WorldTour Vacansoleil-DCM Bianchi Oltre

Finally, a very good photo of the Bianchi Oltre the Vacansoleil-DCM team will be riding in the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta (and more).

Lots of eye candy in Montecatini Teme:

Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,200 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.

Bianchi to Sponsor Vacansoleil-DCM

Bianchi and WorldTour team Vacansoleil-DCM have announced that Bianchi’s Oltre will be the official bicycle sponsor to the team for 2012 and 2013. Bianchi and Vacansoleil-DCM signed a two-year sponsorship agreement, with an option to extend the contract into future years.

Bianchi will continues a long and successful history in cycling. With the Vacansoleil-DCM team (granted WorldTour Team license by UCI until 2013), Bianchi secures participation in the major international WorldTour events, like Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a Espanã, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

Vacansoleil-DCM team will race on the Bianchi Oltre, part of the Bianchi HoC family. "Bianchi Oltre is the ideal bike for professional and expert riders, and our new partnership with Vacansoleil-DCM will provide us with an important opportunity to further develop and test our carbon technology”, Bianchi CEO Bob Ippolito said.

Bianchi owner and President Salvatore Grimaldi: "With the sponsorship of Vacansoleil-DCM, Bianchi continues to expand its investment in performance cycling and global sports marketing. Our goal is to increase our presence and visibility as one of the world’s leading performance cycling brands”.

Vacansoleil-DCM team manager Daan Luijkx is excited to be together with Bianchi. “For us Bianchi is the best option for our long term strategy and we look forward to our winning cooperation. With a history of 126 years, we believe Bianchi will be an incredible partner. The Bianchi Oltre stands for high-technology, advanced product development and Italian design which support our goal to reach victories in WorldTour races. Both Vacansoleil-DCM and Bianchi are product driven with a global vision”.

Bianchi Technical suppliers: FSA, Vision, Fast Forward, Vredestein, Selle San Marco, Elite and KMC will also join the team.

In other Bianchi news:

Androni Giocattoli wins the Italian Team Championship for 2nd Year in a Row
At the start of the Coppa Sabatini, three days after the end of the Italian Championship Team, the Androni - CIPI has celebrated winning the league. It is the second consecutive title.

The team had thirteen successes on the road during the season, including two stages in the Giro d'Italia as well as two national titles on track.

"We are proud," said Team Manager Gianni Savio, "to have won the championship flag on the anniversary of 150 years of National Unity. It's a success from a small team united in all its components: riders, managers, technicians and staff. A victory that we dedicate to our sponsors and all the fans who have followed with enthusiasm and passion."

Bianchi Sponsor of OC Gran Fondo
Bianchi has teamed up with OC Gran Fondo (Orange County- California) as the presenting sponsor of the OC Gran Fondo, that was held yesterday, Saturday, October 8, 2011. “We have grown quickly, and in our second year we are proud to have Bianchi join us as our presenting sponsor” said Cameron Jackson, director of the event.

The ride is geared toward riders of all abilities with 10, 29, 64, and 102-mile courses, taking in Orange County’s network of bike paths, canyon roads, and beautiful Pacific Coast highway. The 64 and 102-mile courses offer a chip timed hill climb section up OC’s Santiago Canyon, with KOM prizes and jerseys awarded to the top riders.

“As an Italian company, we are really excited to team up with the OC Gran Fondo to showcase our brand.” says Bianchi National Sales Manager Jim Stevenson. “This event offers us a terrific opportunity to support cycling on a level that a large majority of riders can relate to. And it’s a great opportunity to showcase our C2C line of bikes, like the Infinito, which are geared toward Gran Fondo riders."


Other information:

Since we are speaking about the Dutch Vacansoleil-DCM team it is a chance to mention Road Holland cycling clothes. They have their Utrecht jersey on sale for $75.00. Stylish and simple. See www.roadholland.com

Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,100 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.

Bianchi Oltre Nero Limited Edition in England

The Bianchi Oltre Nero Limited Edition will only be available in England through Epic Cycles. They have been allocated 40 from the limited edition (I don't yet know the total number of units that will be available worldwide).

Epic Cycles is taking pre-orders now for delivery in April.

The Oltre in Celeste or Red with Campagnolo Super Record has a MSRP of $10,999. How much more is the Nero Limited Edition? Mamma mia. If you have information about the pricing and units worldwide please email me at veronaman@gmail.com

What Epic Cycles has to say on their website:
"Bianchi Oltre Nero - preview

Every few years a bike comes along from one of the top manufacturers that really stands out from the pack for its sheer class, desirability and performance - and the Bianchi Oltre Nero is one such bike. Hailed as the best bike Bianchi has ever made, the Oltre Nero has everything you could ask of a true superbike: subtle but stunning looks, sublime ride quality and engineering excellence - but every bit as importantly the Oltre Nero has that real dash of exclusivity that is so rarely seen in the world of mass production.

The Oltre Nero is not a bike that you will see turning up in hoards at sportives or on the local club run, as it is being produced in a single production run in March 2011, with worldwide numbers being carefully limited in order to create a bike that will remain exclusive and collectable for years to come – in fact, the indications are that the Oltre will become one of those rare bikes that increases in value as time passes.

We are delighted to have secured exclusive rights to the Oltre Nero in the UK, and have already started to take our first pre-orders for delivery in Spring 2011. With UK numbers limited to just forty framesets across all sizes, we would advise enquiring early on the Oltre Nero as some sizes are already in very short supply.

In order to make the Oltre Nero even more special and unique to each owner, we will be offering it in with a choice of top level groupsets from Campagnolo, Shimano and SRAM, and with a range of finishing kit and wheel options from some of the finest manufacturers available. Every bike will be carefully assembled to your individual specification in our workshop – and, as with all of our bikes, each purchase includes a free professional fitting session so that we can set it up perfectly for you.

Sample custom specifications will be added here in the New Year, but only to provide some examples - every single component can be selected to suit you personally.

In order to complete the experience of buying and owning an Oltre Nero, a set of exclusive Bianchi clothing will be included with each bike - pictures to follow.

The Oltre Nero is subtle, exclusive and unmistakeably Bianchi – the small flashes of classic celeste against the lovely matte carbon finish with classy deep silver decals set it apart from the crowd and give it a timeless air.

For more information and prices please call 01885 410641, or drop us an email and we'll email or ring you back."


Click on image to enlarge.

Related story with more images of the Oltre Nero here.


Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN

Share your story. Write a story about your cycling trip, or an aspect of your trip, in Italy. Or, it can be about a granfondo experience, a special encounter, your favorite ride, etc. The period for story submissions for prizes will be January 1-February 15, 2011. Prizes will be awarded on a random basis, stories will not be judged on which is the "best" one. Nevertheless, it should be a good story for the enjoyment of all readers. Photos accompanying the story are most welcome. If you have any questions email me at veronaman@gmail.com. See photos of prizes here. Prize donated by:
CycleItalia, specializing in cycling tours in Italy
BicycleGifts.com, the premiere site for gifts and merchandise for cyclists
Enzo’s ButtonHole Chamois Cream,chamois cream for the ultimate protection
FreeBirdVelo, Italian themed T-shirts
Strada Hand Built Wheels, custom wheel building
Velo-Retro, all things retro for cycling
La Gazzetta della Bici, massage oils for cyclists
Albabici, high-end Italian cycling products distributor

Bianchi Oltre to Make its Race Debut in Argentina

Androni Giocattoli team riders will officially use, for the first time, their special Bianchi Oltre at the up-coming Tour de San Luis in Argentina, from January 17 to 23. The Argentinian stage-race will be the official debut for the Oltre high-end model.

The European debut will be in Italy at the Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria, from January 28-30.

By the way, if you like the stealth matte black appearance there is a limited edition available, the "Oltre Nero" , more photos here. The Oltre Nero willbne offered as a complete bike:
-monocoque using high modulus UMS40 carbon,
-Carbon Nano Tube technology,
-1 /8” to 1 1/2” steerer,
-full carbon aero seatpost,
-Campagnolo Super Record 11,
-Campagnolo Bora Ultra 2-Way wheels,
-Vittoria Evo CX 320 TPI tires,
-FSA handlebar and stem,
-Fi:zi’k Antares saddle


Photo: Androni Giocattoli team bike photo by Luis Enrique Barbosa

Share your story. Write a story about your cycling trip, or an aspect of your trip, in Italy. Or, it can be about a granfondo experience, a special encounter, your favorite ride, etc. The period for story submissions for prizes will be January 1-February 15, 2011. Prizes will be awarded on a random basis, stories will not be judged on which is the "best" one. Nevertheless, it should be a good story for the enjoyment of all readers. Photos accompanying the story are most welcome. If you have any questions email me at veronaman@gmail.com. See photos of prizes here. Prize donated by:
CycleItalia, specializing in cycling tours in Italy
BicycleGifts.com, the premiere site for gifts and merchandise for cyclists
Enzo’s ButtonHole Chamois Cream,chamois cream for the ultimate protection
FreeBirdVelo, Italian themed T-shirts
Strada Hand Built Wheels, custom wheel building
Velo-Retro, all things retro for cycling
La Gazzetta della Bici, massage oils for cyclists