16 stage wins at the Giro d'Italia, 5 at the Tour de France, 4 at the Vuelta a España, two victories at Gent-Wevelgem and 80 professional wins overall. Guido Bontempi needs no introduction, his palmares speaks for itself, but for those who don't know, the Brescia sprinter was already a winner, a true rising star, even before turning professional. AC Col San Martino remembers him well, because in 1979 and 1980 he secured a double that still significantly enhances the honor roll of the Trofeo Piva.

Moreover, Bontempi is, along with Marino Conton (winner in 1967 and 1968), the only one to have won the race twice in its history. "These were the years when I became a cyclist," Bontempi recalls. "Winning the Trofeo Piva twice, for an athlete with my characteristics, was not a trivial feat. Even then, there was the Combai climb, which we had to tackle 5 times. I remember the crowd (contemporary chronicles speak of 20,000 people, ed.), going up and down Combai to applaud us both uphill and on the flat. The Treviso area has always welcomed us with great affection; there's a strong cycling culture in those parts. The first victory, in particular, I remember we were down to just 5-6 riders, with great performers like Gianni Giacomini and Luigi Trevellin. I held on and then managed to sprint to victory. I only raced as an amateur for two years and managed to win it both times. It's a race I definitely hold dear. And then being one of two to have won it twice is an additional satisfaction."

The winning sprints at Col San Martino, along with numerous victories across Italy, opened the doors to professional cycling very early for him: "I was racing with Passerini, a true powerhouse at the amateur level at the time," Bontempi continues. "A few months after my second Trofeo Piva victory, I received an offer to turn professional. I was about to leave for the Moscow Olympics and signed with Inoxpran upon my return. With the cycling world of that time, it was a brave choice to leave amateur racing at 20, but in the end, I can say the choice proved right."

45 years later, the Trofeo Piva remains one of the reference races at the U23 national and international level. The best talents pass through Col San Martino, and the crowd, generation after generation, continues to make its presence felt along the roads. "It's nice to see how important a race like the Trofeo Piva still is. It means that the organizers of my time sowed well, and those today have known how to provide continuity. This is despite the U23 category being under strain. There's a desire to push younger and younger riders, but in my opinion, we risk only burning them out. I believe a more gradual path is needed, the one the U23 category has always provided. Especially because, as we've seen, there are riders who are already saturated, physically and mentally, despite being very young."

But what does Guido Bontempi do today? After a few years as a sports director, he is now the "engine" of Roberto Bettini's photography team, guiding their motorcycle in races and, in fact, remaining at the center of the group.

"Officially, I'm a happy retiree, but in reality, I still keep busy with races alongside Bettini, serving as a motorcycle escort for youth races or guiding the TV cameramen's motorcycle when needed. In the end, I still do 130 days of travel a year, totaling about 40,000 kilometers on motorcycle. Not counting vacations with my wife, those are naturally by motorcycle too!"