I have just learned of Dino Falconi's passing. He was one of the greatest cycling mechanics, spending years traveling the world with the National Team and with the most legendary teams of the '80s and '90s, fulfilling every technical need or problem for countless riders, with a special eye for his beloved "Romagnoli". I had occasionally passed through his workshop when I was a junior or youth rider staying in Bagnara di Romagna, the logistical base of my team manager Battista Calderoni, an iron-clad technician for many teams, but especially for Placci Panazza where I rode. But Dino Falconi was not just the "mechanic from Barbiano": Dino was also a team manager, specifically for the legendary "Ma.Go" Barbiano: Mangimi Golinelli had entrusted him with creating a youth team in his town, and my father was among the chosen riders.

That team became a powerhouse, and my father was one of its architects with many successes. In these two photos, here is Dino, smiling and happy, carrying Guglielmo Rossi on his shoulders after one of his many victories, and my father sitting in front of the Barbiano bar next to his "bicycle workshop" during a moment of relaxation. Whenever he saw me at races, he would always ask about my father because memories of those '60s would resurface, and conversely, in my home I always heard stories about the many adventurous experiences of Dino Falconi from Barbiano. A legend.