), Gérard Saint (Ouest-Sud Ouest), Henry Anglade (Centre-Midi), Michele Gismondi (Italie), and A. Christian (Internations).
Note the rare appearance of a zippered band collar - everyone else's jersey at that year's TdF had a buttoned pointy collar. Note also the Ambrosio stem, long-reach (!) Balilla sidepulls, gum sleeves on the brake levers, Campy hubs/shifters/crankset (too bad the text box is in the way!), plastic bottles with flat caps (one with a felt cover for evaporative cooling), spring-loaded bottle cages, knit gloves with snap closure, and brake cable housings tied together above the stem with a cut-n-bent piece of wire (made from a spoke perhaps?).
http://www.wooljersey.com/
>From "But et Club - Le Miroir des Sports" No.783, 1st February 1960.
Aldo Ross
Middletown, OH
USA