Saturday, July 27, 2024

Danilo di Luca, to the victor, the spoils…

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HomeStoriesDanilo di Luca, to the victor, the spoils...

When Sci’Con set out to celebrate the victory of Danilo di Luca in the 2007 Giro d’Italia, what better way than with an all-pink Aerotech Evolution Art. 70 rigid bicycle case, produced as a single specimen colored to match the Giro d’Italia winner’s jersey.

Danilo di Luca
Very cool – colour-coordinated bike luggage.

As Luciano Fantin, the firm’s founder and chairman, notes “it was the least we could do after this big sporting result, to show him our appreciation for all the advice he has given us during all his travels using Sci’Con products. Aerotech Evolution is an icon in the sector of rigid bicycle carry cases and can now also boast the right to being the most winning one!” he added.

He’s not joking – they’re one the best ways to ensure your bike gets to that training camp or race safely. Still, at least his next jolly didn’t involve pink shirts!

The other day Danilo strutted his stuff on the catwalk rather than up the Monte Zonocolan; he was modelling for Byblos… “It seems like they are training for a team time trial…” he said. (Eh?)

A silk striped shirt with flowered inserts, blue jeans with saddle-stitch, and leather shoes…

Danilo di Luca
Presenting the new Danilo Di Luca, model version.

Curious and amused, he hung about backstage of the fashion show for the presentation of the Byblos Men’s Collection at Milan’s Fashion Week, with an apparent aplomb as if he had always been there. The Killer is always the Killer, with or without the pink jersey.

“Fashion is similar to cycling,” Di Luca explains. “…backstage is like preparation for a team time trial: months of hard work to be done in a few moments, and everything must be perfect.” Well, okay Dani.

Danilo will be a “testimonial” for Byblos for two years, but his model career can wait. It is time to think about coming back to racing, at the end of July once Le Tour is over, at the Brixia Tour.

Then there will be the Classica di San Sebastian, Vattenfall Cyclassics in Hamburg, GP de Plouay, the Tour of Poland… and, of course, the Road World Championships, his next big aim.

Martin Williamson
Martin Williamson
Martin is our Editor and web site Designer/Manager and concentrates on photography. He's been involved in cycle racing for over four decades and raced for much of that time, having a varied career which included time trials, road and track racing, and triathlons. Martin has been the Scottish 25 Mile TT and 100 Mile TT Champion, the British Points Race League Champion on the track, and he won a few time trials in his day, particularly hilly ones like the Tour de Trossachs and the Meldons MTT.

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