Freddy Maertens claims that he lost the 1973 World Championship (when he was riding Shimano Dura-Ace) because Merckx (and the other riders in the break) would rather let anyone else (riding Campagnolo) win, rather than letting a Shimano-equipped bike win.
That season was probably the first real incursion of Shimano into the European Pro peloton.
At Saturday, 18 January 2003, you wrote:
>On our ride today a rider said the blasphemous words that Shimano
is older
>than Campagnolo. A quick check proved him to be right, perhaps.
Evidently
>Shozaburo Shimano began production of a freewheel in 1921. Campagnolo's
>manufacturing started in 1933. When did Shimano really become a
player in the
>European market with "modern" gear, ie front and rear derailleurs?
>
>Curtis Whatley
>riding campy 'cause it's pretty
>Mission, Texas
>_______________________________________________
>
--
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas servitus est nescio robur est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash