Calore Giuliano, Collection

Giuliano Calore Collection

The Museo Nicolis exhibits an exclusive collection dedicated to extreme cycling world champion Giuliano Calore.

A cyclist but also a writer and musician, Calore was born in Padua in 1938. He is currently the winner of no less than 98 medals and holder of 13 world records, set from 1981 to 2011, which have allowed him to officially enter in the Guinness Book of World Records.

His speciality was cycling without hands, as well as without the use of a fixed wheel, coaster brake or other devices. The only way he used to reduce his running speed is through body movements and bike swings. To demonstrate this, he also removed the handlebars from his bicycles.

The museum's collection consists of two bicycles used by Giuliano Calore during his races, as well as many other objects that tell his story, such as his racing suit, books written by him and posters depicting him during his exploits.

Biography:

Giuliano Calore was born in Padua in 1938 and, from an early age, showed two great talents: sport and music.

Music is important for the Calore family, involved in the orchestra that plays in the neighbourhood dance hall. Giuliano has a special ear and pianist's hands, he plays without music scheet with uncommon skill.

Sport is his other talent: an innate aptitude for agility, balance and endurance, which are best expressed in racing bikes. His inspirational heroes were Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, but an illness that kept him still for a long time and the opportunity of a permanent job position at Enel at the age of 20, distracted him from professional cycling. This was also the period in which he met Anita, with whom he married and had three children.

In 1975, encouraged by his musician and Cicli Olimpia manager friend Zeno Odorizzi, he took part in three races for amateurs: two for climbers in Valle D'Aosta and the Dolomites, and a time trial for sprinters at Sestriere. He won all three races, but... he also discovered that this was not what he wanted.

The story of the pioneer of 'extreme cycling' began: at the age of 41 in 1979, without putting his hands on the handlebars, he climbed the legendary 48 hairpin bends of the Stelvio and ten days later descended them, filmed by RAI and leaving everyone speechless. In 1981, he entered the Guinness Book of Records for the first time (at the end we will count 13 records), climbing and descending the Stelvio without his hands and playing four musical instruments, as well as an electronic drum and an amplifier, with a total weight of 33 kg. In addition, he decided to remove the handlebars from his bicycles, in order to eliminate any doubt as to the veracity of his exploits.

In 1983, without handlebars and without brakes, he climbed and descended 14 Dolomite Passes, entering the Guinness Book of Records for the second time. In 1985, he descended the Stelvio in 28'55''8, setting his third record. At the end of October 1986, he decided to climb the famous Pass with the road surface covered in snow and ice: this was his fourth time in the Guinness World Records.

In 1991 in Zurich, he overcomes 7245 gates on a synthetic surface in five hours, winning the seventh record. In the same year, at the Padua Skating Track, he overcame 2520 doors in one hour: this was the eighth record. This was followed by the ninth record: in 1993 in Settimo Torinese, he overcame 1222 doors in half an hour.

In 1998, at the age of 60, Calore set the tenth record: he descended the Stelvio in 37 minutes, overcoming 52 cm doors placed at the exit of each of the 48 hairpin bends. In 2001, on the other hand, in the Auronzo di Cadore ice arena, he overcomes 228 doors 46 cm wide in 30 minutes: this is the eleventh record. In 2007, again on ice, he broke the same record three times.

At the age of 73, in 2011, the umpteenth feat: the descent of the Stelvio in the middle of the night, illuminating the insidious hairpin bends only with a spotlight held in his hand, covering 48 hairpin bends in 45 minutes. In 2015, a beautiful docufilm retraces his life starting from this last feat, which he wants to repeat and improve ('48 Hairpin bends by night', directed by Fabrizio Lussu, Produzioni FuoriFuoco).

Calore is an historical member of the Azzurri d'Italia in the Padua section and a proud representative of it in the events and manifestations to which he is invited. Also part of his history are the relationships of esteem and affection with great cycling champions, including Fiorenzo Magni and Francesco Moser, but also the sons of his legends, Bartali and Coppi.

The bikes from his exploits are now in the Museo dei Campionissimi in Novi Ligure, the Museo del Ciclismo Madonna del Ghisallo, the Museo del Ciclismo Gino Bartali in Florence and, from November 2023, the Museo Nicolis in Villafranca di Verona.

Technical notes:

The two bikes have Alan Bikes branded frames, SMP racing saddle and rims without brakes. Due to the particularity of use, both bicycles are completely lacking handlebars and braking system.