Giovanni “Nani” Pinarello had never been one for half measures.
Giovanni “Nani” Pinarello. Photo: Pinarello
A competitive pro cyclist in his prime, he decided that ending up in the middle of the bunch at the 1951 Giro d’Italia was unacceptable, and promptly decided to finish last to claim the Maglia Nera – or black jersey.
This allowed Pinarello to partake in the lap of honour at the Vigorelli Velodrome alongside race winner Fiorenzo Magni and climber Louison Bobet.
From then on he would be associated with the jersey, but that act of defiance inspired him to start a leading bicycle brand that would leave a legacy of many yellow jerseys and a global name by the time of his death in September this year.
In 1952, Pinarello was offered 100 000 lire by his team to drop out of the Giro to allow the more promising Pasquale Fornara – who had just been released by Team Bianchi and was on the market – to participate.
With the money, he started a small bicycle shop in Treviso where he focused on building high-quality, handmade machines.
Sponsorships were slowly rolled out to up-and-coming teams but the brand did not become a household name until Fausto Bertoglio won the Giro in 1975, almost a quarter of a century after Pinarello claimed his black jersey.
The bicycle manufacturer’s hot streak continued with back-to-back victories in the 1981 Vuelta ã Espana and Giro d’Italia.
Although the marque was making a name for itself as a premium product, it was elevated into the stratosphere when Alexi Grewal claimed the gold medal in the road race at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Four years later, the then 66-year old visionary brought his son Fausto into the business which had expanded into a mega operation. That same year, the iconic brand netted its first Tour de France title courtesy of Pedro Delgado.
During the nineties, the company produced various frames which were ahead of their game and by the early 2000s the first Dogma – made from magnesium alloy – saw the light of day.
Less complex to manufacture and a fraction of the cost, carbon fibre would later replace the magnesium.
More recently, Pinarello has become the race machine of choice of some of the world’s top teams – most notably Team Sky who secured Tour de France titles in 2012 and 2013.
Sky also famously collaborated with Jaguar and Pinarello to design their dream bike for the upcoming season.
Locally, the brand supplies frames to Team Bestmed-ASG and stores are keen to stock it despite its reputation as a high-end product.
