They've renamed it "the Little Vuelta of Canavese". It's a new race to remember an old protagonist, Angelo Conterno who 70 years ago, in 1956, was the first Italian to win the Vuelta a España. The first joy: it's the first edition of the race, at a time when we commemorate the last or extinct ones. The second joy: it's not for professionals, but for juniors, that is, the lifeblood of cycling. The third joy: Conterno, who never stopped pedaling, would have been moved. The fourth joy: it was Marco Conterno, Angelo's son, who promoted the race to remember his father. The fifth joy: the goal is to give space to the present and future of cycling, not just Piedmont's.

Registrations are collected until Friday, September 4th at the Velo Club Eporediese, which is based in Ivrea at via Torino 231, tel. 349/2533412, email address veloclub.eporediese@libero.it. The meeting point for participants is set for 11 a.m. at the sports field in Pertusio, the start at 1:30 p.m. and a controlled-pace transfer to Salassa is planned. The race will then touch Oglianico, Favria, Busano, Rivara, Pertusio and Valperga, with a loop to be repeated three times. After the third passage through Salassa, a straight section will begin that includes transit through Oglianico, Favria, Rivara, Forno Canavese, Pratiglione and Prascorsano. At Prascorsano a second loop will begin, which will take the athletes to Canischio, San Colombano Belmonte, Buasca, Cuorgné, Santa Lucia and Prascorsano. At the conclusion of this lap, the athletes will continue again towards Canischio, San Colombano, Buasca, Cuorgè, Valperga and Pertusio, where they will tackle the climb passing near the Church of San Lorenzo, continuing towards Case Piandane, Case Rolandi, the Pemonte hamlet, Prascorsano and Buasca. The riders' final effort will be the climb to San Colombano Belmonte, where the finish line will be placed. A challenging route, in true Conterno style.

"In 1959 I worked as an employee for Vincenzo Giacotto, technical director of Carpano – recalls Italo Zilioli -, in my free time I would leaf through newspapers, read the sports pages, devour cycling articles. And I was struck by the image in which Conterno braked in the sprint and then appeared bleeding after the collision with the photographer at the Italian championship. Who would have thought that then, from 1962 to 1964, we would be teammates precisely at Carpano. He was an intelligent rider, scrupulous, attentive. He seemed already old, yet he still went strong, especially uphill. In a race in Belgium we got dropped, just me, him and Franco Balmamion. Of the three, he was the freshest. And when he was in good form, he pedaled like silk".

"He was my teammate when I won the Giro d'Italia in 1962 and 1963 – Balmamion recounts -. Angelo's last race was the Giro di Romagna in 1965, with a circuit to be repeated six or seven times that included the climb of Rocca delle Camminate. On the last passage Conterno went away solo. But at the finish line in Lugo there were still 40-50 km to go. And even though, behind, me and Carletto Chiappano were pushing hard, in the end Angelo was caught. In the sprint we made a mess of it. Primo Zandegù won on Pambianco and Armani, he finished sixth, I eighth and Carletto tenth. Then Giacotto formed the Sanson team for the Giro d'Italia and excluded him, not for his condition, he was in great shape, but for his age, he was over 40 years old".

A native of Turin and a Torino supporter (Balmamion: "For Angelo the burgundy jersey of Baratti was more reassuring than the white and black of Carpano"), Conterno resigned himself to the calendar, stopped racing as a professional but continued as a veteran, first opened a record shop, then dedicated himself to selling billiard tables and table football games. Now, with the Little Vuelta, Penna Bianca is back on the bike.

(end of the second and final installment)

(here the first installment)