Cycling Monuments, Memorials, Plaques, etc., Part VI

Jac Zwart, author of the Dutch language book "Wielermonumenten - Reisgids door de geschiedenis van de wielersport" (Cycling Monuments - Travel Guide through the History of the Sport of Cycling), contributes his fourth article, this time about the "Murale Mitilogico del Ciclismo".

"Italy is famous for its wall-paintings, called fresco's. And because it's a bike-loving country as well, nobody will be very surprised that cycling is one of the themes. There are various locations where they have appeared and one of the most beautiful can be found alongside the SP36, the road from Bordano to Interneppo in the province of Udine. The "Murale Mitilogico del Ciclismo" was an initiative from the Museo del Ciclismo Alto Livanza in Stevenà.

The painting is made by the artists Giuseppe Brombin and Floreano Franzil and was unveiled on May 25, 2006. The size is impressive, twenty meters wide with a height of three meters, and is located right after a hair-pin. All the great champions of Italian cycling are present. Bottechia, Binda, Girardengo, Coppi, Adorni, Magni, Guerra, Bartali, Nencini, Gimondi, Moser and Pantani (unfortunately not visible in the photo) are easily recognizable, not the least because their names are displayed right above their heads. And that's where something might have gone wrong, at least in my humble opinion. I studied the photo in great detail and, looking at the figures and the characteristics of the riders they represent, I am still thinking that the names of Learco Guerra and Fiorenzo Magni have been interchanged.

Right from Pantani is reporter Antonio Lot, one of the persons who took the initiative for the painting, with the microphone in his hands. Duilio Chiaradia, a pioneer in displaying sport events on RAI Television, rides on the motor, in front of the small peloton."

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