Past, present and future. All in one morning thanks to the work, enthusiasm and passion of Davide Gubellini’s Unione Nazionale Veterani dello Sport section of Bologna and the Associazione Azzurri d’Italia of Bologna of president Stefano Zammartini.
We talk about cycling, we talk about the Tour de France and about the only Bolognese who, way back in 1934, won a stage of the Tour. The story of Adriano Vignoli has come back to the surface thanks to some great research by Stefano Zammartini and Marco Brugnoli of the Anaoai section of Bologna and by Lamberto Bertozzi, Giuliano Musi and Ezio Liporesi of the Unvs section of Bologna.
“Adriano Vignoli – says Gubellini – won a stage in the Tour. We thought of establishing a prize to commemorate him. And which we will give to the first Italian who passes along the route on Sunday at Via Irnerio”.
The only contraindication is that the delivery will not be made in real time. “There is no possibility – continues Gubellini –. My idea, my dream, is to do it later, once the Tour is over, perhaps at Palazzo d’Accursio, given that the municipal administration has always held us in great esteem consideration”.
This explains the past, present and future. The past is linked to the memory of this extraordinary two-wheel pioneer who, once he finished racing, opened a bicycle shop in Casalecchio, where he worked until his passing. The present is linked to the award, which will take shape on Sunday and the future is linked to the presentation of the trophy.
The Tour de France, the most loved stage race in the world and which in this edition will pass through the Two Towers, becomes a starting point to honor a glory of the past. Also paying homage to the Italians who, in these days, will try to become protagonists on the roads of France.
Vignoli, returning to the story of this extraordinary gregarious man from the past, was born in Pradure e Sasso (today’s Sasso Marconi) on 11 December 1907. A bricklayer by profession, he began racing a bicycle in 1931, when he was already 24 years old. In 1933 he ran with the colors of Velo Sport Reno Bologna. A year later, he won a stage in the Giro d’Italia (Naples-Bari of 339 kilometres) after a breakaway of 160 kilometers and an advantage over the second of 11 minutes.
Conquered the stage in Luchon, at the Tour in the same season. Learco Guerra and Alfredo Binda, champions of that period, want him in their teams. Adriano goes fast. After the war he opened a bike shop which he left to his son Vasco. He passed away in Casalecchio on 16 June 1996, but his story, thanks to Veterans and Azzurri d’Italia, is now legend.
