The Business of Cycling (Wyatt Wees)

David Van Orsdel is an ex-professional cyclist and has a content marketing agency that specializes in cycling. David is originally from Minnesota and lives in Lucca, Italy. In our conversation we talk about how he ended up in Italy riding bikes. We also discuss the state of content creation in the cycling industry and the challenges of creating unique content with limited resources. And how Rapha has impacted content creation style in across the cycling industry.

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In three short years cycling industry veteran Francesco Sergio and his partners have taken the cycling shoe brand Nimbl from an zero to being worn by 122 cyclists in the Pro Peloton, including powerhouse Jumbo Visma.

We speak with co-founder and owner of the brand about his journey, how he earned his stripes in international sales with Cinelli and Cervelo, and how by chance he came to start one of the most advanced cycling shoe brands on the market.

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If cycling is anything, it's insular. There is a real reason for this. To be successful in the cycling business, a genuine passion for the sport is required.

Nowhere is this more true than in cycling media.

Cyclists that consume this media can smell if you are coming from a place of honesty or not. Cycling, especially road cycling, is really a niche sport.

Therefore to be part of this community you have to speak the language. No poseurs allowed!

I spoke recently with Bikerumor founder Tyler Benedict about how this passion was the recipe for success of Bike Rumor.

We spoke about the meteoric rise of the popular cycling tech blog, his decision to sell the business, and the current state of cycling media.

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The British clothing brand Milltag went into liquidation earlier this year. In my conversation with Pete Kelsey, co-founder of the brand, we talk about the headwinds that the brand faced after Brexit and the challenges of running a niche clothing brand in Europe.

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Juliet Elliot is a pioneer in online cycling content creation.

She started with the blog 'Bikes 'N' Stuff' then shifted to Instagram and now her focus is mainly on Youtube where she has over 100 thousand subscribers. She posts new videos weekly and her style and enthusiasm are infectious.

We talk about how she got started in cycling through love of fixed gear bikes, and how she has made a career of her passion for riding.

Link to her blog: https://bikes-n-stuff.com/
Link to Juliet's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JulietElliottsChannel

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"It's better to stalk a few people than just kind of please everyone."

Crank Brothers CEO Gaspare Licata is as sharp as they come. The Italian native started his career with Fizik of the Selle Royal group. He moved up the ranks and eventually took on the challenge of running the Crank Brothers brand in Laguna Beach, CA.

In our conversation you can hear insights into how product drives innovation and sales for the brand. Lots of interesting nuggets for anyone that is curious about how brands are built.

Crank Brothers web site: https://www.crankbrothers.com/
Crank Brothers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crankbrothers/
Gaspare Licata on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gasparelicata/

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Jonathan Sherwood is one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met in the cycling business.

Jon is currently is Director of Sales for Power Sports EMEA at Bell Helmets. He previously held the role of Marketing Director at Zyro Fisher, as well as Global Brand Marketing Director for Bell Helmets.

Jon has worked for Mizuno, Fox Racing and he started his own distribution company in South Africa at just 20 years old.

We discuss a wide range of topics including whether power sports brands may pose a threat to E-bike market share currently held by bike brands.

This guy has seen a lot and I am happy to have him on the show.

Follow Jon on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-sherwood-80aa9732/

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Slate Olson held some of the most important marketing roles in cycling thoughout the 2010s.

He started the US office of Rapha in 2010 and then he moved to the role of CMO in 2015. He took over as CMO of Specialized in 2015, reporting directly to Mike Sinyard until 2017 when he decided to be closer to family in Portland.

Other notable roles included Sr. Brand Director at Nike and President of Chrome Industries.

He accomplished all this while being of the kindest, most sincere people in the cycling business.

Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slate-olson-bb21171/


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Fergus Niland is the creative director at Santini Cycling Wear. Fergus is among the most experienced cycling clothing designers in the industry.

We dive deep into the current state of cycling clothing, how clothing for professional teams is made, and what makes a great piece of kit. We also dive into the details of Santini’s collaboration with ASO and the Tour de France.

Santini has been making premium road cycling clothing since 1965 from their headquarters in Bergamo. They are the official clothing supplier of Ironman, the UCI, Vuelta and the Tour de France. They also provide clothing for team Lidl Trek.

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Bastian Dietz is the Director for Global Business Development for SQLab part of Boards and More GMBH.

We discuss the bankruptcy of e-bike brand VanMoof and aim to understand the reasons behind the downfall of one of the darlings of the cycling startup universe.

We talk about how their proprietary parts strategy and lack of a strong service network led to cashflow issues.

We also discuss how the problems were clearly visible on forums like Reddit and Trustpilot months before the company showed any signs of trouble.

Follow Bastian on Linkedin here

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SIDI CEO Davide Rossetti is among the most experienced managers in the cycling industry. He has worked in Sales and Marketing in multiple multinational Italian brands such as Safilo(eyewear), COIN, Cisalfa(Intersport), Invicta, AlpineStars and Northwave.

In this wide-ranging discussion, we dove into topics around career growth, distribution, collections, and his leadership strategy. We also discuss succession of family owned brands and how holding companies differ from private equity in terms of strategy.

The Italian brand SIDI Sport is among the top shoe makers for cycling and power sports for over 60 years.

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Gary Fisher is a living legend. He is widely considered one of the inventors of the modern mountain bike. He played a large part in popularizing the first ever downhill mountain bike race, the repack race.

He founded Gary Fisher Bicycles and eventually sold to TREK where he stayed on as a consultant for several years. His passion for cycling is deep and his mind is as sharp as they come.

He currently lives in the bay area of California, and it's hard to overstate how big of an impact Gary had on cycling as we know it today.

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John Watson aka John Prolly aka The Radavist is a pioneer of online cycling content creation. His blog prollyisnotprobably.com was one of the most visited cycling blogs in the early 2010s. The site morphed into The Radavist in 2015 and sits among the top cycling blogs worldwide.

We discuss the origin of his blog and the reasons he made the transition to The Radavist. We also discuss his decision to sell the site to Pro's Closet in 2021.

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Jacob Kennison is the Communications Manager for Trek-Lidl Cycling Team. He previously held the position of press officer and had some time in the agency world for Fusion Media Services.

We dove deep into the specifics of how a pro team communicates, the technical aspects of channel strategy, social media campaigns, and an all around look at the inner workings of the marketing and communications of a cycling team.

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Mark Hopkins is an expert in carbon fiber production and design. He spent much of his career working as a composites engineer at DuPont. In our conversation, we talk about how he came to design the three spoke bicycle wheel in 1989, which was sold by Specialized.

The wheel was a huge innovation at the time and was the first composite bicycle wheel to be commercially available. We talk about how DuPont spun off its composites business in 1995. And how he started up a factory in Spain to make bicycle wheels, which eventually became HED bicycle wheels.

Mark is currently a consultant at 3T where mark and his team are working to bring the production of their historic brand back to Italy.

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Rocket Espresso is a darling of the cycling world and the coffee machines could be found in every pro cycling team bus starting in the 2010s.

In the podcast I speak with Rocket Espresso founder and New Zealand native Andrew Meo about how he captured the imagination of cycling.

We also discuss Andrew's early career as an auto repair and restoration shop owner and restaurateur, how he left a profitable business in New Zealand to start Rocket Espresso in Italy together with his wife, Nicky. How they grew the brand and eventually exited in 2018.

We also dive into his latest project Box Altitude which makes high altitude simulation equipment for competitive athletes.

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Samuele Bressan is the head of Global Marketing of the cycling division at Pirelli tires. Samuele got his start in cycling as the product manager for Vittoria Tires. He also worked as the product manager for Bianvhi Bicycles, as well as line builder and product manager for clothing brand RH+.

In our conversation, we really explore how closely related the product teams are with marketing. And how this is quite unique to cycling because of the nature of the business.

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On October 27th online cycling retailer behemoth Wiggle has entered into administration due to financial turmoil at its parent company Signa Sports United.

This news sent shockwaves through the cycling industry as Wiggle is essentially the 500 pound gorilla of online cycling retail.

I spoke with industry veteran Jonathan Sherwood to try to make sense of the news.

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Jacob Dudek was until recently the VP of commercial operations at SIGNA Sports United for the USA entity.

Jacob came onto my radar recently when I saw his article on LinkedIn titled 'A Postmortem of the Collapse of SIGNA Sports United'. It's a deep look at what happened from an insider's look as a VP. I highly recommend it as it goes deep into the reasons behind the collapse. It gives a clear picture as to why the company went went bankrupt. I was lucky to get Jacob on and talk a little bit with him about the situation from his point of view.

Link to the article: A Postmortem of the Signa Sports United Collapse

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Marco Galli is the marketing manager for the cycling division at Kask Helmets in Italy. Marco started his career at Red Bull, where he spent time coordinating sports events, motor sports events, as well as athletes. He then worked for Scott Sports in Switzerland where he was the marketing coordinator for their motor sport division.

Marco has been the head of marketing at Kask in Italy since 2022. W spoke about his early experience at Red Bull as well as at Scott and that how he's bringing that multinational experience to fairly young Italian brand that is seeing a meteoric rise on the market in the last 20 years.

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Simon Summerscales is the VP of Marketing at Canyon Bicycles. Before joining Canyon in 2018, Simon was the Head of communication strategy at the prestigious Wieden+Kennedy agency in London. Simon was also Director of communication strategy at 72andSunny in Amsterdam.

During his tenure in the agency realm, Simon was responsible for creating numerous global campaigns for both Nike and Adidas.

Simon is among the most experienced and accomplished marketing professionals in the cycling industry today.

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To end the year I put together a collection of interesting moments from 2023 conversations focused around COVID and the after effects of the pandemic. I thought it would be an interesting take a look back at some of these anecdotes and experiences these cycling professionals went through to take a look closer to that moment.

In the recap provide clips from my conversations with Jonathan Sherwood of Bell Helmets, Davide Rossetti from SIDI, Samuele Bressan from Pirelli and Gaspare Licata from Crank Brothers.

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Alessandro Basso is the Chief Executive Officer at StarDue Group. StarDue is the parent company of the brands Basso Bikes and Lee Cougan Mountain Bikes.

Alessandro comes from a family of bike enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in the industry. Alessandro's Father and Uncle founded Basso Bikes in 1977 and his Mother's family is responsible for creating the mega motorcycle protection brand Alpine Stars.

I spoke with Alessandro about his path from professional mountain bike racer to CEO of one of Italy's last remaining family owned bike brands.

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Martin Banke is the Managing Director of Ceramic Speed. Ceramic Speed is a manufacturer of high-performance bearing technology. They also produce high-performance bottom brackets, pulley systems, pulley wheels, and headsets.

Martin has worked in the cycling industry for over 20 years. Initially on the distributor side with EnergySport in Denmark and then on the brand side.

Martin was the first employee of the Ceramic Speed cycling division and in our conversation, we talk about his journey building the unique brand around a culture of innovation and performance.

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Guy Kesteven is a professional bike tester and journalist in the cycling industry. He's been testing bikes and kit for over 25 years for UK magazines and global websites.

Guy came on my radar when i read his piece on BikePerfect.com titled 'The Mountain Bike industry is Dying, Long Live Mountain Biking. You can read it here.

His take on the cycling industry, and the business of cycling is candid, refreshing and no holds barred. I really enjoyed being able to hang out with Guy, and I'm looking forward to having more conversations with Guy, hopefully in the very near future.

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UK native Matt Stevens had an extensive road cycling career starting in the late eighties through the nineties and into the two thousands. He holds the title of 1998 UK national road race champion.

Matthew is most well known for his work at the global cycling network, as he was part of the core team that started the channel in 2015. in 2018, he left GCN to focus on commentary work, live events, as well as presenting and consulting for brands and retailers.

Matthew's dynamic personality, engaging style is second to none. In our conversation
we dive into his origin story from early amateur racing. And how he spent over 10 years with the police department before getting back into cycling industry in the 2000s and 2010s.

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Claudio Marra is the General Manager of the European division at FSA Full Speed Ahead Vision. Claudio started working in the cycling industry at the age of 14 when for Milan based bicycle builder Rosin, where he learned frame building and welding. during his time at Rossin and then eventually Columbus, he witnessed the transition from steel to aluminum frames in the 1990s.

Claudio Marra is among the most experienced managers in the cycling industry. He has an unrivaled understanding of the cycling industry and its evolution. He played a key role in promoting and supporting brands like Columbus, Rossin, and he went on to start the FSA Vision European division, which has grown into one of the most important component brands in the cycling industry today.

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David Trimble is best known for founding the Red Hook Criterium fixed gear championship series. David also founded the Midnight Half, both internationally renowned sporting competitions.

The Red Hook Crit grew to become such an important cultural event that it was archived at the Smithsonian's national museum of American history.

It this episode you'll hear the story of the Red Hook Crit and David's incredible journey. You'll hear how his passion and unique skillset, was able to create a cultural phenomenon.

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Jayu Yang is one of the most experienced entrepreneurs in the Taiwanese bike industry. Her grandfather started Kenda tire in 1962. And she carried on the family tradition by taking over her father's business Kendstone In 2001. Kendstone is among the top premium bicycle assemblers in Taiwan.

In Taiwanese culture, women were not typically considered for running a family business. Therefore her path to running Kendstone was unexpected as her father was in need of a trusted manager during a time of crisis. She grew the company substantially throughout the two thousands and sold the company in 2019 and stayed on as the CEO until 2021.

This conversation aims to give you a look inside the workings of the cycling industry from a Taiwanese perspective.

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This conversation was recorded at a live panel at the 2024 cycling world event in Dusseldorf on March 15th. The topic of the panel was COVID overstocks and the state of the industry and the aftermath.

My guests were ROSE Bikes Anatol Sostmann, Old Man Mountain Products Erik Fenner Schicke Mütze Carsten Wien and provided three unique viewpoints on the causes and lessons learned from the overstocks caused by the COVID pandemic aftermath.

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Stijn Vriends is the chairman and CEO of Vittoria group. Vittoria is based in Bergamo Italy and is among the top producers of bicycle tires in the world.  In our conversation we talk about how he has helped Vittoria grow and flourish since taking over in 2020. We also discuss his experience in the private equity sector and how, when managed well, private equity can be extremely beneficial for businesses and why it's been so prevalent in cycling in recent years. 

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Joshua Riddle is originally from North Carolina and and has been working in the cycling industry in Italy for 15 years. He started his career at Trek Italy 2010 which recently closed their doors due to consolidation of their European offices to Madrid.

Joshua has worked in Marketing for Trek, Pinarello, Campagnolo, Basso Bikes, and is currently the Global Marketing Manager at Hayes Bicycles.

I spoke with Joshua about the current state of the industry and the evolution of the bicycle market in recent years. We also discussed what he sees as unique about Italian cycling brands that the brands themselves often have a hard time recognizing.

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When I started the Business of Cycling podcast there was definitely one person that I had in mind that I was hoping to interview, and it was Simon Mottram. I've worked in cycling for over 10 years. And what Rapha did in the cycling business is nothing short of incredible. They truly disrupted the industry, and found totally new ways to look at products like cycling clothing.  

His story is incredible. What you can take away from it is how he was able to take his really unique blend of experience, and focus his energy on what became Rapha. To this day Rapha is still among the most important cycling brands on the market.

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Stefan Reisinger is the Managing Director of FAIRNAMIC GmbH, which is the company that runs the EUROBIKE fair. I reached out to Stephen because I wanted to give the listeners a better look inside the largest bicycle specific trade show in the world. 

We dive into the reasoning behind the move from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt and why the trade show is important, the evolution of the trade show, their goals and how to best leverage the show for both brands and visitors. 

This was a great opportunity to kind of see behind the curtain of EUROBIKE. 

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The following is my conversation with ENVE CEO, Michael Stimola. Michael is a long-time entrepreneur who started out in the early eighties, founding Carbonite, an R&D materials company that supplied carbon fiber tubes for use in manufacturing, healthcare, and aerospace.

Michael then went on to found Sandvik Design-Build, a general contracting company that designed and built storefronts in the greater New York City area. In addition, Michael was a board member of Cannondale Bicycle Corporation from 1997 to 2003, during which time Cannondale was a privately held company.

He also started a franchise and licensed food concept store called Sandella's, growing it from zero to 150 stores before eventually exiting in 2016. He then took over as the turnaround Chief Executive Officer for ENVE in 2023. This is where we really get to see some insight into how he was able to come in, get his hands dirty, and help ENVE pull out of the turmoil they were facing in the post-COVID environment.

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At Eurobike 2024 I did some short interviews with managers that I know in the industry. The idea was to take the temperature of the market for feedback on how things are looking in July 2024. My conversations included Jayu Yang (HARO), Gaspare Licata (Crank Brothers), Samuele Bressan (Pirelli), Martin Banke (Ceramic Speed), and Gary Fisher.

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Cervelo founder Gerard Vroomen is an entrepreneur and an engineer. When I asked Gerard if he is more entrepeneur or engineer, his answer was YES.

It was truly amazing to talk with Gerard and hear about his journey from student to building one of the most important bicycle brands in the world.During the conversation, you really get a sense of his firsthand experience.

He shared how they gained traction with high-performance triathlon bikes and how, through innovation, tenacity, and hard work, they made significant inroads into the challenging North American market.

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Alex Boyce is a journalist and bike tester for Moto.it, he also has his own YouTube channel, @Alexbiketester. Our conversation revolves around his career path and the constantly evolving intersection of media and cycling.

Alex started his professional career through kite surfing photography before transitioning to motocross.  Alex tells us about how his experience in motorcross helped him transition into filming and eventually the world of mountain biking. This discussion dives into the challenges and rewards of working in modern media, and the world of cycling. 

Link to Alex's Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexbiketester

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In this live panel recording we discussed insights about Channel Strategy and how brands are navigating the delicate balance of D2C, Marketplace, and traditional distribution.

My guests were Michael Stimola CEO ENVE Composites Stijn Vriends CEO Vittoria Group Steve Smith Brand Manager Castelli Cycling and Jonathan Sherwood Sales and Marketing at SCHUBERTH.

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I have been wanting to have a conversation around the state of cycling marketing in 2024. Joshua Riddle is the marketing manager for Hayes bicycle. We've had Joshua on the show before, and in the conversation we go deep into the current state of marketing in 2024.

We talk about topics around channel strategy, social media, website management, campaigns and the evolution of cycling marketing over the past few years. This was a fun conversation and I think you can get a lot of value from it.

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John Harrison is an entrepreneur and angel investor. He purchased the US bike brand Parlee in 2023, after it ran into trouble during the post COVID inventory glut.

This conversation is exploration of how a relative outsider of the industry is bringing experience and knowledge of operations to right the ship, and relaunch the premium bike brand.

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Travis Erwin has extensive experience in the US cycling market. He began his career in various bike shops, working his way up to become a store manager at Performance Bicycle in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the early 2010s, he progressed to Regional Sales Manager for Pivot Cycles.

Travis then moved on to help build Reynolds Cycling's OEM wheel business, eventually becoming the Global Sales Manager in 2017.

After that, he joined The Pro's Closet. At The Pro's Closet, Travis played a key role in building the business and contributing to its success. As you may know, The Pro's Closet unfortunately closed recently. You'll be able to hear more about the reasoning behind this and get an inside look at some of the circumstances the team was facing at that time.

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Anne Hed is CEO and Co-founder of HED cycling. Anne's journey is one of perseverance, innovation and family legacy. Anne is a native of Minnesota and shares the remarkable story of HED cycling, which she founded with her late husband, Steve Hed.

In this conversation, we hear how she and the company have weathered personal tragedy and technological shifts to remain relevant in the incredibly competitive cycling business. Anne takes us through HED's early days of handcrafted wheels to its latest innovations all while remaining committed to USA manufacturing and family values.

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GFNY is the world's largest endurance sports marathon series with over 30 events held in 15 countries.

The story of Ulrich Fluhme and his wife Lydia starting the GFNY is nothing short of remarkable. Uli had a job in finance at a Swiss bank in Manhattan. When he and his partner Lydia literally took a leap into the abyss when they decided to start the GFNY.

This Is a tale of two highly driven people who had a vision to bring the Italian Gran Fondo to the big apple, in the process, they built a life for themselves around cycling events and traveling the world. 

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Claudio Masnata is the Global Marketing Manager at Bianchi. We dive deep into one of cycling's most iconic brands, from his early days as a competitive cyclist to leading marketing at the 140-year-old brand, Claudio shares fascinating insights into managing the iconic brand in the digital age. We explore the delicate balance between tradition and innovation, the challenges of expanding into new markets, and how data-driven decisions are reshaping the cycling industry.

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Nicolò Ildos is a seasoned industry veteran who has worked for some of cycling's biggest brands, including FIZIK, Campagnolo, and Pirelli.

In the episode, we dive into the intricate world of sports marketing in professional cycling.  From his early days as an amateur racer and product tester to global sports marketing manager, Nicolo shares his insights on what makes successful sponsorships work. The complexities of world tour team partnerships and the evolving dynamics of cycling sponsorships. He discusses everything from the multi-million Euro costs of the world tour bike sponsorships to the critical importance of activation strategies. Offering a rare behind the scenes look at how brands leverage their investments in professional cycling. 

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 Wolfgang Hohmann is the founder of Wolfi's bikes in the United Arab Emirates. From selling bikes from a corner of his brother's garage in Germany's black forest to building one of the middle east's most prestigious cycling retail operations, Wolfi's story is a testament to the power of persistence. 

What started as a side hustle while working as a chef eventually grew into a cycling empire that caught the attention of the UAE Royal family who became an investment partner in 2021.

Today Wolfi's operates 12 business units, including retail locations, distribution events, management, and cycling academies with over 150 employees. His unique blend of hospitality, mindset and cycling passion has not only built a successful business, but it's helped transform cycling culture across the UAE. 

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2024 has been an amazing year and I want to thank everybody that has a subscribed and listened to as well as the guests that came on to the show. We've had some amazing growth and we couldn't have done it without all of you. I also wanted to take a minute and just look back at some of the conversations that we had over the course of the year. Thanks everyone again for supporting the podcast and we look forward to a really successful 2025.

In the episode we feature clips from the conversations with Gerard Vroomen (Cervelo Founder), Simon Mottram (Rapha Founder), David Trimble (Red Hook Crit Founder), and Matthew Stephens (GCN).

00:00 - Intro
00:53 - Gerard Vroomen 
12:46 - Simon Mottram
22:42 - David Trimble 
33:00 - Matthew Stephens

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Piet van der Velde is a veteran product developer and entrepreneur in the cycling industry. His fascinating journey began as a competitive cyclist in the Netherlands before he became one of the industry's most respected product innovators, ultimately founding the premium components brand ERE Research.

Having worked with major brands like Specialized, Cannondale, and Velo, Piet offers invaluable insights into how cycling products are conceived, developed, and brought to market. In this episode, we explore the challenges of building a premium brand from scratch, the importance of deep industry knowledge, and why the cycling industry remains uniquely resilient to outside business models.

Whether you're interested in product development, entrepreneurship, or the inner workings of the cycling industry, this conversation offers a wealth of practical wisdom from one of the sector's most experienced voices.

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Stefano Migliorini was a professional bike racer in Italy and BMX World Champion in 1986. He was one of the pioneers of downhill mountain bike racing in Italy.

Stefano had a successful 20 year career in the bicycle industry working with top brands like Cinelli, Kona bikes and Marzocchi suspension.

A turning point in his life came when he met Livio Suppo, who was the Moto GP team manager for Ducati, and they became mountain biking partners. Because of their different fitness levels, this led to experimenting with early EMTBs, which showed the potential to make cycling more accessible to the rest of the world. 

And in 2016 they founded THOK e-bikes. We're going to hear the story of Stefano and his journey in the cycling industry: from rider to professional, and then entrepreneur. 

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Nicoletta Sartore is the CEO of Elite. Elite was founded in 1979 by her father Amerigo and has grown from a small family business to a global leader in cycling equipment while maintaining its Italian roots. From its headquarters in Fontaniva, Italy, Elite combines innovation with tradition.

Nicoletta shares her remarkable story of navigating Elite through COVID-19, where their indoor training products became central to both the industry's boom and subsequent cooling. Her journey from aspiring teacher to CEO offers insights into succession planning, crisis management, and sustainable growth while preserving core values.

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Diego Colosio is one of the most experienced sales executives in the cycling business today. Diego's journey spans over three decades from building frames in a small Lombardi area workshop to leading global sales for iconic brands like 3T, Cinelli, Colnago, Bianchi, and now Pinarello. 

We explore his remarkable career, the evolution of the industry and his unique perspective on leadership shaped by his philosophy of being "The owner of your face" which is, in other words, your reputation.

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Max Von Singer is the founder of Berlin-Based Bicycle Brand Standert. From its humble beginnings as a small bike shop café during the fixed gear boom of the early 2010s, Standert has grown into a respected European cycling brand with a loyal following.

Max, along with his wife and co-founder Ana, share their journey from selling 50 track bikes to developing a full lineup of premium bicycles, all while maintaining an organic, design-focused approach to brand building through social media and community engagement rather than traditional marketing.They've built a team of 30 employees and shipped bikes worldwide.

Their story is one of balancing creative passion with the demands of running a growing business, highlighting the challenges and rewards of staying true to your vision while professionalizing operations.

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My conversation with David Millar revealed the fascinating journey of this former professional cyclist turned entrepreneur. Based in Girona, Spain, David openly shared his path from professional cycling to founding the clothing brand CHPT3.

With his Scottish roots and formative years spent in Hong Kong, David spoke candidly about the challenges of transitioning from professional cycling to becoming a small business owner. 

Our conversation provided valuable insights into the cycling industry, brand positioning, and the difficulties of scaling a niche business. David also discussed his new role with Factor Bikes as Brand Director, where he's applying his marketing expertise to a company focused on manufacturing excellence.

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