Aldo Parecchini

Born in the dominant cycling region of Lombardy, Aldo Parecchini started his amateur career in the late-1960s with the Industria Alimentare Gazoldo team. Wearing their colours, he obtained his best results by winning two consecutive Italian Road Race titles. At Reggio Emilia in 1970 he finished ahead of Giuliano Dominoni and Marcello Osler, and at Polignano a Mare in 1971 he beat the Olympian Luciano Borgognoni and Guido Lussignoli. Along wiith Francesco Moser, Parecchini was one of the Italians expected to do well in the men’s road race at the 1972 München Olympics. He failed to complete the race following a puncture and a fall on the third lap, however, which forced him to change his machine, but he had difficulty trying to recover and retired at the end of the lap.

Parecchini turned professional in 1973 with the great Molteni team, guided by sporting director Giorgio Albani, and with superstar Eddy Merckx and other quality riders like Roger Swerts and Jos Huysmans in the team. After Molteni, Parecchini spent four years at Brooklyn (1974-77), and then Selle Royal (1978), Bianchi-Faema (1979), and finally ended his career in 1980 with Famcucine.

In his pro career, Parecchini participated in the Giro d’Italia seven times between 1973-80 with the best overall standing of 71st in 1979. In 1976 he took part in his second and last Tour de France (he had been 97th overall two years earlier), where he reached the pinnacle of his career after winning the sixth stage from Bastogne-Nancy after a lone breakaway 200 kilometres from the finish, eventually won by 4:29 from his compatriot Enrico Paolini. Two days later Parecchini was forced to retire from the race.