Originally Posted by
bulgie
Yes, Battaglin rode a Pinarello to his '81 Giro victory (and, I assume in the Vuelta of that year, which he also won).
At least in all the '81 Giro pictures I have found, where the bike is visible, it's a Pinarello.
But he was allowed to have his own bike company at the same time? Seems odd. Was there any connection between Pinarello and Battaglin-brand bikes?
Classy rider.
In 1981, the Inoxpran team had a contract with Pinarello. That’s why also Battaglin drove Pinarello in every race. In 1982, Pinarello switched to the Metauromobili team. And Battaglin provided Inoxpran with bicycles under his own name. (Which was the reason and what is the consequence, I don’t know) Battaglin bikes were apparently started to be manufactured in 1981-82 because before that, the racer had not achieved outstanding victory.
A few years later the Life repeated this game with Battaglin - only with an inverted sign. The Carrera Jeans team used Battaglin bikes, but encouraged by the success, they set up their own bike brand and Giovanni had to look for a new team.