Dario Pegoretti, one of cycling’s most fabled framebuilders, has died at the age of 62. According to the Italian website Cyclinside, he was taken ill with a heart problem this evening.
Working only with steel and aluminium, Pegoretti’s frames – built under contract to firms such as Pinarello and Bianchi – were ridden to victory in some of cycling’s biggest races by riders including Miguel Indurain, Marco Pantani, Stephen Roche and Mario Cipollini.
He also built and sold frames under his own name, with his custom colour schemes – including one he hand-painted himself that was inspired by the artist Jean-Miichel Basquiat – becoming his hallmark.
He learnt his trade under another Italian master frame builder, Luigino Milani, who would become his father-in-law.
I n 2012, Andrew Denham of the Bicycle Academy travelled to Italy to meet Pegoretti at his workshop in Verona and learn some of the secrets of his craft, resulting in this video.