A pillar of Italian bicycles, Ugo De Rosa, died near Milan at the age of 89 today. He began De Rosa bicycles and provided the means for Eddy Merckx, Francesco Moser, Moreno Argentin to race to some of their biggest wins.

De Rosa, along with Italy's historic brands Colnago, Pinarello and Bianchi, shaped cycling's landscape from the post-war years through the new millennium. His bikes won the Giro d'Italia, the World Championships and broke the hour record.

"I'm convinced that if you make quality bikes, you are honest, then they'll award you," De Rosa said in a 2014 interview at his factory near Milan.

"If you are a pretender, they'll ignore you. After time, people figure you out."

He was born January 27, 1934.

De Rosa left his heart, just as the famous badge on each frame, in the factory in Cusano Milanino. He moved there from his home just south in Milan to be with his wife and began his empire.

ウーゴ・デローザ氏の訃報が届きました。レーシングサイクル製作に人生を捧げたイタリア自転車界の巨匠。最期まで工房に立ち続けたマエストロよ安らかに。R.I.P, Ciao❤️ Ugo DeRosa pic.twitter.com/E1iIh4Bp5a

— Makoto AYANO 綾野 真 (@makotoayano) March 26, 2023

It took off when French cyclist Raphael Geminiani asked him to work as a mechanic for his Giro d'Italia team. That 1958 Saint-Raphael-Geminiani team also went on to race in the Tour de France, where Geminiani placed third. The jet booster kicked in when Merckx knocked on De Rosa's door and asked him to build bikes for his 1973 Molteni team.

De Rosa made 52 bikes a year alone for Merckx. With a welding torch in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth, he crafted all the frames that came out the door. The days were long and he would often sleep with the dog among the tires instead of returning home to his bed.

The 1980s and 1990s brought him more success. He said, "I was busy in those years. It was a double-satisfaction, money and recognition."

Carbon became king, ruling the factory floors that steel tubes once dominated. De Rosa still rolled out nearly 10,000 bikes in recent years and supplied teams and cyclists down the road to their dreams.

In the last few years, Italian team Nippo-Vini Fantini and the top French squad Cofidis raced with De Rosa bikes with their heart badges.

His three sons Danilo, Doriano and Cristiano now keep that De Rosa heart alive.

"I wouldn't change anything," De Rosa said. "For sure, I've made some mistakes but the good has outweighed the bad."