He had seen him stop at an inn. Bicycle, jersey, short pants, perhaps a small cap on his head. No doubt, it was him: Ottavio Bottecchia. The first Italian winner of the Tour de France, in 1924. The first absolute winner of two consecutive Tour de France, in 1924 and 1925. Bottecchia leaned his bike against the wall, entered the inn, probably refilled his water bottle, probably asked for a sandwich, then, refreshed, got back on his bike and continued training.

For Antonio Ferro, known as Balutin, that vision of Bottecchia in the inn on Via Marconi in Mortegliano was electrifying. He would remember it, etched in his memory, and would pass it on in memories and stories, perhaps embellishing it, certainly reminiscing, as Bottecchia had died mysteriously and his myth was perpetuated and magnified, almost like an Homeric hero.

And from that testimony, like in an oral relay, heard and in turn incorporated and fantasized, Renato Bulfon began collecting any trace, imprint, memory of Bottecchia. Until he found an ally, the writer and publisher Giacinto Bevilacqua, and together compose a book, "Ottavio Bottecchia's Album" (Alba editions, 100 pages, 15 euros, for information and requests renatobulfon51@gmail.com). Postcards, photographs, stamps, strips, cartoons, newspaper pages and dailies, articles, telegrams, autographs, letters, stickers, statutes, magazine covers, biographies and graphic novels, documentary posters. Everything about him.

These are stories of Bottecchia, from over a century ago. Born in 1894, in San Martino di Colle Umberto, in Treviso, Veneto. First Tour victory in 1924, already written, second in 1925. Died in 1927, in Gemona, Friuli. He was 33 years old, like Christ. Little was known about him, much was written about him, especially recently, attracted by anniversaries, drawn to the mysteries surrounding his life and obscuring his death. Setting aside the most fanciful hypotheses (fallen alone or made to fall by a motorist, murdered by a robbed farmer or a betrayed husband...), today the authors seem oriented to establish a political motivation: Bottecchia was an anti-fascist, and at that time the squadrists were ruthless. And, in case of confessions and denunciations, there was also the fear of retaliation.

"Ottavio Bottecchia's Album" is rich in small treasures: postal gems, journalistic diamonds, illustrated tidbits. One for all: the telegram, handwritten, that Don Dante Nigris, parish priest of Peonis, sent to Aldo Fabbro, president of the Udine Cycling Club, on June 3, 1927 at 11:30. "Found injured semi-unconscious victim of cycling accident on Cornino Trasaghis road informing this society based on papers found is Bottecchia Ottavio rider of Italy".