Giannetto Cimurri
Giannetto Cimurri lived the entire century leaving a permanent mark on this sport: masseur of the National team for 34 years, he participated in 8 Olympics, 74 World Road Championships, track and cyclocross, 11 Tours de France, 10 Tours of Romandie, 6 Tours of Switzerland, 40 Tours of Italy completed and another 6 not completed, as well as many other national and international races. An unparalleled curriculum to which must be added the activity in football (masseur for years for Reggiana) and in boxing (for the European Champion Gino Bondavalli).
His friendship with Fausto Coppi, with whom he had established a very close relationship, was unforgettable, so as to become a close friend and confidant of him. In 1930 he founded the Velo Club Reggio, while in 1933 he opened a sporting goods shop run by the family. In 1951 he created the “Discipline Award”, awarded every year to a young local cyclist. In the 1980s, he was the organizer of the Asso World Championship, that brought together the world champions living in Italy for several years in Reggio Emilia.
Knight of the Republic for sporting merits since 1965, Cross of the Hospital Order of Malta since 1949, Giannetto was awarded numerous prizes, including the Golden Star for sports merits in 1988. May 27, 2001, one year before his death and on the same day when the Tour of Italy stopped in Reggio Emilia, a Cycling Start-up Track dedicated him was inaugurated in Reggio Emilia in the Campovolo area, one of the first in Italy to welcome champions of cycling for safe trainings.
May 21, 2007, on the occasion of the stage of the Giro d'Italia "Reggio Emilia-Lido di Camaiore", a flying finish line was assigned in his memory in Castelnovo né Monti (RE).
Perhaps few people know that Giannetto also tried the experience with practiced cycling. During his first race, in San Maurizio, a district of Reggio Emilia, he fell disastrously: "I broke my knee and feared an amputation of my right leg, Giannetto remembered, I had to abandon the practiced sport and, from then on, I have dedicated myself to others".
That is the reason why he became a masseur and talent scout.
In the photo: Cimurri, Binda, Coppi, Bartali. - 1949 - Giannetto Cimurri Collection, Panizzi Photographic Files.The Bicycles
Giannetto Cimurri began his collection of over 130 bicycles in 1953, when Fausto Coppi gave him one of his four legendary Bianchi, prepared for the world road championship.This collection is not a simple collection of memorabilia of the greatest champions, such as Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Antonio Maspes, Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi, Francesco Moser, Marco Pantani, but it is the true story of two centuries told by pedal strokes, where the bicycle is the real protagonist.
"Giannetto Cimurri. The Masseur and the bikes of his champions" was hosted in the rooms that host the Credem headquarters in via Emilia San Pietro, an exhibition of 36 bicycles selected from over 130 from the Giannetto Cimurri Collection, pink and yellow jerseys, unpublished photos of work, friendship and sport, posters of the most important world cycling races from the 40s to the 50s.
Due to the Coronavirus the exhibition was suspended.
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