Giuseppe Olmo, known as Gepin, class of 1911 from Celle Ligure, is only thirteen when heading back from school on the saddle of his bike he crosses paths with Girardengo and Olivieri who were training down the streets of Ligurian coast and starts following them hot on their heels. His technique is green, but his stride is determined and it takes few kilometers to conquer Olivieri, who decides to ask his father Luigi to give him custody of the child to train and make him a champion.
It starts with this fortuitous encounter the mentor-ship with Olivieri, a trainer and friend for the whole life and career of Gepin, who leaves the curvy streets of the Ligurian coast between Verazze and Savona to conquer professional cycling. Not yet 21 year old, he steps among the experts and gets noticed by winning the Milano-Torino, leaving the champions of the time behind. In 1932, he gains the gold medal for team time trial at Los Angeles Olympic Games with Attilio Pavesi and Guglielmo Segato; between 1934 and 1936 he conquers twenty stage victories at Giro d’Italia, wearing for 7 days the pink t-shirt, and he is second on the general ranking, only behind Bartali.
In 1935 he wins the Milano-Sanremo, but it will be the conquest of his second “Classicissima di Primavera”, closed before Bartali and battled at devilish rhythm of 39 kilometers per hour (as written on the first page of Gazzetta della Domenica), to consign Gepin’s ventures to the history of international street cycling.
The 31th of October 1935, he becomes a legend by demolishing the hour record on the track of the French Richard and establishing at Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan the record of 45,090 km routes. He is the first in history to break the wall of 45 km.
In 1939 Giuseppe Olmo founds Olmo Biciclette: in a few years, from Celle Ligure factory will come out the best performing competitive and technically advanced bikes of the time, tested by Gepin himself and ready to be taken in triumph by professional cyclists and the most demanding enthusiasts.
To the competition frames, Olmo progressively flanks more flexible models for amateur cycling and for urban mobility, expanding the collection to cover the entire range of use of the bike: road, off-road and trekking, walking, fast tourism, city bike.
The top models has equipped dozens of professional teams, demonstrating the indissoluble bond that has tied Olmo to the world of competition. Olmo Biciclette has seen its moment of greatest prestige as technical sponsor of Team Vitalicio Seguros in 1999 and with the winning of street cycling world championship in Verona with Oscar Freire.
For more information on the Olmo Super Gentleman, please visit us at www.twohubs.com or call 877.480.2453.
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