Pinarello

The making of the Pinarello began in Catena di Villorba, towards the end of the 1940's. The roots of Pinarello can be traced back to the beginning of WW II. This is when, at the age of fifteen, Giovanni began making bicycles at the factory of Paglianti. He continued making bicycles throughout his amateur cycling career.
In 1952 an opportunity presented itself to Giovanni Pinarello as a direct result of a major disappointment in his cycling career. The opportunity was for him to become an integral part of the very beginning ot the manufacturing world of bicycles in Treviso. The disappointment was that he had to give up his first love and passion, bicycle racing.
The first team to participate in a national competition with a Pinarello bicycle was la Padovani, in 1957. This marked the beginning of sponsoring many bicycle teams. Sponsorship was a very important and crucial vehicle in the recognition and promotion of the Pinarello name. It also helped to promote his bicycle store in Treviso.
In 1960 came the sponsoring of the first professional team, the Mainetti, which developed and produced many champion cyclists of the area. In 1966 the success of Guido de Rosso truly made a difference for Pinarello in the professional wordl of cycling. His victory in the Tour d'Avenir in France put the Treviso on the cycling map. This was the first international victory for Pinarello.
The first victory at the Giro d'Italia in 1975 by Fausto Bertoglio (Jolly Ceramica team), was another very important victory that boosted the fame and substance of the Pinarello reputation.
The final victory and other particular success at the Giro of 1975 were significant in putting the Pinarello name over the top. Until recently, Pinarello has never experienced such frame and notoriety. The name was now visible through the media having exposure through the television and began to be recognized for its exclusive artistic performance. The decade of the 80's proved to be quite fruitful with many victories in the field of cycling.
Another enormous boost to Pinarello's popularity came in the 1984 Olympics. A U.S. rider by the name of Alexi Grewal took home the gold medal on a Pinarello bicycle.
It was during Pinarello's partnership with many professional teams that the Pinarello name became associated with many important Italian teams, such as the Del Tongo team from '88 to '91 and the Mercatone Uno team from '92 to '95. Among the many victories of the above mentioned partnerships, the one that remains the most important is the one formed in '91 with Chioccioli of the Del Tongo.
The success of Pinarello has been reconfirmed in the seasons 1997 with the 6th consecutive victory in the Tour de France and in 1998 with the second place of Jan Ullrich always in the Tour de France.