Description
Giovanni Battaglin
Giovanni Battaglin (born 22 July 1951) is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist, best known for winning both the 1981 Giro d’Italia and the 1981 Vuelta a España, achieving the rare Vuelta-Giro double in the span of just one and a half months.
Early Years
Born in Marostica, Vicenza, Battaglin gained early recognition by winning the 1972 Amateur Giro d’Italia, turning professional the following year with the Jollj Ceramica team.
Professional Career
Battaglin made his Grand Tour debut in the 1973 Giro d’Italia, which started in Verviers, Belgium. He quickly made an impression, finishing third on Stage 4, ahead of cycling legends Eddy Merckx and José Manuel Fuente. By the race’s midpoint, he was in second place overall behind Merckx but ultimately finished third, an impressive feat for a 21-year-old neo-pro.
In the 1975 Giro d’Italia, Battaglin wore the maglia rosa (leader’s jersey) for five days and secured multiple stage victories in Grand Tours and smaller stage races. He won the King of the Mountains classification in the 1979 Tour de France despite receiving a penalty for doping. The following year, he finished third in the 1980 Giro d’Italia.
In 1981, Battaglin dominated the Vuelta a España, taking the leader’s jersey after winning the Stage 10 mountain time trial to Sierra Nevada. His Inoxpran team defended his lead against Spanish riders, securing his first Grand Tour victory. Just three days later, he started the 1981 Giro d’Italia. On Stage 19, he won the stage to Mareo, taking the maglia rosa from Silvano Contini. He successfully defended his lead in the final individual time trial in Verona, winning the race ahead of Tommy Prim. Battaglin became only the second rider after Eddy Merckx to achieve the Vuelta-Giro double.
Retirement and Business Ventures
Battaglin retired after the 1984 season and went on to establish Battaglin Cicli, a bicycle manufacturing company based in Marostica, Italy. In 2002, his company sponsored the Ceramiche Panaria Fiordo cycling team.
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Bar Augusto
Bar Augusto, located in Alme (Bergamo), Italy, was renowned for its support of cycling teams and its world-class bicycle racing collection that focused on trophies and race-worn jerseys. A family-owned business, the bar and its attached inn flourished in the 1970s and 1980s. Augusto Gotti, the enterprise’s face, welcomed amateur national teams to stay at Bar Augusto while the riders trained and raced in the region. Many Western and Eastern Bloc national teams embraced the Gotti family’s welcoming spirit and were among the most ardent supporters.
Bar Augusto 1966
Augusto Gotti (Center) with Edy Schütz (Left), Luxembourg National Champion and winner of the 1966 Tour of Luxembourg, and an unknown third person pictured in the interior of the famous watering hole.
Augusto was a devoted cycling fan and astute collector of jerseys. Active and retired professional and amateur riders gave the bar hundreds of jerseys, all hung with pride on the walls of the storied bar. The jersey collection read like a venerable who’s who of the cycling world from the 1950s through the 1980s. Coppi, Gimondi, Motta, Merckx, Anquetil, Van Looy, Altig, and hundreds more professional jerseys hung alongside the best of the best Eastern Bloc riders. Given its incredible diversity, depth, and breadth, it would be challenging, if not impossible, to build the same collection today.
With time, Augusto decided to retire, close the bar, and enjoy a more relaxed pace of life in his autumn years. A year or so before Augusto passed away, and with the help of former Polish and US National Team Coach Eddie Borysewicz, we were honored to acquire the Gotti Collection. Augusto’s and our collection combined beautifully, and between the two, there were only two overlapping items: an Eddy Merckx maillot jaune and a Bernard Hinault Renault team jersey. To this day, our collection is what is thanks in no small measure to a quaint bar and inn tucked into a picturesque valley in Northern Italy.
By Brett Horton, Jan 2021
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Each jersey is one of a kind; please look carefully at the photos to determine the condition.
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