{{Short description|Italian cyclist (1938–2025)}} {{For|the Argentine water polo player|Argentina at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox cyclist | name = Franco Testa | fullname = | nickname = | image = Franco Testa in the early 1960s (cropped).jpg | caption = Testa in the early 1960s | discipline = | proyears1 = | proteams1 = <!-- Ciclisti Padovani--> | birth_date = {{birth date|1938|2|7|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Cadoneghe]], Italy | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|6|22|1938|2|7|df=y}} | death_place = | residence = | retired = | height = {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|65|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | pb = | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Italy national cycling team|Italy]]}} {{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }} {{MedalGold | [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]] | [[Cycling at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit|Team pursuit]] }} {{MedalSilver | [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]] | [[Cycling at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit|Team pursuit]] }} {{MedalCompetition | [[UCI Track Cycling World Championships|World Championships]] }} {{MedalSilver | [[1964 UCI Track Cycling World Championships|1964 Paris]] | Team pursuit }} {{MedalCompetition | [[Mediterranean Games]] }} {{MedalSilver | [[1959 Mediterranean Games|1959 Beirut]] | Individual pursuit}} | show-medals = yes }}
'''Franco Testa''' (7 February 1938 – 22 June 2025) was an Italian [[Cycling|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 the [[province of Padua]], Italy.<ref name="auto3">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> When young, he moved to the town of [[Mogliano Veneto]], where he worked for a bakery.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.padovaoggi.it/cronaca/cadoneghe-franco-testa-morto-ciclismo-23-giugno-2025.html|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|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250624172624/https://www.padovaoggi.it/cronaca/cadoneghe-franco-testa-morto-ciclismo-23-giugno-2025.html|archive-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> He also worked as a farm laborer, and with money earned from this, purchased a bicycle.<ref name="auto5"/> Testa later joined the cycling club G.S. Mogliano, subsequently moving to the clubs Trevigiani and then Ciclisti Padovani.<ref name="auto3"/> 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".<ref name="auto7">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tuttobiciweb.it/article/2025/06/22/1750591317/cycling-olympics-sports-history?lang=en|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]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250624180513/https://www.tuttobiciweb.it/article/2025/06/22/1750591317/cycling-olympics-sports-history?lang=en|archive-date=2025-06-24}}</ref>
Testa became the Italian champion in the pursuit event and won the title three years in a row.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://ilnuovoterraglio.it/franco-testa/|newspaper=[[Il Nuovo Terraglio]]|language=Italian|title=Franco Testa|date=30 October 2020|author=Sapuppo, Nuccio}}</ref> He was also a four-time Italian team pursuit champion.<ref name="auto6">{{Cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/16819|website=[[Olympedia]]|title=Franco Testa|access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref> He was a member of the Italian national team for five years.<ref name="auto4">{{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}}</ref> In 1959, he placed seventh in the amateur pursuit event at the [[1959 UCI Track Cycling World Championships|UCI Track Cycling World Championships]].<ref name="auto4"/> 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.<ref name="auto6"/>
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 [[Bicycle pedal|pedal]] at the start, resulting in him not finishing.<ref name="auto1">{{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}}</ref> Protests from the Italian team that the race should have been restarted were unsuccessful.<ref name="auto1"/> Testa was also selected to compete at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rome]], being a member of the Italian team in the [[Cycling at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit|team pursuit]] event.<ref name="auto5"/> He competed alongside [[Luigi Arienti]], [[Mario Vallotto]] and [[Marino Vigna]] and won the gold medal in the event.<ref name="auto5"/> Testa won the Italian Cup in the team time trial in 1960, 1961, and 1964.<ref name="auto6"/> In 1963, he won the gold medal in the team pursuit at the [[1963 Mediterranean Games|Mediterranean Games]].<ref name="auto6"/> He returned to the Olympics in [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964]], winning the silver medal in the team pursuit along with [[Luigi Roncaglia]], [[Carlo Rancati]] and [[Cencio Mantovani]].<ref name="auto5"/>
In 1964, Testa also won silver in that event at the [[1964 UCI Track Cycling World Championships|world championships]]. Testa turned professional in 1965 and finished second at the national championships behind [[Leandro Faggin]].<ref name="auto5"/> 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".<ref name="auto5"/><ref name="auto7"/> Testa was awarded the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]], first as a Knight, then Commander and finally as a Grand Officer.<ref name="auto"/> 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.<ref name="auto2">{{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}}</ref> A book was written on his life by Lucio Carraro in 2017.<ref name="auto"/> Testa was married and had four children, including a son who became a parish priest.<ref name="auto5"/>
==Death== Testa died on 22 June 2025, at the age of 87.<ref name="auto2"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{IMDb name| 8102336}}
{{auth}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Track Team Pursuit Men}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Testa, Franco}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:2025 deaths]] [[Category:Cyclists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Cyclists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic cyclists for Italy]] [[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Italy]] [[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Italy]] [[Category:Italian male cyclists]] [[Category:Olympic gold medalists in cycling]] [[Category:Olympic silver medalists in cycling]] [[Category:Cyclists from the Province of Padua]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Italy]] [[Category:Competitors at the 1959 Mediterranean Games]] [[Category:Italian track cyclists]] [[Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in cycling]] [[Category:20th-century Italian sportsmen]] [[Category:Italian butchers]] [[Category:Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]