Guido Neri

Guido Neri was born on 27 January 1939 in Cesena, in the Romagna region of Italy. Little has been published about his family or childhood. As an amateur cyclist he won the Giro del Casentino in 1960, and in 1961 he won the Coppa Collecchio and the Coppa Mobilio Ponsacco, results that took him into the professional ranks the following year.

Neri turned professional in 1962 with Torpado, finishing seventh at the Coppa Placci in his first season, and rode for Firte in 1963, when he placed in the Sassari-Cagliari.

On 23 February 1964, without a team, he started the first edition of the Trofeo Laigueglia as an independent rider and won it alone. It was the only professional victory of his career, and it brought him a contract with Molteni, where he worked as a trusted domestique for Gianni Motta. In 1964 he also placed seventh at the Giro di Campania, ninth at the Giro di Toscana and tenth at Genova-Nizza.

In 1966, still with Molteni, he won the intermediate sprints classification at the Tour de France. He joined Max Meyer in 1967 and stayed until 1969, with results including eighth at the Giro di Romagna, sixth at the Giro del Piemonte and second on the fourteenth stage of the 1969 Giro d'Italia behind Franco Bitossi. He finished his career with Scic in 1970.

Over nine professional seasons he started the Giro d'Italia eight times and finished every one. He also rode the Tour de France in 1966 and 1967 and the Vuelta a Espana in 1969.

After leaving professional racing in 1970, Neri opened his own craft business in Cesena. His shop, first in Via Cavour and later at Torre del Moro, became over the years one of the reference points for cycling enthusiasts in the town. Details of his family life have not been widely published.

Guido Neri died on 30 October 2026, aged 87. His death was reported the same day by the Cesena edition of Corriere Romagna, in an article by Andrea Bocchini that recalled his solo win at the first Trofeo Laigueglia. The cause of death has not been made public, and funeral arrangements had not been reported at the time of writing.

Neri's name heads the roll of honour of the Trofeo Laigueglia, which grew from its 1964 debut into a fixture of the early Italian season. His story, a rider without a team who won on his own and earned a contract with one of the strongest squads of the era, remains part of the race's lore. In Cesena he was also remembered for decades behind the counter of his shop, a link between the town's cyclists and its racing past.