Ernesto Colnago opens La Collezione bike museum

Many of Ernesto Colnago’s greatest bikes will go on show in a new museum in his home town of Cambiago near Milan, which officially opens on December 18.

Called La Collezione by Ernesto Colnago, the bikes have been lovingly restored and put on show for posterity. The museum is near the Colnago factory and Ernesto Colnago’s home in Cambiago, to the east of Milan. It is open to the public from Monday to Thursday in the mornings and on Friday afternoon via appointment. 

La Collezione includes five Paris-Roubaix bikes, including the Colnago C40 with straight carbon fibre forks that Franco Ballerini rode to victory in 1995.

Also included in the collection are the track bike Eddy Merckx used to beat the Hour Record in 1972 in Mexico City, the red Colnago that Giuseppe Saronni used to win the world title in Goodwood in 1982 and many other innovative designs.   

The museum also includes 80 original jerseys of riders who raced on Colnago bikes, 400 images that capture Ernesto Colnago’s 75-year career as a mechanic, innovative bike designer and businessman.

The Colnago family sold the bike brand to a UAE-based investment fund in 2020 but the La Collezione remembers Ernesto’s numerous innovations and bike tech intuitions.

“It’s a collection of my memories, of my past and future dreams, emotions and ideas, all in one place, where everything started,” Colnago said.

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Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.