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My pleasure, Isonzo Sorbi, I go with the amateurs.
Valeriano Falsini, for me going on the bike is the most beautiful thing there is.
Oh, Valeriano, what are you doing here?
The next race I win I will dedicate it to you
Good luck!
Good evening Coppi.
My name is Fausto
No, no, stop, stop---give it to me.
Here it is! Go! Valeriano! Go! Go!
I am Valeriano Falsini
Born in Vecchia (Reggello) November 3, 1928
My family consisted of three males and two females.
Just like the family of Fausto Coppi.
My father was a merchant who went to the market in Figline Valdarno.
And with a donkey he went door-to-door
of the farmers to sell pots and lids.
And so the family made ends meet.
We did OK. Ours was one of the few families that did OK
and we went to school wearing shoes.
I did the first course for electricians at the Salesian school.
After the fifth class though I wasn't interested and my mother found me a job as an electrician.
Afterwards I went to Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni to be an electrician and to work on motors.
Isonzo Sorbi was a boy from my town. He went already by bike because he was a few years older..
Then we met again when we went to work together in Castelnuovo
He worked on the turner with the mechanics.
He really was passionate about biking.
On Sundays we went out together.
And he said I was good.
In fact we did two or three races unofficially and I was able to win all of them.
He instead was never able to finish.
He ran with the learners and never finished a race.Poor guy!
One day at the factory arrived a representative of Wally of Prato.
To bring bikes to the workers.
This Wally was a company set up right after the front passed.
When the representative came to the electricians to sell bikes
The boss was a short guy names Bruttini
I told him that I wanted to bike
And that I didn't have a bike
"we'll take all 25 of the bikes but you have to give a racing bike free to this boy"
The representative agreed
And so I had my first bike
If you have the book you've seen it
It was beautiful, very beautiful
I was happy
The I started riding with the learners in 1946
I was a bit raw
I didn't know how to race
I was slow and didn't progress much
So I did a year with the learners
And so as an amateur I transferred to Figline, with the team created
By the Ciclistica Figlinese for amateurs
And I won several races as an amateur
I seemed to constantly improve
In 1947 just the same
And in 1948 I was with the Eagle of Montevarchi with Ezio Losi
Who was my trainer
He liked me and took me with him
He gave me money, brought me to the races
Otherwise how could I have done it? At that time the team had no money even to buy the tires
So he took care of it
In the Milano-Rapallo I arrived fifth because it didn't go well
In the Florence-Viareggio in 1949 I arrived second
I raced there already as amateur in 1946 and finished
In 1947 I arrived ninth at the final sprint
In 1948 I arrived sixth and in 1949, my last as amateur I came in second
Overall I won about twenty races
Overall I won about twenty races
So it happened that Girardengo phoned l'Aquila in Montevarchi
Losi responded and he asked him if they were ready
To move the boy to the professionals
This Falsini
So they were all enthusiastic and happy
Girardengo said that I would be part of the team with Van Steenbergen
With Impanis and Schotte all Belgians
They sent me to the Riviera to train
That's where I got to know Fausto Coppi
In Varazze there was a little restaurant on the road the was called "Il Genovese"
Where Bianchi's team always went
There was Carrea, Milano, poor Serse
One time Serse came with another team member of Bianchi
And he wanted to know if there was any good young guy
He said, "There's Falsini, a kid that as an amateur always did very well"
Therefore I was examined by Cavanna, who was blind
This man touched me
he's called cavanna
And said that I had a good muscle build
One day I asked Serse if his brother Fausto ever came to the Riviera with them
One evening while we were playing cards Serse told me
That Fausto was there
So I got to know him
I said, "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Coppi"
He responded "among bikers we use the informal 'tu'
And tomorrow I train with you and Serse"
From that moment Coppi was always nice to me
Because in some way I pedaled the bike like he did.
Then, on April 16, I did the Giro della Toscana
There Girardengo wrote me
To say "Look, Valeriano, you are on your own in Toscana
Because Van Steenbergen doesn't want to come to do the Giro della Toscana
Because it is long and hard
In fact it was over 300 chilometers
In the end we left Florence and we were always under the rain
where is?
I don't know
Oh!
How are you doing?
Give me another sandwich.
I don't have any more
I told you there weren't any more
Valeriano, listen to me, get in the car
No! No!
Valeriano, come on, quit
Oh! I arrive in Florence, OK?
They left you behind. Come on, Valeriano, stop.
Valeriano!
I'm going to make it!
I was one of the young guys who arrived and finished
But I didn't take a bath or get a massage, nothing
I ended up aching all over
In the joints, in the muscles
Then quit and restart, quit and restart, I wasn't doing well any longer
So Professor Scaglietti of the orthopedic center of Florence visited
He was a specialist in these things
He said, "Falsini, sorry to have to tell you
But you can't compete anymore
Because your muscles get inflamed
I can't operate or do anything
If the muscles inflame, you get a fever
And you can do more than 10/12 kilometers"
In the end therapy and restart, therapy and restart
I kept going for a bit and entered Fausto's team
I continued for 2-3 years
Then I had to quit when I was 24
Fausto came to see me
He said this
"Valeriano, I've spoken with Zambrini because I want you with me on the team"
To ride with you? I asked
"Madonna bona!"
Look, I don't even have to take the train
Is that right?
yes!
So he said to me
Go home, stay calm, take care of yourself
I'll called you and you come to sign with Zambrini
Fausto put the team together
At that time they already had begun the cycle and motorcycle show that is still done today in December
Fausto didn't write or phone
And now Fausto left me and said he'd take me
Instead I wrote to me from Paris
Valeriano, I've spoke with Zambrini and organized everything
Come to the show and I can meet you there so you will be able to sign there
Madonna bona!
Valeriano seemed too long a name
So he called me Valerio and he used to tell me
"Come, Valerio, come and do the punching job"
I remember he brought me to do this task at the Giro di Lombardia at Milano-Sanremo
He arrived and said to me "think about the bike"
Everyone was waiting for him (Coppi), they seemed like vultures
Everybody around him
And I was free
So it was my job to take his bike and bring it to the "punzonatura"
They were waiting for his bike, while he remained there istead
No one was going to bother me
They took him, pushed him around raising him up
And I thought "Look at the life he has"
One time
There were four of us training on the Riviera
We couldn't go in two on the state road before they built the highway
It was so narrow
At a certain point the police stopped someone
We arrived there and to Serse and Fausto who were ahead the policeman said:
"You and you a fine of 110 lire each"
But to me who was behind with Oreste they didn't say anything
Fausto began to say "Look, we are cyclists"
These cops, these idiots, they didn't recognize him
This is something!
It's the truth
Fausto continued to say "I'm not paying 110 Lire"
No, you are going to pay
In the end there was a fellow behind us following us in his automobile
He saw us talking
And thought it was a friend who stopped us
The driver stopped and said to Fausto
"Signor Coppi, how are you feeling about the Milano-Sanremo?"
Madonna!" said the cop "You're Mr. Coppi!"
Fausto replied,"Yes, I am, why?"
And I said to Oreste, "Now they are making us pay 110 Lire in their place".
The poor guys, the poor guys
That changed things
They had stopped Coppi!
Boys, today it went well with the two cops
We were right, you were off the road
What did they say?
You and you, a fine of 110 Lire
You didn't know that it is forbidden to ride side-by-side?
Fortunately I was there and told them who you are
Fortunately you are here Valerio!
If I had talked more they would have given me the fine!
Serse's wheel got stuck in the tram track
He fell
We didn't have helmets then
Nothing
He got up and I said, "Come on, Serse
We're almost at the velodrom
It's 2 miles away and we can arrive together"
We arrived a way back from the leaders
Serse began to say his head hurt
I told him he was tired from the race
We made it to the hotel
"Oh, my head, my head"
We called Professor Togliotti
Who said nothing could be done and he died
Fausto wanted to quit
He said, "Serse, you shouldn't have done this to me,
You did me a disrespect!"
More than fellow cyclists, they were friends and brothers
When I cycled
I put on the shirt and pants of Bianchi
The cars behind would watch
It seems impossible
I said, "Guys, pass if you want!"
"No, Valeriano, being behind you is like being behind Coppi!"
"Don't say that!"
"When we get to Montevarchi, I'll pay you the caffè"