Rino Benedetti, 1955 Italian National Champion Independents – Stage Winner in all 3 Grand Tours

$525.00

Rino Benedetti had a long and successful career racing as a professional from 1951 to 1963.   Benedetti won stages at all the Grand Tours.

This jersey includes the original label from Bar Augusto.

This jersey was purchased directly from the Augusto Gotti family and was part of the collection in the legendary Bar Augusto in Villa d’Alme, Italy.  Bar Augusto was a key host to professional and amateur cycling teams from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Size: N/A

Chest: 30 inches / 76 cm  (15 in / 38 cm measured armpit to armpit)

Length: 29 in / 73.5 cm

Maker: N/A

Please Note: This jersey hung on the wall of Bar Augusto for many years and has “Bar Patina” from being exposed to smoke, dust, etc.

Each jersey is one of a kind, please look carefully at the photos to determine the condition.

Out of stock

SKU: JR-100483 Category: Tag:

Description

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, and 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.

Additional information

Weight 2 lbs