James Tettamanti was born in Winnipeg and began cycling when he was just a youngster. A determined athlete, Tettamanti became a dominant force in Manitoba cycling during the 1940’s as both a short and long distance champion.

From 1941 to 1946, Tettamanti won the coveted Gusberti Trophy, symbolic of the provincial ten mile championship, on six consecutive occasions. In 1943, he won the gruelling sixty-two mile Letellier Race and was the provincial twenty-five mile champion from 1944 to 1946. Tettamanti also held the Shea Shield as the victor of the twenty-five mile Belgian Club Criterium in 1945 and 1946. His final provincial long distance triumph took place in 1947 with a victory in the sixty-two mile Winnipeg Beach Race Classic. Tettamanti’s dominance continued in quarter-mile race competition as the Manitoba sprint champion in 1947 and 1948.

His success at the provincial level prepared Tettamanti for competition at the national level. In short distance events, he became the Canadian quarter-mile race champion in 1947 in Newmarket, Ontario. He repeated as national champion in that event in 1948 in Oshawa, Ontario. These victories were complemented with the national fifty mile road title in 1949, held in Winnipeg.

Following his move to British Columbia, Tettamanti continued to participate in the sport of cycling. He became a leading time trialist and was integral in the establishment of organized, categorized competition for athletes of all ages. A long-standing member of the Bicycling Association of British Columbia, Jim Tettamanti maintained an interest in the BABC and Veterans’ cycling affairs and his involvement spanned over 50 years.