MEALTIME. LUIGI CASTELLETTI, A DOMESTIQUE'S TALES AND THOSE TWO SMALL DESIRES

HISTORY | 10/12/2024 | 09:00
di Marco Pastonesi
He bid farewell to the amateurs by triumphing at the Piccolo Giro di Lombardia. It was October 5, 1969. One hundred and thirty days later, he made his professional debut at the Trofeo Laigueglia. It was February 15, 1970. "Climbing the Testico, two teammates pulled up beside me. On one side Marino Basso, on the other Michele Dancelli. They grabbed onto my shorts. And stopped pedaling. At that precise moment, I understood what it meant to be a domestique".
Luigi Castelletti at the 80th birthday party of Renato Laghi. Which was also a celebration of domestiques. Specialists in fountains and bars, water and drink carriers, interpreters of the verbs to pull and push, to chase and protect, mountain sherpas, plain guards, sprint wagons, graduates in generosity and sacrifice at the university of the road.
Seventy-six years old (born on July 6, 1948, a rest day in the second Tour de France won by Gino Bartali, on the eve of the Aubisque Pyrenean stage), from Verona (born in the city, childhood in the province of Rivalta), fourth of five children ("Four boys and, the last, a girl"), first study ("Middle school"), then work ("Shop assistant in a clothing store"), then cycling ("One started at 16, and I did it to imitate my brother Giovanni, professional in 1963 with San Pellegrino, fourth in a Vuelta stage, and to think he was first a km from the finish then they made him take the wrong road, half of 1964 with Firte, the other half independent, then he was left without a team. And as he stopped, I began"). The first bike ("A Zamperioli"), the first jersey (yellow from Ciclistica San Zeno), the first race ("In Schio, where Lanerossi was: third"), the first victory ("At the second race, in Merano, at the Forst facility: alone"), the first discovery ("Sprinting would never be my strength").
On the Testico, in 1970, and from then on, Luigi Castelletti was a domestique, one of the best: "The first two years with Molteni serving not only Basso and Dancelli, but also Vandenbossche and Van Springel and especially Merckx, from 1972 with Salvarani and Bianchi for Gimondi, Zilioli and again Basso". Domestique by example, by definition, by excellence.
Domestique of excellences. Merckx? "Exuberant, beyond limits. I remember a flat stage: after about 50 km there was an intermediate sprint, he already at the start put his team full throttle, as if that sprint was the world championship". Gimondi? "Tough, tenacious, stubborn, so typically Bergamo, never giving up". And Zilioli? "He didn't have Merckx's physique nor Gimondi's character. However, he was the most simple, humble, good, noble, human captain". They called him "Castello": "That's what was written on the bike tube, but only because Castelletti was too long and didn't fit". He was a man of effort: "Six Giros and three Tours". He was strong in the heat: "I didn't go well in the cold, if I couldn't go even in the heat, I might as well not race". Great all-rounder ("Head down and pedal"), modest climber ("In long climbs I stayed in the group and saved myself, in short ones I would struggle"). Some bonks: "At the start of stage races, it was normal, almost inevitable, but then I would find my rhythm and courage". Little science: "In winter - we would stop with the Lombardy and restart at the beginning of the year - in those two months I once gained 14 kg and they nicknamed me Panettone".
No victories, but a second place: "At the 1972 Tour, sixth stage, from Bordeaux to Bayonne, a breakaway of five, sprint, three behind me, but one in front, the Dutchman Leo Duyndam, who also did six-day races". And another second: "At the 1974 Giro del Friuli, a breakaway of 22, sprint, 20 behind me, but one in front, Luciano Borgognoni, who also did six-day races". Damn six-day races. "But I had a lot of fun. The bike was my escape and my school. I traveled the world and met journalists, my first interview - I was still an amateur with Iag Gazoldo - was done by a young trainee at 'Gazzetta dello Sport', it was Gianni Mura".
Castelletti became Romagnolo for love: "During thermal treatments in Castrocaro I met the woman who would become my wife". He also became one for work: "At Credito Romagnolo, then Unicredit". And even though more years have passed in Romagna than in Verona, he didn't pick up the accent: "I understand Romagnolo, but I don't speak it". And now, the bike? "Some little rides". And now, cycling? "On TV and along the road". The fire of passion, inside the heart of the domestique of excellences, has never gone out.

PS Castelletti has a wish, indeed, two: to recover two photographs. The first, published in "Topolino", portrays him before a Giro d'Italia, with other domestiques, in a fountain. The second, published in "Gazzetta dello Sport", dates back to the 1977 Giro, with him in the foreground on his bike with patron Vincenzo Torriani in the team car, among the rubble after the earthquake. Can someone help him?

COMMENTI

Bellissimi

10 dicembre 2024 11:53 noel

questi racconti, grazie 😍👍

Per poter commentare i post devi esser registrato.
Se sei giá nostro utente esegui il login altrimenti registrati.

TBRADIO

00:00

PROFESSIONISTI

TOUR DE SERBIE. ILIC SI AGGIUDICA IL PROLOGO, 10° ZOCCARATO

Il Tour de Serbie 2026 si apre con una vittoria di un corridore di casa, in maglia nazionale: Ognjen Ilic trionfa nel brevissimo prologo di 2, 3 km corso nella cittadina di Pozarevac anticipando di pochi decimi il polacco Michal...

FUORISTRADA

SERENISSIMA GRAVEL. DE MARCHI VINCE PER DISTACCO, TRAVELLA E LORELLO COMPLETANO IL PODIO GALLERY

Mattia De Marchi mette la propria firma sulla Serenissima Gravel disputata oggi a Tezze sul Brenta, in provincia di Vicenza. L'ex professionista veneziano ha conquistato il successo grazie a un'azione solitaria che gli ha permesso di tagliare il traguardo...

PISTA

MONDIALI PISTA. MILAN & GANNA: «SPERAVAMO NELLA SFIDA IN FINALE, ABBIAMO DATO TUTTO QUEL CHE AVEVAMO»

Jonathan Milan si gode la maglia iridata, la medaglia d'oro e un record davvero impressionante: «Dire che sono molto contento è poco. Era un obiettivo della stagione rientrare su pista in questa maniera, non solamente nell'inseguimento individuale, ma anche nell'inseguimento a...

PROFESSIONISTI

ENECO TOUR. VAN DIJKE SI PRENDE LA 3A TAPPA, CAMPENAERTS 2° E NUOVO LEADER

Mick Van Dijke (Red Bull - Bora - Hansgroe) si aggiudica la terza tappa dell'Eneco Tour 2026 davanti a Victor Campenaerts (Visma - Lease a Bike), che diventa il nuovo leader della classifica. Si tratta della prima vittoria da professionista...

MERCATO

LA NSN ANNUNCIA L'INGAGGIO DI CARAPAZ: HA FIRMATO UN TRIENNALE

Se ne parnlava da settimane e ora il cambio di maglia diventa una realtà per Richard Carapaz: il corridore ecuadoriano, già campione olimpico e vincitore del Giro d’Italia, lascerà la EF Education Easypost per vestire nei prossimi tre anni...

DONNE

ENECO TOUR WOMEN. MARKUS ANTICIPA LE CONNAZIONALI NOOIJEN E RIJNBEEK: L. BORGHESI 5A

Podio tutto neerlandese nella Sittard / Watersley, terza tappa dell’Eneco Tour Women 2026. Femke Markus, 29enne della SD Worx Protime, si è messa alle spalle la leader della classifica generale Lieke Nooijen (Visma Lease a Bike) e la 23enne Maud...

PISTA

MONDIALI PISTA. MILAN E' RE DEL MONDO, GANNA CONQUISTA IL BRONZO. VIDEO

Jonathan Milan campione del mondo dell'inseguimento al termine di una guiornata straordinaria. Il gigante friulano ha letteralmente dominato la finale contro il danese Frederik Madsen: dopo aver stabilito il record mondiale in qualificazione, Milan ha pedalato anche iun finale per...

NEWS

VENTI DI GUERRA, CANCELLATI IN ARABIA SAUDITA I MONDIALI DI URBAN CYCLING

L'Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) e la Federazione Ciclistica Saudita annunciano che i Campionati Mondiali UCI di Ciclismo Urbano 2026, previsti a Riyadh, Arabia Saudita, dal 3 al 7 novembre, non si svolgeranno. L'evento doveva riunire i migliori ciclisti del mondo...

LETTERA APERTA

SCIOTTI. «FUTURO DEL CICLISMO, E' ALLARME ROSSO: I SUPERTEAM, GLI SPONSOR, LE PROFESSIONAL ITALIANE...»

L'imprenditore Valentino Sciotti, che con la sua Vini Fantini è da anni impegnato come sponsor del ciclismo professionistico, interviene nella discussione sul ranking mondiale, le classifiche, sul ruolo e sull'importanza delle formazioni ProTeam. La sua è una riflessione preziosa, che...

ABBIGLIAMENTO

Q36.5. VAMPIRE HOODED, ECCO LA GIACCA CON BALACLAVA INTEGRATO

Se le temperature scendono ma non cala il vostro desiderio di pedalare in libertà, vi servirà un capo che sappia fare la differenza per voi. Q36.5 ha appena presentato la Vampire Hooded, una nuova giacca tecnica invernale con balaclava integrato sviluppata integralmente...