Only Good Stickers: Panini Ciclismo 87 (Colombia)

venerdì 2 febbraio 2024

Panini Ciclismo 87 (Colombia)

Panini published in 1987 the second edition of Ciclismo, after the first album released in 1985. The collection was released in Colombia, celebrating the local teams and providing an overview of the best teams of the rest of the world. The album features 400 stickers, including also the routes of the upcoming Vuelta a Espana, Vuelta a Colombia, Giro d'Italia, and Tour de France.

In the introductory page, there is a foreword from the publisher and a four-sticker frame of the last Vuelta a Colombia. Then the Colombian teams are reviewed including the stickers of the main riders, with a variable number of stickers per team. Before showing the European teams, there is large section (35 stickers) dedicated to the "Colombian beetles" (Escarabajos Colombianos), which refers to the nickname of the local climbers.

The European teams are then shown one after the other, following a not consistent alphabetical order, with a variable number of riders per team, from a minimum of four to a maximum of 23. We find in this album both the best riders of that period (Stephen Roche, Pedro Delgado, Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon) and some young riders that will become famous few years later (Claudio Chiappucci, Miguel Indurain). In addition there is a tribute to Bernard Hinault, who retired at the end of the previous season, with a two-sticker photo in action. At the end of the album there is also a focus on two track cycling riders: Francesco Moser and Efrain Dominguez.