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

DONNE

TOUR DE SUISSE WOMEN. DE VRIES BATTE DICKSON E SI PRENDE LA PRIMA MAGLIA DI LEADER

Femke de Vries festeggia la prima vittoria da professionista al Tour de Suisse Women 2026: l'olandese della Visma Lease a Bike si è imposta sul traguardo di Sondrio battendo in una volata a due la britannica Lauren Dickson (FDJ United...

PROFESSIONISTI

VISMA LEASE A BIKE. NIENTE TOUR DE FRANCE PER WOUT VAN AERT

Wout van Aert, uno dei ciclisti più talentuosi e amati del panorama internazionale, non parteciperà al prossimo Tour de France. La decisione è stata presa a seguito di un infortunio al gomito che il belga ha subito durante un allenamento...

COMPLEANNO

BUON COMPLEANNO EDDY! MERCKX FESTEGGIA 81 ANNI

La tenerezza di un gesto, l'emozione di due uomini. Eddy Merckx oggi compie 81 anni. E suo figlio Axel ha scelto di rendergli omaggio sui social postando una foto bellissima - il papà che aggiusta la cravatta al figlio 53enne che...

BICICLETTE

PINARELLO SVELA LE NUOVE EMOZIONANTI COLORAZIONI DELLA DOGMA F. GALLERY

Pinarello lancia oggi quattro nuove ed eleganti colorazioni per la sua bici da strada di punta, la DOGMA F, pensate per emozionare. La Dogma F rappresenta da tempo l'apice dell'ingegneria prestazionale e ora, con queste nuove e accattivanti livree, esprime la...

PROFESSIONISTI

TOUR DE SUISSE. VAN DER POEL: «L'OBIETTIVO E' VINCERE UNA TAPPA, POI...»

L'89ª edizione del Giro di Svizzera sta per avere inizio con la prima tappa che partirà da Sondrio. Tante le stelle in gara e tra queste c’è l’olandese Mathieu Van der Poel, che ha già le idee chiare su ciò...

ABBIGLIAMENTO

SALICE OCCHIALI E LA RIVOLUZIONE DELLE LENTI RWX: PROTEZIONE E MASSIMO COMFORT VISIVO NEL CICLISMO

È un dettaglio che certamente non vi può sfuggire osservando il vasto catalogo di Salice Occhiali dedicato al ciclismo, le lenti RWX sono una presenza costante e spesso sono le lenti giuste per vivere nel migliore dei modi ogni uscita in...

DILETTANTI

GIRO NEXT GEN. SI ARRIVA A CORATO, TAPPA PER RUOTE VELOCI... MA ATTENTI ALLE SORPRESE

Se fossimo tra i professionisti, non avremmo dubbi nell'etichettare la quarta frazione del Giro Next Gen come adatta alle ruote veloci. Ma la storia di questa edizione della corsa rosa ci insegna che di scontato in gruppo non c'è nulla...

TUTTOBICI

OSCAR DONNE JUNIORES. ROSSIGNOLI E ACUTI PROVANO LA FUGA

Prove di allungo in testa alla classifica dell'Oscar tuttoBICI Gran Premio Mapei riservato alle Donne Juniores: la campionessa d'Italia Matilde Rossignoli, che difende i colori della Bft Burzoni VO2 Team Pink, guida la graduatoria inseguita dalla mantovana Maria Acuti della...

PROFESSIONISTI

TOUR DE SUISSE. POGACAR: «SONO QUI PER METTERMI ALLA PROVA»

A Sondrio Tadej Pogacar è stato letteralmente travolto dall'affetto del pubblico. Ieri pomeriggio in piazza Garibaldi erano tantissimi ad attenderlo, bambini e adulti, chi per un autografo, chi semplicemente per vedere il campione del mondo. L'euforia era palpabile in una...

EVENTI

CHASE THE SUN. SABATO SI ATTRAVERSA L'ITALIA, C'È ANCHE MIGUEL INDURAIN COME AMBASSADOR DI ENERVIT. GALLERY

Sabato 20 giugno torna la Chase the Sun Italia, giunta alla sua nona edizione. La sfida lanciata agli iscritti è quella di attraversare l’Italia da costa a costa, a celebrare il solstizio d’estate, nel giorno più lungo dell’anno: 280 chilometri...