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It was in the year 1885 when Edoardo Bianchi, then 21 years old, started his enterprise as a bicycle manufacturer in his little shop in Milan, at via Nirone. The deep innovative zeal distinguished him above all the constructors of his era.
His first idea, conceived 125 years ago, was to reduce the diameter of the front wheel and balance the gap of the motion with the application of a chain, which had just been invented by the Frenchman Vincent, and then to lower down the height of the pedals. And so “Safety” was born: a safety cycle and the very first modern bicycle.
One of the main advantages of this new means of transport was stability: no acrobatics were need to keep balance. Then Edoardo designed a similar vehicle, whose wheel diameter was further reduced and which had both front and rear wheels almost of the same size. Italy found out the manufacturer that would have marked the Italian production all through the century.
The
“little blacksmith”, as he was called, moved his workshop from via
Nirone to via Bertani to enlarge it. In this new working place, he
produced, in 1888, the first bicycle with tyres, a recent invention by
the Scottish veterinary Dunlop.
In 1895, Edoardo Bianchi was
invited to Court, at Villa Reale in Monza: Queen Margaret had heard
about his original bicycle and was eager to learn how to ride it. Then
Bianchi created, especially for the Queen, the first lady’s bike. Since
the very beginning of his activity, Edoardo Bianchi had been very
keen-witted about innovations and watchful about the sports sector.
Bicycle competitions were just the perfect chance for the young
manufacturer to test his new technical solutions before taking them to
production.
Bianchi’s first international sport success dates
back to 1899, when Tomaselli won the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris.
This is how Bianchi’s adventure started: sports competitions fuelled
the growth of an enterprise which was born just four years before as a
workshop, but was going to become one of the most important industries
in the world.
In 1901, Edoardo Bianchi presented the first bicycle ever featuring a cardan joint transmission.
In 1913 he invented the front brake system;
In
1914 Bianchi was a famous and reputed manufacturer: in just one year,
production settled on extraordinary figures: 45.000 bicycles, 1.500
motorbikes and 1.000 cars.
Industrial successes, anyway, didn’t stop him from research and innovations.
In 1915, Bianchi produced a bike for the Army, equipped with wide-section tyres, folding frame and suspensions on both wheels. This original bicycle was consigned to the Royal Light Infantry Corp, the “Bersaglieri”, who used it as an off-road vehicle from the Alps to the African deserts: it was the first mountain bike, the ancestor of all the modern versions.
1916: the three Bianchi logos.
Bianchi’s
successes in the sport went along with those achieved at industrial
level and the ‘celeste’ bicycles kept winning all around the world.
The first great champion, whose name remains forever bond to Bianchi’s history, was Costante Girardengo.
In 1935, with 50 years of history and experience, Bianchi was a huge company, the absolute leader of the Italian market, producing over 70.000 bicycles a year.
Sales success however didn’t divert Bianchi’s attention from competitions: in fact, sports undertakings got a new drive from Fausto Coppi’s deeds.
1939 squad of Leoni, Lunardon, Bini, Gosi, Olmo, Bailo, Romanatti, Marabelli, and Bergamaschi..
Fausto
Coppi’s adventure with Bianchi started in 1940, with his first victory
at the Giro d’Italia. His second big deed occurred in 1942, when he got
the world hour record title In 1947, Coppi became World Champion in the
pursuit race and also gained his second Giro d’Italia.
Coppi
won his first Tour de France in 1949, when everybody guessed he was
already out of the game, after the crash during the Saint Malò stage
that loaded him with a huge delay. Instead, he managed to gain one hour
over the little Frenchman Marinelli, who was wearing the yellow jersey
of the race leader, and to catch up with Bartali, who finished second
with a delay of 11’. He was the first rider ever to get the Giro and the
Tour in the same year, an impossible deed in the physiologists’
opinion. Always in 1949, he gained the World Champion title in the
pursuit race for the second time.
In 1952, the Tour organizers
tried to enliven the Grand Boucle race by introducing some special
prizes. And again, Coppi took the win of the Tour and the Giro in the
same season.
In 1953, he won the on-road World Championship and
his 5th Giro: these 5 successes, unique and incomparable for manner and
style, inspired popular tales, as well as the literary and movie
worlds.
1955: Bianchi squad of 1954-1955: Milano, Coppi, Gismondi, mechanic Pinella De Grandi, Gaggero, Favero, Carrea, Filippi
Fausto Coppi didn’t want to win a lot; he rather wanted to win “in a good way”. He was one of the few riders, in all the cycling history, who succeeded in achieving his aim.
In 1973, Bianchi won its second World Championship title with Felice Gimondi.
Two more will follow in 1986 with Moreno Argentin and in 1992 with Gianni Bugno.
In 1980, the Bianchi trademark was taken over by Piaggio Group.
In
1982, Bianchi launched on the European market the “BMX”: special bikes
designed mainly for youngsters to perform off-road acrobatic feats and
thus set a trend.
1984 was the year of the “Mountain bike”, the off-road bicycle designed in cooperation with Bianchi USA.
In 1987, Bianchi took over the Austrian trademark “Puch”.
The
year 1990 brought a further innovative idea leading to a completely
new generation of bicycles, the prototype of the modern city bike.
Bianchi’s new creation was called “Bianchi Spillo”, and in a short time
it became a reference for the whole bicycle industry; even nowadays,
all the manufacturers have a range based on this bicycle model.
Though without losing sight of the on-road competitions, Bianchi focused on mountain bike challenges.
In 1991 Bruno Zanchi, riding his Bianchi bike, became MTB World Champion in the downhill specialty.
In 1993 another Bianchi biker, Dario Acquaroli, got the MTB World Championship in the cross country specialty.
In 1995, Bianchi re-engineered in-depth its city bike models through the “City Project” aimed to equip them, for the first time ever, with avant-garde frames, built according to the most updated ergonomic parameters.
1998:
The year of the triumph. Marco Pantani leaves everybody behind both at
Giro d’Italia and Tour de France: a double win conquered just by few, to
prove himself and the others he’s not only the man of one-day-win and
meaningless mountain escapes. The best Pirate, the portrait of sheer
joy: the man everybody wants and continues to remember.
The year
of Stefano Garzelli, Pirate’s trusty friend and faithful team-mate, who
at Tour of Switzerland inaugurated successfully his career.
The
year of Marco Velo and his win at the Italian Time Trial Championships
as well as of the numerous wins of the Martini Racing team in the MTB
cross country and downhill.
1999: As life and destiny play with
the Pirate’s dreams, shattering his hopes while running up towards the
utter glory, Marco Velo keeps at his side with dedication, while
confirming his skills of chrono-man. For Bianchi Mercatone Uno, a strong
and close-knit team, this is the confirmation of a talent.
Dario
Aquaroli and Nadia De Negri, together with the new French star, Gregory
Vollet, establish the fame of the MTB Martini Racing Team in the
offroad.
2000: While Garzelli gets the win in the “Jubilee Tour”
flanked by Pantani, and Velo hits for the umpteenth time the title of
Italian champion against the clock, the century ends with the golden
shines of the mountain bikes.
To resume the results of the
Bianchi-Motorex team, it takes to recall the great deeds of the past
champions: José Hermida “el Torito” pulls together the World
Championship, the World Cup and the European Championship, Vollet gains
the French Championship, Acquaroli seals off the contenders and triumphs
at the cross country National championship.
2001: New win for
Marco Velo in the tricolour time trial race, but it is the Mtb team
which stands out as the leading formation worldwide.
World Cup or
European Championships, this makes no difference for José Antonio
Hermida and Julien Absalon. On his debut, the Spaniard is second among
“Elites” as well as in the World Cup, and he also gets the win at the
European Championship. The Frenchman wins the World Cup within Under 23,
then he gains the France Cup and triumphs at the European Championship.
Both triumph also in their respective national championships.
In
Italy, junior riders are no less: Nicoletta Bresciani captures another
tricolour title whereas Quadroni and Lanteri stand out at the National
Championship.
2002: The Bianchi-Coast union bestows strong
emotions: the team captained by Swiss Alex Zulle collects 21 wins. The
Helvetian champion is the greatest protagonist of the team pocketing 7
wins inclusive the “Tour of Switzerland”.
Another brilliant
season breaks out in the off-road for the Motorex-Bianchi team, chaired
by Felice Gimondi and directed by the new manager Massimo Ghirotto.
The
“boys” strike 21 wins: the World Championship and the Under 23 Cross
Country European Championship with Absalon and the Elite European
Championship with Hermida. And that’s not all… Absalon, the rising star
of the off-road, besides the honour placement in the Under 23 World Cup,
scores a wonderful triplet of wins in the prestigious Allianz Cup.
2003:
After 19 years Bianchi is back as first sponsor of a professional
outfit: Jan Ullrich leads the Bianchi team and at the Centenary Tour de
France he stirs the crowd of fans by challenging Lance Armstrong,
defeating him in the time trial race and getting the honour placement in
the overall ranking.
In the off-road sector, the threesome
Absalon-Hermida-Dietsch strengthens the leading role of the Bianchi
Motorex team in Europe and worldwide, while Marco Villa stands out on
track capturing the win in the Italian Championship and the new Aliverti
women team captures 10 successes in total.
2004: The year of
celebrations. The event of 120 years of pure “passione celeste”
coincides with a brilliant season loaded with emotions.
With
Julien Absalon, Bianchi hits an unforgettable double win: the MTB Cross
Country Olympic Competition in Athens and the World title at the World
Championship in Les Gets, France. Absalon’s magic moment is followed by
another important win captured by his country fellowman and team-mate,
Thomas Dietsch, who in July, after getting the Silver medal at the
Marathon World Championship in Austria, captures also the gold medal at
the Marathon European Championship in Poland.
Even in the road
race, Bianchi confirms its leadership by capturing, with the Swede
Magnus Backstedt, colour-bearer of the Alessio-Bianchi team, the most
enthralling and prestigious race among the Northern Classical
competitions: the legendary Paris-Roubaix, followed by the on-road
tricolour success of Cristian Moreni at the Italian Championship. Moreni
is then summoned to take part with the national team in the Olympic
Games in Athens (where he will give his precious contribution to the
Olympic win of Paolo Bettini) and in the World Championship in Verona.
Bianchi
is protagonist also on-track with the champion from Bergamo Vera
Carrara, who at the World Championship in Melbourne (Australia) ranks
second in the World Point Race Competition.
Bianchi's collection
of medals got rich by two more golden medals, those won by Cristian
Cominelli of Bianchi-Agos Junior team at the Pupils Cycle-Cross Italian
Championship and at the MTB Cross Country Italian Championship, as well
as by two bronze medals conquered in the Male and Female Junior Cross
Country MTB tricolour competitions, respectively by Daniele Radici from
Brescia and Nicoletta Bresciani from Bergamo.
Since
May 1997 F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi is part of Cycleurope A.B. group, the
Swedish company of the Grimaldi group, known as the worldwide most
important holding in the cycling sector.
The brands of the
Bianchi group (Bianchi, Legnano, Puch and Chiorda) have met those of
Cycleurope (Monark, Crescent, DBS, Kildemoes, Everton, Micmo, Gitane) to
constitute a unique network in the two-wheel market.
Today
Cycleurope can implement the most advanced operative synergies involving
prestigious European companies, amongst which Bianchi represents the
flagship brand.
The strategic investments of the group aim at two
outstanding targets: the development of a highly-advanced product and
the establishment of Bianchi brand on international markets.
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