Gabriele Sella

One of the top Italian amateur sprinters in the 1980s, Gabriele Sella won six Italian track titles. Three of these came on the tandem, his best event. Together with Vincenzo Ceci, Sella won a bronze medal in that event at the 1985 World Championships. Sella’s other national titles came in the sprint, the 1 km time trial and the omnium. He also competed in the sprint event at the 1984 Olympics, and even won that competition at the 1983 Mediterranean Games. Never turning pro, Sella remained involved in cycling as a mechanic. He died aged 47, when he crashed his motorcycle into a wall and was killed on the spot.