Bianchi Team Bike Rik Van Linden 1970s

When it comes to vintage bicycles, there a few things as iconic as the famous "Bianchi Celeste". Indissolubly connected with the epic victories of Fausto Coppi and Felice Gimondi and other team riders, the Bianchi paintwork has become a legend through the years.

One of the more famous riders of the 1970s Bianchi Team was Rik Van Linden. The sprinter had an enormous punch and competed with one of the most talented generation of riders. De Vlaeminck, Gimondi, Merckx, Sercu, Demeyer, and was often able to come out first.
Van Linden won Paris-Tours in 1971, the year he became professional, which earned him the nick name Rik III after his Belgian colleagues Rik (I) Van Steenbergen and Rik (II) Van Looy.
Altogether he was capable of winning 111 times throughout his career. His talent made him capable of winning stages in all three grand tours but also one day classics and even stage races like the Giro di Sardegna.
He might be known most for winning the green points classification jersey in 1975.

And here we have one of his Professional Team Bianchi bikes from the 1970s. This Specialissima Reparto Corse was used in '77 or '78 and is still equipped with mostly original parts.
We thus decided to keep it as authentic as possible and basically just cleaned it and replaced as little as necessary.
We kept the rugged white Almarc-Cover of the professionals and nice details like the Regina Chain. Being a sweet detail, we also kept the seal of the Belgian custom authorities in place which was mandatory to bring the team bike over the border.

Concerning the parts, Van Linde's Specialissima is equipped with the best you could hope for as a Professional: A Campagnolo Super Record groupset of the first generation. The stem and brake-levers are nicely pantographed and the seat post has Rik's name at the front.

Here you have the opportunity to get hold of a legendary bike model of a famous rider who rode for a legendary team. This is certainly a great choice for collectors!