The ancestral bond, work, places and people

Marco Balestracci's book "Il Veneto in bicicletta. Il legame ancestrale, il lavoro i luoghi e le persone” (Veneto by bicycle. The ancestral bond, work, places and people),  a co-edition between the Veneto Region and Antiga Edizioni, has just been published.

It portrays the long love affair between the two wheel forms of transport and our territory, a close union of passion and effort.

The bicycle became a symbol of social emancipation, because after the war it was everyone's means of transport and if you did not have one, you would have problems finding a job. It was also a symbol of great entrepreneurship; suffice it to say, famous brands like Campagnolo, Bottecchia and Pinarello all had Venetian roots.

There is also a long list of sportspersons from our territory within this sport: from the legendary Ottavio Bottecchia of Colle Umberto, who won the Tour de France in 1924, to the San Donà di Piave resident Moreno Argentin, road world champion in 1986, to the recently deceased Davide Rebellin from Verona, whose victories marked the last decade of the last century. These names are just a few in a long list; given that the cycling federation has more than 15,000 members in Veneto, it gives us good hope that in the future we will see many more young people on the podium.

Pages full of meaning convey the deepest meaning of this sport and its fundamental values that are useful throughout life, such as respect, team spirit, fairness, high standards and perseverance.

For more information:
Cultural Activities and Entertainment Office
Cultural Activities and Publishing Office
tel. 041 2792693-2220