European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 19, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse Taking the inside on turn Moretti gets jostled curbed in rough and Tumble 6-Day races itinerant Fedaler by Gene Levin because stateside Competition is not what it used to be american cyclist Cesa re Moretti jr., has become a temporary expatriate Paris Zesare Moretti jr., likes to idea bicycle. In fact he likes it so Well that a year after he was Dis charged from the army he returned to Europe for the sole purpose of Riding one. Unlike hundreds of world War ii veterans Cesare did t come Back to Paris for an education for Romance for adventure. He simply wanted to put his feet Back on the pedals. It s not of course that he can t idea Bike in the states. It s just that Cesare Winner with partner Cecil Yates of the last six Day race held in Madi son Square Garden in 1939, feels he wants the hotter Competition that Cycle crazy Western Europe five years with his feet Flat on the ground Cesare the Only know american professional bicyclist now competing in Europe Hopes to hit his Peak form this summer when state Side racing should begin to approach its prewar stride and i can go Back Home and ride to my heart s racing s postwar revival in the u. S. Convinced Cesare that he made the right decision when he came Back to Europe. Earlier this year Alvar Georgetti. With whom Moretti teamed twice to finish fourth in the London aces of 1937 and 1938. Win new York s Vreeken d. June 19, jm8 first peacetime six Day pedal Derby held. At the seventh regiment armory. How Ever Cesare Points out Georgetti was unable to go the route in March s Paris event in which Cesare finished Highland won the last sprint. Moreover the number of important Road races backing America is insufficient to suit 33 year old is no doubt in Cesare s mind that stateside Competition will All the italian born naturalized american maintains America can Al ways produce Champion athletes in any he adds confidently that he has heard talk of having races in the Garden again and i want to be in Cen edition for them when they c Competition is to Cesare Are to thrives on it and he has since his first race As an Amateur in parisian 1932, when he was -16. But one of Cesare s greatest contests was t with bicycles it was with words and determination and won the italian americana Silver Star. As an Oss sergeant during the War attached to the third infantry division Cesare was captured on the night of August 22, 1944, in Southern France while leading a reconnaissance 28 Days the germans continually grilled him because they knew that knowledge. Of his Mission might serve As a key to Allied plans. For 28 Day Cesare stayed in the race and kept his Mouth shut with the obstinacy an patience he had Learned in six Day Bike meets. Then on the 28th Day the German decided to move Moretti who snatched the Opportunity to escape by jumping from the moving prison train. He made m Way Back to Divi Sion Headquarters where the results of his information Hunting patrol still were eagerly awaited. It was t Long before seventh army commander Genera Alexander Patch personally pinned the Silver Star on Moretti s Battle jacket during four War years and the first year of the peace Cesare never set Foo ton a bicycle pedal. It was the loj jest time he had been off a two Wheeler since he had Ridden his first Bike at the age of four. Late in 1946, Cesare got tired of waiting for . Racing to Start again and decided to hop a Paris where his parents were living. There Cesare s father Cesare Moretti sr.,took him in hand and Cesare the younger soon was pumping in the fashion of old. Bicycling runs in the Moretti Moretti now a healthy 61, Rode until he was 45, managing to notch six italian sprint titles second place in the world championships of 1926 and honors in stateside contests Between 1913 and1915. Cesare Junior chiefly a six dayer holds victories in new York in 1939 an Washington in 1940 second places in Cleveland Buffalo and Columbus third place in Chicago fourth place in Lon Don and a fifth in Montreal. Either you have it or you Don t. Have it the two Morettin say of bicycling As any athlete might say of his own sport. Apparently they both have it. For that matter even Young Cesare wife Frances has been bitten by the bicycle Bug. Her husband has fitted Herout with a special racing equipped lady s Bike. Quite a contraption recalls it. Frances a former wave finds it hard to keep up with her s too fast for me she explains adding that she prefers to watch timed her return to France after wintering in new York to coincide wit the Paris six Day race in March and another Chance to watch Hen Cesare dreams of prewar Competition he also smilingly thinks of the Good old Days of six Day bicycling. This year in Paris he complains the officials were to strict and we did t have any fun while he is referring to the antics that usually accompany the Long tiring Early morning truce hours when the contestants pedal slowly around the track and by agreement hold their positions. These Are the worst times of therace Moretti explains because the going is monotonous. Usually the rider Clown. Some get up on the bandstand and play instruments others put infancy hats. I used to like to take a chair and set it on Tny Bike and pedal around using one leg. But the Paris officials this year would Fine us if we did any thing like that. I remember once in Buffalo before the War. One morning my partner and i had an egg fight with the German team of Kilian and Vopel. We were having a great time throwing eggs teach other until the chief of the track came out with two pistols levelled cow boy fashion and made us quit funniest stunt we Ever pulled Wasin London in 1938. Two other riders myself and a sack of fresh eggs got to Gether. Two of us would ride up on each Side of an unsuspecting contestant. On would grab his pants by the Belt at the rear and the other would drop an egg Down inside. Then the third would come up fast and slap him where the egg could do the most damage. We could t do that now too Many officials and not enough every rider has his particular some riders Are unusually Calm during a six Day race and will actually fall asleep on their bikes Cesare does t worry about that happening to him. Heis always so keyed up All during the race that he needs to take sleeping Pill just to be Able to get the required three hours rest each tires Are Cesare s plague and they have Cost him one world Champion ship Road race. That was in 1937 at Copenhagen where he had led the ii for Over half of the 175-mile course when a blow out sent him sprawling and out of the contest. During the same year he led the classic 150-mile Paris Roubaix race for 147 Miles before an other Flat put him among the also rans and again this year a Flat put him out of the tour de Holland at the Midway Mark. Cesare blames it on his 185-Pound weight which he says is too heavy fora bicycle racer. To compensate for this excess pressure on the tubes he now has specially reinforced tires built. Cesare and Frances Haven t an children yet but Frances asserts that when they do and if it s a boy he won the a Bike racer. She thinks that two in a family Are Junior an Cesare senior Wink at each other and let it go at former i cyclist has t Many other plans for the future except Bike shop in new York. But before he settles Down he wants to have one More Good season.". What s More he would like nothing belter than to find another american rider in Europe so that the two conform a real american team for any future six Day races. You know Cesare wistfully muses maybe i could find that american partner from Amongal those yanks in the occupation in Germany. I d sure like to. Then we could show these european teams a thing or two maybe. ". Is
