Guglielmo Pesenti had bicycles in his blood. His father Antonio (1908-68), a legendary climber, won the 1932 Giro d’Italia. At school Guglielmo competed in a lot of sports, but in his mind there was only cycling, although his father discouraged it. At the beginning he raced and won on the roads but, in 1951, at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milano, he won a sprint trophy and the Italian track coach wanted him on the Azzurri track squad at only 18-years-old.
Pesenti left school and became a track sprinter. He was formidable and set four world records in the 200 and 500 metres, but he was a crafty strategist in the sprint and used that trait to win the 1956 sprint silver medal at the Melbourne Olympics and place third at the World Championships in København. One year later in Rocourt he finished second at the Worlds. Pesenti was also a five-time Italian champion (two in sprint, two in tandem and, as a pro, a winter title), also adding many victories in European Grand Prixs.
Italy