Well, last month was that time of year again for my annual visit to the Vatican. This year I was greeted by His Eminence, who seemed quite preoccupied with next year’s calendar, as it will be the bi-millennium celebration of the birth of Christ, and of course, the 17th anniversary of Campagnolo’s 50th Anniversary Gruppo. Monsignor was somewhat distraught over the fact that the fabric lining was wearing thin in the Campy box which cradles His favorite cycling relics. In a fit of desperation, He went to Gabriel (one of the Holy City’s eleven archangel computer stations) to send out a papal SOS on the world wide web. Alas, He was quite discouraged to find nothing but electronic prattle scrolling endlessly from this hi-tech oracle. The poor man was utterly beside Himself, and begged for my council on such restoration affairs. I mentioned a Parisian shop on the Left Bank, which specializes in form fitting, satin undergarments. The Chief Ecclesiastic was ecstatic with this suggestion, and skipped several joyous laps around the Sistine Chapel in spiritual revelation. When He returned, slightly out of breath, He ordered forth His aperitif trolley. He then pulled out His Campagnolo “bottle brush” (Art.#719), and ceremoniously dusted the cordial glasses. We sat back and admired Michelangelo’s work over several Frangelicos. Time drifted by in contemplative reverie. Finally, after pouring His fourth Benedictine & Brandy, His Most Holiness confessed His preference for the nude ceiling figures which were recently uncovered by art conservators. He leaned over and whispered, “It’s time for the fig leaves to come off... But it’s still a while ‘till the prophylactics go on!” We had quite a chuckle.
Campagnolo Trivia:
Campagnolo has recently been putting a lot of energies into the development and production of complete bicycle wheel sets. But Campy is not new to the “wheel” approach. During WW II, they manufactured steel tracks for Italian tanks, and during the 1960’s and 70’s, Campagnolo supplied Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborgini, De Tomaso, et al, with forged, magnesium racing wheels. Arrivederci -Euro Freddie.