The jerseys - 51
ITEM N° 291 (A)
MOTTA Gianni (I)
(13.03.1943)
His “Zonca” silk jersey, worn during the Six Days in 1973
Born on 13 March 1943 in Cassano d’Adda, Lombardy, Gianni Motta was one of Italy’s greatest champions of the 1960s and 1970s. A well-rounded rider, with excellent climbing ability and impressive speed, he made his mark in his very first professional season by winning the 1964 Tour of Lombardy.
His greatest success came in 1966, when he won the Giro d’Italia as well as its points classification. His list of achievements also includes the 1967 Tour de Suisse, two Tours de Romandie, four editions of the Tre Valli Varesine, Milan–Turin and six stages of the Giro. In 1965, he finished third in the Tour de France behind Felice Gimondi and Raymond Poulidor.
This item is a silk jersey from the Italian Zonca team worn by Gianni Motta during the Six-Day races in 1973.
The photograph, taken in 1998, shows Gianni Motta alongside the collector Noël Grégoire. It documents the meeting with the champion and marks the jersey’s place in the history of the collection. The combination of the jersey, the photograph of the victory at Iseo and this meeting brings together three complementary aspects: Motta’s sporting career, his time with Zonca and the subsequent preservation of his legacy. This jersey brings together a Giro d’Italia winner, a typical Italian team of the 1970s and the now-vanished world of the great Six-Day races.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this jersey preserves the memory of Gianni Motta in Zonca colours in 1973. It pays tribute to a champion capable of triumphing in the Grand Tours, the classics and on the velodrome.
ITEM N° 209 (B)
MOTTET Charly (F)
(16.12.1962)
His white jersey as Best Young Rider at the 1984 Giro d’Italia
Born on 16 December 1962 in Valence, in the Drôme department, Charly Mottet was one of the finest French cyclists of the late 1980s and early 1990s. A professional from 1983 to 1994, he stood out for his elegance, his consistency in the mountains and his excellent all-round riding ability.
His list of achievements includes three victories in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, the 1990 Tour de Romandie, the 1988 Tour of Lombardy and three Grands Prix des Nations. He also won three stages of the Tour de France, two stages of the Vuelta a España and one stage of the Giro d’Italia. He finished fourth in the Tour de France in 1987 and 1991, as well as second in the 1990 Giro d’Italia.
This white jersey was worn by Charly Mottet as the best young rider in the 1984 Giro d’Italia.
In 1984, Charly Mottet competed in his first Giro d’Italia riding for Renault–Elf, as part of the team led by two-time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon. Aged just 21, he took the lead in the best young rider classification from the very first stages and held onto this distinction until the final finish. Mottet finished the Giro in twenty-first place in the general classification.
This period photograph shows Charly Mottet wearing a similar white jersey, bearing the same Campagnolo lettering, beneath his Renault–Elf team cap. It helps to place the garment in the context of the 1984 Giro and confirms its appearance during the race.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this white jersey bears witness to Charly Mottet’s breakthrough at the 1984 Giro d’Italia. Worn to the finish of his first major three-week race, this jersey for the best new professional heralded the career of a champion who would leave a lasting mark on French cycling.
ITEM N° 558
MOUNT George (USA)
(14.09.1955)
His US national team jersey, worn in the 1970s
Born on 14 September 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey, George Lewis Mount, nicknamed ‘Smilin’ George’, is one of the pioneers of modern American cycling. At a time when American riders were still largely absent from major European competitions, he helped put his country back on the international cycling map.
His greatest achievement came at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. On the gruelling Mont Royal circuit, Mount finished sixth in the road race, in the group battling for the medals behind the Swedish winner Bernt Johansson. This was the best result achieved by an American cyclist in this event since 1912. (George Mount at the Olympic Games, Montreal 1976 results)
He subsequently settled in Italy, winning the Palio del Recioto and the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic in 1978, finishing fourth in the British Milk Race and winning a stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1979. Turning professional in 1980, he rode for Italian teams and notably took part in two Giro d’Italia races.
This item is a US national team jersey associated with George Mount’s international campaigns during the 1970s.
At that time, professional cycling still occupied a modest place in the United States. Wearing this jersey meant representing a country striving to re-establish its international presence against the major European nations. The period photograph shows George Mount giving his all whilst wearing the American colours, with the same white stars visible on his shoulders and chest. It helps to place the item within the context of the international competitions in which he took part with the national team.
This jersey brings together a pioneer of American cycling, a national team that was still a rarity in the European peloton, and one of the defining achievements in the history of cycling in the United States.
