Zen and the Art of Speedskating

54 years ago, the 21 year old Italian man pictured on the right had completed his engineering certificate and had also just become the junior national cycling champion of Eritrea (there were very large European communities in north Africa then, and they had thriving sporting communities). By 21, this young man had survived multi-continent treks as a teenage refugee during WWII, had been in the path of British bombs & American artillery, and had hidden from the war in the Italian Dolomites.

But this is all past, and on this day in 1951 Loredano Poletti mugs for the camera, knowing he is one of the strongest riders in the today’s race, its gonna hurt, but the other racers are going to be chasing his wheel, as the local paper has just hailed him as the “Il prossimo Coppi” (translation to 2005 Americanese “the next Armstrong”).

Fast forward 54 years to July 17th, its his 75th birthday, he has moved across the globe with his brother, learned a new language, built sections of the route 81 into the Adirondacks with is own hands, earned a degree at NYU and then supervised crews building bridges and highways all over metropolitan NY. He married a smart bohemian woman in Greenwich Village and had a wonderful daughter with her, and ran a fast NYC marathon time is his 50’s. Now he lives next to a peaceful lake in NJ, and takes long daily walks with his dogs, a Briard and a Schnoodle (poodle/schauzer cross).

People who love him and value him for his unique sense of humor and perspective surround him today, many of the guests at his 75th birthday shift easily between Italian and English like gears on a bike, but the love & laughter here today needs no translation. I wonder sometimes how he feels; the 54 years between these two pictures is so great.

Happy birthday Loredano! You are one of best examples of being “a good man” that I know, and I am honored not just to call you my father-in-law, but also my friend.

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