Pinarello is to bicycles what Ferrari is to cars. Which cyclist wouldn't want to go out on a ride with the group showing off a Pinarello? The Italian brand has become the object of desire for thousands of cyclists around the world. They are elegant bikes, with refined lines, and since the 1990s they have dominated the podium at the Tour de France. Perico Delgado, Miguel Induráin, Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, and Egan Bernal are some of the cyclists who have worn the yellow jersey on the Champs-Élysées in Paris with a Pinarello. But the truth is that the origin of this Italian brand is not at the top of the podium, but was born as a result of the dismissal of the last winner of the maglia nera of the Giro. This jersey was reserved for the last classified in the general classification.
The Maglia Nera
Giovanni Pinarello was an Italian cyclist from the 1940s and 1950s. He raced alongside Coppi, Bartali, and Bobet during the so-called Eroico era of cycling. However, unlike his compatriots, he was not a successful rider. Although he won more than 60 races as an amateur, as a professional he had a modest record. However, in the midst of the rivalry between Coppi and Bartali, his charisma made him very popular among fans and he won the sympathy of the media. In 1951, Giovanni Pinarello finished the Giro d'Italia as the last classified in the general classification. At that time, whoever finished last was dressed with the Maglia Nera (black jersey) and was invited to take the lap of honor with the champion. Precisely that year was the last time this black jersey was awarded. It was also the last year that Giovanni Pinarello participated in the Giro, since the following year his team fired him so that his spot could be filled by a teammate of Coppi who had been dismissed from the Bianchi team.
The severance pay, to make bicycles
The dismissal from the team meant the farewell of Giovanni Pinarello from professional cycling. But it was also the beginning of one of the most prestigious bicycle brands in the world. He was given 100,000 liras as severance, which was a fortune for the time. And Giovanni decided to invest it in a workshop for making bicycles in the town of Treviso. The Pinarello Acciaio Columbus of Franco Chioccioli. From the beginning, his goal was to create lighter and faster bicycles. However, it took several years before he began to achieve success on the roads. In 1961 Cicli Pinarello—that was the official name of the brand—sponsored its first cycling carrera to gradually make its way as a supplier to the professional cyclists of the time. And in 1975 Pinarello achieved its first victory in the Giro d'Italia.
Induráin's 'Espada'
The leap of the Pinarello bicycles In professional cycling, this happened in the 1980s, led by two stars: Alexis Grewal and Perico Delgado. The former won the Gold Medal at the Los Angeles Olympic Games (1984) riding a Pinarello bicycle. Four years later, Perico Delgado was crowned champion of the Tour de France with a bike with tubes as thin as his surname. The 1990s were the era of great dominance by Pinarello in the international peloton. The Italian brand was the bicycle supplier for the Banesto team, with which Miguel Induráin won five consecutive Tours. The image of 'Miguelón' pedaling on the time trial bike that Pinarello designed exclusively for him is part of the history of this sport. With the legendary Espada, as this bike was called, Induráin starred in one of the greatest displays in the history of the Tour de France. It was during the time trial stage of the 1994 Tour between Périgeux and Bergerac. It was 64 kilometers of racing against the clock that Induráin completed at a superior pace of 50 kilometers per hour. His performance was so impressive that by kilometer 15 he already had a one-minute lead over Tony Rominger, his main rival. And by kilometer 17, he had lapped Lance Armstrong, then World Champion! Induráin's feat with the Espada Pinarello in that stage led the French media to nickname him the Tyrant of Bergerac. A few months later, after winning the fourth of his five Tours, the Navarrese broke the hour record riding the Espada.
From Telekom to Sky
In addition to its relationship with Banesto, Pinarello decided to join a German team that at the time had been left without a sponsor. It was none other than Team Telekom, led by Bjarne Rijs and Jan Ullrich, which would go on to become the great dominator of the peloton during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In addition, it also equipped the cyclists of the Italian team Fassa Bortolo, so Pinarello bicycles continued to reach the top of the podium in major races. At the Sydney Olympic Games, the three cyclists who won Gold, Silver, and Bronze were all riding a Pinarello bicycle (Ullrich, Vinokourov, and Kloden). The Pinarello Dogma with which Bradley Wiggins won the 2012 Tour de France. In recent years, the relationship between Pinarello and the Tour de France has intensified thanks to Team Sky. Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas wore the yellow jersey on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on a Pinarello bicycle. Egan Bernal, winner of the 2019 Tour with Team Ineos, gave Pinarello its fourteenth Tour de France victory.
Innovation in the DNA
In addition to the elegance of its designs, competition and innovation have always been present in the DNA of Pinarello bicycles. Its most representative model, the Pinarello Dogma, stands out for being the first asymmetrical bicycle produced in series. The tubes on each side are designed with different lengths to compensate for pedaling forces. Another outstanding element of the design of Pinarello bicycles is their saber-shaped forks. Giovanni Pinarello passed away in 2014. As a cyclist, his most remembered milestone was the maglia nera he wore in the 1951 Giro after finishing last. As a bicycle manufacturer, his legacy is having created one of the most competitive and winning brands in road cycling, desired by both professional and amateur cyclists.
Tuvalum Team
