Seller's Description: Campagnolo Valentino Extra: Rear Derailleur   Condition: USED

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Campagnolo S.r.l., based in Vicenza, Italy. Six years after company patriarch Tullio struggled with frozen wing nuts in an effort to flip his rear wheel while leading the 1927 GP della Vittoria on the Croce d’Aune in the Dolomites—muttering ‘Bisogno cambiá qualcossa de drio!’ (Something must change in the rear!)’—the quick-release lever was born, launching what is now a $150-million corporation supported by tifosi around the world.

I’ve owned two bikes with a Campy Record gruppo, and am about to take delivery of a Super Record-equipped 2014 Trek Series 7 Madone to prepare for my maiden voyage during L’Etape du Tour in Annecy, France July 7. I’ve only been alive 47 of those 80 years, and wanted to learn more about the fabled Italian company and its current leadership.

Tullio passed away on February 3, 1983, just as the company began celebrating 50 years in business. On June 15, Gruppo Number 0002 of Campy’s 50th anniversary set was presented to Pope John Paul II in a private audience with a delegation of Italian cycling enthusiasts. Tullio’s son Valentino, 33, took over leadership of the company just as the mountain bike craze was building, and Laurent Fignon won his first Tour de France on rival Simplex components; Fignon switched to Campy in 1984, again wearing yellow to Paris. Valentino knew what he had to do to stake his company’s reputation for racing excellence firmly in the ground.

Beginning in 1968 with Jan Janssen, nearly every Tour winner through 1998 rode Campy; only Bernard Thévenet (’75, ’77 on Simplex), Laurent Fignon (’83, also Simplex) and Greg LeMond (’89 on Mavic) rode something else. All told, 40 Tours de France have been won on Campagnolo. Simplex has won 10 for second place, and Shimano is in third, with four victories. The last world road champion to win with Campagnolo was Cadel Evans on board his Canyon for Davitamon-Lotto in late 2009. Spaniard Oscar Pereiro was the last Tour winner on Campy in 2006; the first was Gino Bartali in 1948. Eddy Merckx, the winningest cyclist of all time with 525 victories, raced exclusively on Campagnolo, and was close to Tullio.

Today, Valentino considers Campagnolo’s sponsorship of five WorldTour teams—Astana, Vacansoleil-DCM, Movistar, Ag2r-La Mondiale, and Lotto-Belisol—essential to the success of his company. Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali won the 2013 Giro d’Italia on a Specialized equipped with the 80th Anniversary Super Record groupset; Ag2r-La Mondiale’s Carlos Betancur earned best young rider, while Lotto-Belisol’s Adam Hansen won stage 7. The crowning glory was Movistar’s four stage victories, including Giovanni Visconti’s stage 17 win in Vicenza, on the day Campagnolo hosted its 80th anniversary party. Having claimed his second win of the race, the Italian visited Campagnolo to celebrate with Valentino, his family and a selection of the company’s guests and employees.

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