Giuseppe "Bepi" Perin has passed away, one of the most well-known figures in Triveneto cycling. He was 84 years old and lived in Mareno di Piave. Yesterday morning, at 6:30 a.m., at the Immacolata nursing home in Conegliano, he passed away on the very day of the 60th anniversary of his marriage to Luigina, his wife, who died last June. He was the father-in-law of former professional cyclists Marco Zen, 63 years old, and Michele Poser, 57 years old.

Giuseppe Perin was born in Fontanelle (Tv). He had taken up the profession of truck driver and, in his free time, devoted all his energy to cycling. He had been sports director of the Santa Lucia and Pedale Marenese teams and had served as team manager for the amateurs of the Unione Ciclisti Trevigiani and Marchiol, working alongside his son-in-law Marco, as well as for Zalf.

He was one of those people who could not go unnoticed in the racing environment. "Bepi" always had a smile on his face and managed to lighten the mood even in the most difficult moments of the day, when things were not going the right way.

"He promoted several champions when he was a sports director – recalls Marco Zen – but above all he played one of those roles that often goes unnoticed in a high-level cycling team. When he was in amateur formations, he assisted numerous athletes who later turned professional, and he was my assistant at Trevigiani, when the president was Giovanni Pinarello, and at Marchiol, which promoted many riders who later reached the pinnacle of cycling."

In 1987, Giuseppe Perin was serving the Unione Ciclisti Trevigiani with Gianerico Zanardo, sports director of the amateurs when the president was Giovanni Pinarello. "He was my trusted collaborator, a very generous person who gave everything to cycling – recalls the former Treviso coach, who is currently at the Tour of Slovakia – always spontaneous, he was well-liked by everyone. He was like a father, an older brother to the athletes. I have a fond memory of Bepi," he says.

He was a devoted Moser fan and had met Francesco Moser on the occasion of a Circuito degli Assi that took place in the province of Treviso in the late 1980s.

Giuseppe Perin had been in poor health for some time, but the real turning point in his life was the death of his beloved Luigina. From that moment on, a slow but inexorable decline began, leading to his death Thursday morning.

He leaves behind two brothers, one sister, and two daughters: Stefania – with her husband Marco, and grandchildren Cristina, with her daughter Arianna, 16 months old, born on the very day of her grandmother Stefania's name day, and Giorgia – and Ketty, with her husband Michele, and grandchildren Federico and Davide, who play basketball.

The funeral will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the parish church of Mareno di Piave.