Felice Gimondi Personal Bianchi Road Bicycle 1968

Felice Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the second cyclist (after Jacques Anquetil) to win all three Grand Tours of road cycling: Tour de France (1965), Giro d'Italia (1967, 1969, 1976) and Vuelta a España (1968). He is one of only seven cyclists to have done so. 

Born into a modest family in Sedrina, Gimondi soon developed a passion for cycling and was Italy’s golden boy, dominating the amateur circuit and even competing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. It was only a matter of time until Gimondi was scouted into the professional circuit and in 1965 the Salvarani Team got his signature. After signing for the team, Gimondi was sent to the Tour De France as a last-minute replacement, and with this, he seized his opportunity. The rookie surprised everyone by taking the yellow jersey on stage three into Rouen. Despite the odds against him, Gimondi hung on through the race, sealing the title with a victory in the final time trial, all this in his first year as a professional. From the very start, this partnership seemed to be a match in heaven. This partnership helped to establish him as one of the all-time greats, winning copious amounts of races. 

The Bianchi that we present here is a bicycle that Felice Gimondi rode himself for Team Salvarani in 1968 the same year that he won the prestigious Grand Tour; Vuelta a España as well as many other races. The frame number is 999431 which was crafted as part of a special batch for the Salvarani Team. It is apparent that this frame is not just off the self, it was clearly manufactured for the professional circuit and to save weight. The lugs have been filled and shaped more than standard Bianchi bikes of this era and therefore lightened, and in a further attempt to cut weight from the frame the front and rear dropouts have also been modified.

The frame has been equipped with a range of top-class components, notably the Campagnolo Nuovo Record groupset, which was the best on the market at the time. This was a time when Campagnolo did not manufacture their own brakes so the stopping power comes from Universal brakes. On top of this, is the Bianchi cockpit, Nisi Rims and the cult classic Cinelli Unicanitor saddle.

It is not hard to imagine Gimondi himself curving up the Italian Alps on this bicycle. A true piece of cycling history.