Some 58 years after Fausto Coppi won the fifth of his Giro di Lombarda titles, Il Campionissimo will be celebrated at this year’s edition of the race when the Vacansoleil DCM team pays a tribute to the Italian.
The team will field eight riders, namely Thomas De Gendt, Stefan Denifl, Johnny Hoogerland, Björn Leukemans, Marco Marcato, Tomasz Marczynski, Mirko Selvaggi and Rafael Valls, and each of them will wear a completely redesigned jersey.
In an initiative linked to their bike sponsor Bianchi, which also backed Coppi for much of his career, the octet will wear what the team are referring to as the ‘world famous celeste shirt, like Coppi did in his glorious days.’ I
It is thus far unclear if the jersey will be a replica in terms of logos and colour printing, or if it will incorporate the team’s current sponsors,
It is also intended to celebrate the 70th birthday of Felice Gimondi, which will take place on the day of the race.
The jersey will be unveiled Thursday at the new Officina Edoardo Bianchi in Bergamo. On Friday one of the jerseys will be presented to the chapel and museum of Madonna del Ghisallo, while Bianchi CEO Bob Ippolito, Vacansoleil-DCM's Daan Luijkx and Gimondi will give one to shirt to Michele Acquarone and Mauro Vegni of RCS Sport, organiser of the Giro d’Italia and Il Lombardia.
One hundred sets of the jersey and shorts will be sold Monday on the team website.
The team previously rode a bike commemorating Coppi in the Tour of Italy and the Tour of France, the sixtieth anniversary of his wins in both of those races.