Dante Gianello, born Italian, naturalised French, 1912-1992.

Dante Gianello was born in Sicily, but moved to France and became a French national in 1931. He was a well known and reliably successful professional cyclist from 1935 to 1945. For some of that period he rode for teams using Super Champion derailleurs.

Following World War II he appears to have been involved in a cycle business in Cannes, France. He registered three patents for derailleur systems in the late 1940s and had one of his designs featured in Le Cycle magazine.

His particular interest appears to have been in designing low profile rear derailleurs that could be used with extensive chainguards. The aim was to make derailleur bikes more accessible to regular riders. Given the fashion, on the promenades of Cannes, for voluminous white trousers, this seems like a reasonable concern.

This image is taken from a 1940 Super Chamion Catalogue. Dante has a winning smile.

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• Publisher: Super Champion
• Date: February 1940
• Derailleur brands: his brand was Gianello, he rode for Super Champion
• Derailleurs: Gianello, Super Champion Professional?