Our History

At the end of WW2, the Free Territory of Trieste was contested between the Allies and Yugoslavia. Pietro Dal Molin, who in 1906 took over the Wilier label, then a semi-unknown English company, decided to join the political cause by adding the word Triestina to the trademark and acronym (W l'Italia Libera E Redenta) in support of Italian control of the city. A brave and risky choice. But Dal Molin did not stop there.
He chose the halberd of St. Sergius, emblem of Trieste, for the logo and signed on a cyclist native of the area: Giordano Cottur. A stance that would not go unnoticed.

1906

At the end of the 19th century, the invention of the safety bicycle swept away the fear of the dangers associated with the penny-farthing and, thanks to the widespread use of tires, also thwarted the belief that the new creation was too uncomfortable to ever become popular.
Thusly, the bicycle revealed itself to be a great innovation that would soon change how movement was perceived. People first began to see this in England, and soon after in the United States, France and, at the start of the 20th century, Italy.

Here, among its pioneers was Pietro Dal Molin of Bassano del Grappa who, in 1906, took over the English Wilier brand and launched the production of safety bicycles.

The man who, after the war, seized all the opportunities that cycling offered was Mario Dal Molin, one of Pietro's sons, who changed the factory's name to Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin and formed the new chrome and nickel departments, which led to the expansion of the company's manufacturing horizons.

When, thanks to the exploits of famous professional cyclists, the popularity of the bicycle gained further impulse, Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin was able to rise to the challenge. Following WW2, it was even ready to directly enter the world of competitive cycling with its own team that revived the beloved original name, Wilier, while adding an adjective that not only suited the times but affirmed the love for a city that was still very much contested: Trieste.

By the end of 1945, the idea of Wilier Triestina was complete, as was the decision that the team symbol could only be the emblem of Trieste: the halberd. Even the misconception that Wilier stood for W l’Italia Libera e Redenta (literally "long live Italy liberated and redeemed") was never in question.

As in America and in all of Europe, this venture proved to be a huge commercial success, also boosted by the potential for mass production. Methodical manufacturing made it possible to reduce prices and, consequently, to rapidly and constantly increase the demand for this new means of transportation.

And even with the World War I frontline so dangerously close to Bassano del Grappa, the development of the Wilier name was not affected, quite the opposite. The legendary actions of the Bersaglieri on bicycles produced a positive advertising effect for Pietro Dal Molin's company.

1946

It was soon clear to Mario that a major professional cycling team meant a considerable financial commitment. However, he also knew that it offered great possibilities for promotional return. The first remarkable result of that intuition came during Wilier's first Giro d’Italia. On June 30, 1946 - stage twelve of the Giro - the finish was meant to be in Trieste, but the leg was interrupted in the town of Pieris because of a stone-throwing incident organized - as the press put it - by supporters of Trieste's annexation to Yugoslavia.

Despite the suspension of the race and the danger of incidents, the Wilier racers were escorted to the finish line. The entire episode ended with an incredible sea of people cheering on the halberd-donning racers, culminating with the victory of the Trieste native and team captain, Giordano Cottur.

This was the first huge win for Mario Dal Molin's promotional idea and for his technical chief, Giovanni Zandonà: the celebration of red flags with white halberd that waved for Trieste, unsurprisingly the colors and symbol of the Wilier jersey.

1947

1948

Between 1946 and 1950 the wins kept coming and climaxed in the overall rankings of the 1948 Giro d’Italia, won by the new Team Wilier captain, Fiorenzo Magni, with third, seventh and tenth place taken by Giordano Cottur, Giulio Bresci and Alfredo Martini. One could well say that in Italy, in 1948, there was no team or bicycle more competitive than those made in Bassano del Grappa by Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin. The racing accomplishments continued until 1950, with two historic victories by Fiorenzo Magni at the Tours of Flanders in.

1949 and 1950, the dramatic forfeit by the Italian national team at the Tour de France 1950 with Magni leading the general classification and therefore, forever, the virtual winner, and the two important triumphs by Antonio Bevilacqua: the Italian road racing title and the Pursuit World Championship in Rocour, Belgium.

Along with the wins, the popularity of the famous frame color of Wilier bikes was by now established in Italy and throughout the cycling world: the celebrated and patented “coppery red”.

1952

Yet all this was not enough: motorization was becoming evermore widespread, and rapid change was coming to the way of interpreting mass transportation. Despite all the sporting success, the Dal Molin brothers were not able to respond with the same speed to the new demands of the market, with a default in payment of a large supply of bikes in Argentina only making things worse, forcing them to quickly sell off their facilities.

Hence, in 1952, a mere four years after the triumphant Giro d’Italia, the Ciclomeccanica Dal Molin factory was sold to Meccanica Moderna Milano which, very briefly continued to operate a handful of production lines, to then close down the factory completely.

1969

Although Wilier Triestina no longer existed for many years, echoes of the great victories in the golden days of Italian cycling continued to resonate throughout the vibrant land of cycling that is Vicenza and its province.

Consequently, Lino and Antonio Gastaldello, positively responded to the offer to buy the legendary trademark and transfer production to Rossano Veneto, where they had long lived and worked in the bicycle industry.

1979

Know-how and skill made it possible not only to launch the brand once again but also, in 1979, to return to professional cycling by providing bikes and technical support to Mecap Hoonved, whose star rider was Mario Beccia. Beccia's win during the first stage of the Giro d’Italia was immediately perceived as a good omen, along with his sixth place in the overall standings.

However, for some years, the Gastaldello brothers decided to hold back on investing in the sport and concentrate mainly on the company's manufacturing side, which was rapidly growing and therefore needed to be carefully managed.

Lino Gastaldello, who in 1989 became sole owner of Wilier Triestina, continued to work on developing the company which resulted in the completion of the current headquarters at Via Fratel Venzo, in Rossano Veneto.

Once the production and commercial aspects were consolidated, in 1995, Lino decided to re-enter the world of professional cycling by supporting Massimo Podenzana's BresciaLat, and later working with Mercatone Uno and Marco Pantani, in 1997. What an unforgettable season: Pantani, riding his yellow aluminum Wilier, clinched two great victories at the Tour de France - at Alpe d’Huez and Morzine - and completed La Grande Boucle in third place overall, behind Jan Ullrich and Richard Virenque.

The Wilier Exhibit, housed in the Rossano Veneto head offices, reserves a special place for Marco Pantani's bike, where many visitors pause and take a moment to silently contemplate.

One instance that will forever remain etched in the memory of everyone at Wilier Triestina is the time visiting guest Yoshizo Shimano stopped and knelt before the memorable yellow Wilier.

1997

Since 1995, Wilier Triestina, in addition to its ongoing industrial development, has continued to work alongside major professional cycling teams as technical sponsor, retracing the results of the glorious years of the second post-war period.

In 2004, Davide Rebellin rose above all with a sensational trifecta in the Ardenne Classics: the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallone and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Similar results were achieved with Team Lampre which led, in 2007, after almost sixty years, to renewed success at the Tour of Flanders and a triumph at the World Road Cycling Championships in 2008, both thanks to Alessandro Ballan.

It was then Michele Scarponi who, in 2011, brought back the sweet taste of victory to Casa Wilier with his win at the Giro d’Italia, following the previous year's accomplishment by Alessandro Petacchi and the points win that earned him the green jersey at the Tour de France. Fast-forwarding to more recent times, the partnership with Team Astana has led to equally gratifying results, like the win by Jakob Fuglsang at the Giro di Lombardia 2020 and the 1st and 2nd places of Alexey Lutsenko and Miguel Angel Lopez in the two most anticipated stages of the 107th edition of the Tour de France: the Le Teil–Mont Aigoual and the Grenoble–Col de la Loze.

Together with road racing, thanks to brothers Michele, Enrico and Andrea Gastaldello, a significant amount of commitment has been put into the off-road sector, a product segment that has become an increasingly growing contributor for the company in terms of sales. In light of this, Wilier Triestina has become title sponsor of one of the most important teams on the world MTB scene: the Wilier Triestina–Pirelli Factory Team.
So, among the great sporting achievements gained by Wilier Triestina, we can definitely add the successes obtained in 2022 by Simone Avondetto in the Italian, European and World U23 Olympic Cross-Country Championships.

2023

In 2020, along with all the superb results in professional cycling, Wilier Triestina has also reached quite an important strategic target: the deal with Pamoja Capital, which has joined the Wilier family with a minority interest in the company's share capital. This new impulse has made it possible to seize, in the most balanced way possible, the opportunities arising from greater green awareness and health-promoting policies following the most acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, regardless of the sports achievements and the new company structure, Wilier Triestina continues to be what it always has been: the bicycle ambassador. We work with and closely follow all those riders who test their limits day after day.

The names that stand out the most are of course Omar Di Felice, Caroline Soubayroux and David Fergusson, and Wiebke Lühmann: people who, almost unexpectedly, decided to devote an important part of their life to cycling. Not unlike so many others who prove their loyalty to the world of Wilier Triestina each and every day.

The story of Wilier Triestina

The story of
Wilier Triestina