Franco Testa

{{For|the Argentine water polo player|Argentina at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships}}

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Franco Testa

| fullname =

| nickname =

| image = Franco Testa.jpg

| caption = Testa in the early 1960s

| discipline =

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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|2|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Cadoneghe, Italy

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| retired =

| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|6|22|1938|2|7|df=y}}

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| height = {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|65|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| pb =

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{flagicon|ITA}} Italy}}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Franco Testa (7 February 1938 – 22 June 2025) was an Italian cyclist. He won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1960 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Testa also won two gold medals and a silver at the Mediterranean Games and a team silver medal at the world championships in 1964.

Biography

Testa was born on 4 February 1938 in Cadoneghe, in Province of Padua, Italy.{{Cite web|url=http://www.museociclismo.it/content/articoli/7300-Storia+di+Franco+Testa/index.html|website=MuseoCiclismo.it|language=Italian|title=Storia di Franco Testa|trans-title=History of Franco Testa|date=26 October 2013}}{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/te/franco-testa-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418012033/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/te/franco-testa-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |access-date=25 August 2012}} When young, he moved to the town of Mogliano Veneto, where he worked for a bakery.{{Cite news|url=https://archive.ph/esYCJ|newspaper=Padova Oggi|language=Italian|title=Franco Testa, l'oro di Roma 1960: il ciclismo piange un gigante|date=23 June 2025|trans-title=Franco Testa, the gold medalist of Rome 1960: cycling mourns a giant}} He also worked as a farm laborer, and with money earned from this, purchased a bicycle. Testa later joined the cycling club G.S. Mogliano, subsequently moving to the clubs Trevigiani and then Ciclisti Padovani. He recalled that during his career, "I trained every day on my own, I would wake up at dawn and go running, I would run around our countryside, galloping it far and wide, in summer and winter, in the dark and in the light, with sun or rain, sometimes even snow".{{Cite web|url=https://archive.ph/vu7IF|website=tuttobiciweb.it|title=FAREWELL TO FRANCO TESTA, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST IN THE TEAM PURSUIT IN ROME 1960|date=22 June 2025|author=Pastonesi, Marco|via=archive.today}}

Testa became the Italian champion in the pursuit event and won the title three years in a row.{{Cite news|url=https://ilnuovoterraglio.it/franco-testa/|newspaper=Il Nuovo Terraglio|language=Italian|title=Franco Testa|date=30 October 2020|author=Sapuppo, Nuccio}} He was also a four-time Italian team pursuit champion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/16819|website=Olympedia.org|title=Franco Testa|access-date=24 June 2025}} He was a member of the Italian national team for five years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uctrevigiani.com/il-lutto-e-mancato-franco-testa-aveva-87-anni-fu-olimpionico-a-roma-nel-1960/|publisher=UC Trevigiani|language=Italian|title=IL LUTTO. È MANCATO FRANCO TESTA: AVEVA 87 ANNI. FU OLIMPIONICO A ROMA NEL 1960|date=22 June 2025|trans-title=MOURNING. FRANCO TESTA HAS PASSED AWAY: HE WAS 87 YEARS OLD. HE WAS AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE IN ROME IN 1960}} In 1959, he placed seventh in the amateur pursuit event at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. That same year, Testa also competed for Italy at the 1959 Mediterranean Games, winning the silver medal in the individual pursuit while being a member of the gold medal-winning team in the team pursuit.

The following year, Testa was the favorite to win gold at the 1960 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the amateur individual pursuit, but in the quarterfinals, he broke the toe clip of his pedal at the start, resulting in him not finishing.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-mirror/175193818/|newspaper=Daily Mirror|via=Newspapers.com|date=6 August 1960|page=19|title='Black Arrow' Is Clipped Out|author=Rodney, Bob}} {{Open access}} Protests from the Italian team that the race should have been restarted were unsuccessful. Testa was also selected to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, being a member of the Italian team in the team pursuit event. He competed alongside Luigi Arienti, Mario Vallotto and Marino Vigna and won the gold medal in the event. Testa won the Italian Cup in the team time trial in 1960, 1961, and 1964. In 1963, he won the gold medal in the team pursuit at the Mediterranean Games. He returned to the Olympics in 1964, winning the silver medal in the team pursuit along with Luigi Roncaglia, Carlo Rancati and Cencio Mantovani.

In 1964, Testa also won silver in that event at the world championships. Testa turned professional in 1965 and finished second at the national championships behind Leandro Faggin. He only competed briefly as a professional before quitting the sport to open a butcher shop in Mogliano, stating that "I couldn't live on cycling alone". Testa was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, first as a Knight, then Commander and finally as a Grand Officer. In 2015, he was honored with the {{Interlanguage link|Gold Collar for Sporting Merit|it|Collare d'Oro al Merito Sportivo}}, the highest honor for Italian sportspeople.{{Cite web|publisher=Sky TG24|language=Italian|url=https://tg24.sky.it/sport/2025/06/23/franco-testa-ciclista-morto|date=23 June 2025|title=Morto Franco Testa, il ciclista medaglia d'oro olimpica aveva 87 anni|trans-title=Franco Testa, the Olympic gold medalist cyclist, dies at 87}} A book was written on his life by Lucio Carraro in 2017. Testa was married and had four children, including a son who became a parish priest. Testa died on 22 June 2025 at the age of 87.