The Oltrarno sports club was founded in 1946 thanks to the great passion that inspired a sports group of that beautiful area beyond the banks of the Arno River (Gavinana Square). In a single year the number of people reached almost 200 units and thanks to their immense passion they were able to finance two sports: fighting and cycling. In the free fight and Greco Romana were able to achieve important victories at national level such as the victory of the Italian Cup Series B of Greco Romana wrestling. But it was above all the cycling team that brought great prominence to the sports club and quickly obtained the title of Best Tuscan Amateur Team, thanks to some of the most promising local cyclists.
The first to speculate on the creation of this company were some friends of Bruno Giannelli who wanted to believe in the skills of the boy of Ponte in Ema. Giannelli later turned professional in 1950 until 1953, running in the Bartali team captained by the great Gino of which he was trusted gregarious. The first year at the Oltrarno he competed alone, obtaining many placings and two victories that brought luster to the team of Piazza Gavinana. Thanks also to the financial aid of the various members enrolled, from the following year the company was able to have great financial resources thanks to the subsidies of those members who saw in sport an advertising medium for their industries or activities. The following year, several promising youngsters became one of the most successful and strong teams in Tuscany within a few years.
In 1949, for example, the sports club Oltrarno had reached almost 400 members and included among the executives figures of the likes of Giusto Pinzani, the sporting director Pettinelli, Casamonti who led Giannelli in his first year in amateurs, Benelli , Bonini, Camusso, Moresi, Boccherini, Casini and Nolesini. Here and here are articles from the time.
As mentioned from the beginning, the company proved to be strong and willing to achieve great results. Between 1946 and 1949, alongside the aforementioned Bruno Giannelli, cyclists such as Waldemaro Bartolozzi, Giuseppe Martini, Pini, Cai, Bencini led the team to victory in several races. From 1950 it was Gastone Nencini, the Lion of Mugello, who held up the name of the Oltrarno. Nencini not only won several Tuscan amateur races, but he participated several times in the World Cycling Championships, finishing second in 1953.
The cycling section will have in Giusto Pinzani an important and central figure (Giusto was for several years president of the Oltrarno, until 1972). From the early years, Giusto joined the sports club, making his bikes and all his skills as a mechanic available to athletes. Among the various privileges I had the company's cyclists was to have free tubulars, which at that time was a very valuable asset because they broke often and cost so much. He was so proud of his "boys", as he used to call them, that after every race he won he put on display in the window of his shop the bikes of the runners who had won along with a bouquet of flowers.
Cyclists wear the typical green jersey with white writing and stripes and are riding Pinzani bikes. In the midst of cyclists the Sporting Director Nel Magherini and under him Giusto Pinzani
Unfortunately, the great epic of the Oltrarno did not last long. In the following years, even with the love and devotion of Giusto, the company was no longer able to achieve the results of previous years and soon closed the team of the amateur category keeping open only that of the minors.