It all began 80 years ago during a difficult race in freezing conditions with less than ideal equipment. At the base of a climb, hands frozen and nearly numb from the bitter cold, Tullio Campagnolo struggled to remove his rear wheel, cutting his hand in the process. In this very moment, having lost a race due to mechanical inefficiencies, Campagnolo decided that he would take it upon himself to find a better solution. Upon returning home he set about to design the world’s very first quick release mechanism in the back of his father’s tool store.
While it needed only to be functional, Campagnolo produced an elegant prototype, as beautiful as it was revolutionary. This all took place in 1933 but this very same process has been played out time and time again during the long 80 year history of the company.
1) Identify a need or an area to be improved
2) Continuously innovate to find unique and functional solutions.
3) Don’t settle for mere functionality, but make it elegant.
This process was established that very day in 1933 by Tullio Campagnolo but replicated hundreds and hundreds of times through the years and has become the day. Driven by the same passion for cycling that saw Tullio ride countless kilometers in grueling conditions, Campagnolo has always dedicated itself whole-heartedly into improving the cycling experience from past to present.
Passion for cycling pushed the company to work closely with the sports best athletes to not only improve their performance but also to improve cycling for the amateur.
Passion for the bicycle as a whole pushed the company to collaborate with the world’s best frame producers to find elegant and functional solutions as well. These collaborations stem back over 80 years and continue to this very day.
As this year we celebrate 80 years of continuous innovation it is only fitting that all of those with
whom we have shared and continue to share this most fantastic of journeys can take part in the festivities along with us. A celebration was held at the company headquarters during the Giro d’Italia’s arrival to Vicenza (May 22nd) where a great deal of the Campagnolo “family” were present. Regrettably there isn’t a tent large enough to hold all of the cycling enthusiasts and amateurs who have also shared this long and fantastic history with us.
However, we hope that anyone and everyone who has ridden or rides with Campagnolo will celebrate this important milestone with us. Although everyone couldn’t be with us physically to enjoy the celebration in person, we hope that you will all enjoy a brief video of the day’s events.
Enjoy the video and please share, post and tweet this video link to all who you feel will appreciate it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFfzDc04EbQ
Feel free to leave your comment, experience, foto or mark in the Campagnolo Virtual Museum after browsing around the company history at www.anniversary.campagnolo.com
Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.
Posts
Mille grazie for sharing this! The anniversary website is pretty cool! And we're ashamed that we didn't already know about it, as Campagnolo is an official supplier to CycleItalia.
ReplyDelete