It is common belief that the first bicycle with pedals appeared in Italy around 1867, in the form of a French-made model. One short year later, a variety of Italian two-wheel vehicles could be seen on the streets, mostly made in the Northern regions of the country – in Turin, Monza, Verona, Padua, Florence, and Novara.

The first bicycle races started in 1869, and in 1885 one of the most famous manufacturers was born in Milan: Bianchi, still operating today under the name of its original founder, Edoardo Bianchi. The new century started with Italy's first major victory: in 1900, Gian Ferdinando Tommaselli won the world championship in Paris, competing in tandem with Harrie Meyers, from the Netherlands.

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Source: http://www.italianways.com/