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Ernesto Colnago and Eddy Merckx in tears over Tadej Pogacar’s Tour de France winTadej Pogacar's yellow frame held by Ernesto Colnago (via Colnago on Facebook).PNG

Ernesto Colnago and Eddy Merckx in tears over Tadej Pogacar’s Tour de France win

Italian framebuilder personally checked over the yellow bike the Tour de France champion is riding into Paris this afternoon
by Simon_MacMichael
Sun, Sep 20, 2020 17:07
7

Ernesto Colnago has revealed that he and Eddy Merckx were both in tears as they spoke to each other over the phone immediately after Tadej Pogacar’s sensational time trial win on La Planche des Belles Filles at the Tour de France yesterday which saw him take the yellow jersey from Primoz Roglic.

> Tour de France Stage 20: Tadej Pogacar snatches the yellow jersey after dominating time trial (+ highlights)

While five-time Tour de France winner Merckx did at times ride frames built by the Italian when he was his mechanic at the Molteni team, they were badged with the Belgian’s own name – so remarkably, today marks the first time a Tour de France winner-in-waiting has ridden into Paris on a Colnago-branded bike.

And what a striking bike it is – the 88-year-old Colnago, who earlier this year sold a majority stake in the business he founded in 1953 to UAE-based Chimera Investments, personally checked over the yellow VR3s frame before it was rushed to Paris for Pogacar to ride on today’s closing stage.

Speaking to Tuttobici after following yesterday’s stage on TV, Colnago said: “I won some [editions of the Tour de France] with Merckx. Eddy was the first to call me, we were both crying over the telephone.

“Tadej is a member of the family, brought through by Andrej Hauptmanm [the former pro cyclist who is now Slovenia’s national coach], and highlighted by Fabrizio Bontempi to [UAE Team Emirates manager] Giuseppe Saronni, who was very good in putting him under contract when he was still an amateur.

“Then we did our own bit, but he gave us so much more; this is one of the most wonderful talents I’ve ever seen. And I’ve met a few champions in my lifetime.”

Colnago added: “For the time trial I let him have a brand new white frame, and he told me in the morning: ‘If I go as I think I will, it will entertain you and then you’ll have to do some more work, because you’ll have to change the colour for me’.

“All I could reply to him was, ‘I’m already happy like this’, but I didn’t know that the real joy would come a little later.”

Tadej Pogacar
Tour de France 2020
Colnago
Ernesto Colnago
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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tony.westclassi... | 4 years ago
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Ive got 2, I did have 3, but sold the C40, My C60 & M10 are the best with EPS super Record, about time the Tour was won on a Colnago. sadly, I can feel Brailsford, Radcliff shaking the Piggy Bank to get Pogacar on Pina.

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Rik Mayals unde... | 4 years ago
2 likes

I've ridden a Colnago as my best bike since 2004. I currently have a C60 with Super Record RS. I've owned Trek, Pinarello, De Rosa and many other brands. There is simply nothing like a Colnago. Even when you see an old Colnago, they always look classy.

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Dingaling replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 4 years ago
2 likes

I've never regretted for a second all the money I spent on my C60 with Super Record EPS despite all the negative things some people say about the prices of high end bikes. The paint job is the best of any I've ever seen on a bike.  After riding a C40 from 1999 to 2016 I didn't even look at other makes.

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Fluffed replied to Dingaling | 4 years ago
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There is a cut up of a C50 on YT, very poor looking job, voids everywhere, look nice though I guess.

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Dingaling replied to Fluffed | 4 years ago
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You can get fake Colnagos on Ebay for a fraction of the list price.

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Derk Davies replied to Fluffed | 4 years ago
0 likes

I've seen that. Not surprised he checked this one before it went out as the one that was cut up might well have been the worst frame I've seen on LT. The pinerrello he had wasn't too good either as I remember. I've never had a Colnago but have alway's had a soft spot for them, until I saw inside one. Hopefully they've got better over time.

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matthewn5 replied to Derk Davies | 4 years ago
2 likes

Well, the one he cut up had had a hard life: Dinged top tube, probably been crashed, stuffed bottom bracket, had been repainted, and so on... and also, 17 years ago, they were basically inventing everything from scratch. That said, yes, you'd hope quality control had improved since 2003.

Of course, the V3RS Ernesto is holding there is designed in Italy but made in Taiwan, where the state-of-the-art carbon manufacturing is located these days, so a completely different kettle of fish. Nice that the old man finally got to see a bike with his name on it win the TdF though!

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