Now, keep in mind my father had no intention of paying any cash for the team and did not even think it was a good idea to begin with. Beppo, being the charming, smart guy that he is, told Sergio that we would be willing to pay cash. Sergio was first and foremost a businessman, and he was mad that other than getting maybe 100 frames and groupsets he wasn’t getting any cash from the team’s current bike sponsor. Now, back then, American road bikes were about as cool as North Korean bikes! Most of the team deals for WorldTour teams got done over dinner and red wine with the team manager. And knowing what could come from a meeting if it went well, I was on my way! Of course, like all renegade CEOs of Italian companies, he had this beautiful estate in Tuscany where we would meet. We knew the potential for growth in the Euro market was there, and we knew that going racing was really the only way to make something happen.īy 1996 Beppo had set up a meeting with Sergio Zappella, the founder of Saeco, and he called me and said I need to get to Italy right away. Of course, in the early 90s mountain bike sales were exploding and just by being an American brand we were doing okay with (mountain) bike sales in Europe the time but selling maybe 100 road bikes a year. Beppo was my dear friend and partner in crime who later became the president of Cannondale Europe. Luckily, we had hired a guy named Beppo Hilfiker to do sales in Switzerland, and he became our conduit to all things in Europe. “So, Scott-a,” he said with his heavy Italian accent, “do you want to play the big game in Europe?” And he talked about racing in Europe. I guess I’d have to say that it all started back in 1988 or so when I was meeting with my friend Marco Boglione who was the CEO and owner of the European clothing company Kappa, and at one time our partner in Cannondale Italy. I think it’s safe to say that Cannondale revolutionized the road world in Europe with the introduction of aluminum bikes and the Saeco squad. ALUMINUM FRAMES AND COFFEE BEANSĪlways one for a photo op, Mario Cipollini and teammates strike a pose for one of the best bike brand ad campaigns ever. All of which led to the following look-back on how the American bike brand came to find their place in Tour de France history. As Scott and I regaled in our shared history in the fat-tired world, remnants of stories relating to their sponsorship of the legendary Saeco road squad kept popping up. In chasing a story on Cannondale history for our sister ’zine Mountain Bike Action, I spent some time with Scott Montgomery who, as the son of Cannondale’s founder Joe Montgomery, was a mainstay in the brand’s marketing efforts for three decades. And, it was when the “Lion King” famously mugged for the camera following another Tour de France stage win in 1999, claiming that “Cannondale makes the best bikes,” that there was no longer any debate. Although the team was stacked with talent and enjoyed race wins throughout Europe, there was really only one rider who made it all happen-Mario Cipollini. Of course, it wasn’t just their participation in the race alone that made waves. However, when it comes to tracing the involvement of “big” American bike brands competing in the Tour de France, Cannondale can rightly place their name atop that mantle as the first bike company to make a dent in the La Grande Boucle.
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