Learco Guerra – 5x Italian National Champion – 1931 World Champion

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.

Outside our collection, we’ve never seen this poster.  Given the art style and printing technique, it was undoubtedly made in the 1930s. Learco Guerra (14 October 1902 – 7 February 1963) was an absolute superstar in the pre-WWII era. As an Italian rider with a deep respect for his home country’s Grand Tour, he was often quoted for his eloquent descriptions of what he described as the most special, honored victory of career, the 1934 Giro d’Italia. He gained the nickname of “Human Locomotive” for his enduring ability to hammer away on flat races.

In 1930 he won his first Italian National Road Race Championships, the first of an incredible five straight wins. That same year he came second in the Tour de France after Italy’s leader, Alfredo Binda, proved in poor form. The Frenchman, André Leducq, won the race. In 1931 Guerra won four stages of the Giro d’Italia but not the final victory. In this Giro, he was the first rider who wore the pink jersey. The same year he won the world cycling championship.

In 1933 Guerra was again second in the Tour de France, and he won the Milan–San Remo. Still, his greatest success, by far, was 10 stage victories at the 1934 Giro d’Italia and the general classification. He was also second in the world championship.

Guerra set a record of victories in a single year that was beaten only in the 1970s.

After retirement, he worked as a team manager for riders such as Hugo Koblet and Charly Gaul.

This poster has been archivally and professionally linen-backed. Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on fragile, thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters so they can be displayed or framed without compromising value.