Eolo-Kometa, it’s time to cycle: “We want at least ten victories. And participate in the Giro”.

The innovative space of “Casa Eolo” opens its doors for the first time to an official event: the presentation of the Eolo-Kometa cycling team, which will have its sporting and logistical headquarters in Busto Arsizio – inside the large digital telecommunications company. The appointment, unfortunately confined to streaming -it couldn’t be done in another way-served to officially remove the veil on a reality that among other things brings back to the province a great cycling team that employs a staff of 23 people and 20 riders, half of which are Italian.

A considerable effort to enter the Professional category (the second most important level in the world) and to make Italian a team that has Eolo and the Valtellina-based agri-food company Kometa as its main backers, with Ivan Basso as general manager and Alberto and Fran Contador’s foundation representing the Spanish soul of the group and continuity with the experience (the Fundacion Contador) from which the new team has sprouted.

The words of Basso and Contador, two great champions of the recent past, allow us to understand (even for those who do not have a passion for cycling and sport) the mentality behind such a project, for which a horizon of at least three years has been drawn with the declared desire to take part in this year’s Giro d’Italia and in the future also in the other major races in the world.

 

 

On the one hand, there is the basic philosophy, which is similar of the one of some football teams: to create an environment where young people can grow up following the same technical and behavioural rules that they will later find among the ‘pros’ (if they make it to the top category). On the other hand, the ability that great champions like Ivan and Alberto have to represent the competitive commitment: “The fact that everyone wants to contribute to the team is worthy, but we must not stop there, otherwise everyone helps each other but no one wins. That’s why we have set a numerical goal together: by the end of the season we would like to reach a ‘double digits’, which means to win at least 10 races and I am sure that the team has the qualities to do it,” explained the pink jersey from Cassano Magnago.

Contador (speaking from Madrid) echoed his sentiments: “When you go racing you need to have the idea of ganar (gain), the idea of winning: then it doesn’t necessarily happen because there are other teams, but if you don’t have this motive, it becomes very difficult to achieve success”.

During the presentation, the two main sponsors of this adventure, Luca Spada for Eolo and Giacomo Pedranzini for Kometa, have largely spoke. Spada also launched a little provocation talking about Giro d’Italia since currently there are only two places available (facing four requests) for the Italian Professional teams: “It would be nice to give space to all these teams, a great sign of encouragement to managers and sponsors who have confirmed their commitment in a complicated year like this one”.

 

SPADA: EOLO AND CYCLING, MANY COMMON GROUNDS

Spada also explained why he chose to enter the world of professional sport in a big way. “We invest time and resources with great enthusiasm in cycling: we believe that during difficult times we entrepreneurs must be brave and be a source of inspiration for other people. Sport is also fundamental in Eolo: to achieve the concept of a happy company, sport and healthy eating are the foundations, they give health and energy to aim for success. And then cycling has so many elements in common with Eolo: cycling passes through small villages and towns, a sport that reaches where others don’t. We want to spread our values throughout Italy.

The marriage with the team of the Contador Foundation was quite automatic: “In recent years we had done a very valuable work with this team, so we decided to join and strengthen the project by moving up in category and bringing the affiliation in Italy.

 

For Eolo and Kometa it is a long-term project; we have already tied ourselves down for at least three years and we are investing in young people by creating a mix of talent, passionate athletes and consistent character”.

 

PEDRANZINI: THIS IS DEDICATED TO OUR VALTELLINA

“For Kometa, this is the fourth year of collaboration the Contador Foundation, which we chose at that time because of our shared targets, namely to train men before finding champions,” says Giacomo Pedranzini. “When we presented the birth of the Continental team in 2018, I said that we were starting a new story of sport, courage and care for our lives. This is a story for which today a further chapter opens, thanks to the energy it has received to continue. My family approached the world of cycling because Bormio and Valtellina have always been the scene of the great feats of this sport; hard work and heroism unite cycling with the work of the people of our land, especially those who work every day in agriculture and food production. Our company is working to find a third way between intensive farming and organic one: we call it honest food, that is, producing good, healthy food to offer at an affordable price”.

 

THE CONTADOR: “A DREAM COME TRUE”

From Madrid, Alberto and Fran Contador confirmed their satisfaction at having found Italian partners with whom continue the foundation’s sporting experience. “We are very, very motivated,” said the “Pistolero”. “We have formed a good team with our philosophy: training youngsters form a very young age to get to the top. Maybe some will not make it to the pros, but we have already helped a lot of youngsters by growing with the foundation. We are happy because Eolo and Kometa are two travelling companions who have chosen the challenge of working hard and having values which are similar to ours: the relationship with the sponsors is not just a commercial operation, because we have become a small family”.

Fran Contador, Alberto’s brother and man behind the foundation, adds: “Today is the realisation of a dream born in 2013, to arrive in the top category with a path and a history which have been created step by step, with the right peace of mind. We have a strength and a history behind us those others do not have, but with our passion for cycling everything was easier. Thanks to Giacomo and Kometa for the years passed together, and to Luca and Eolo for their support, without which this step would not have been possible, especially in a year of crisis like this”.

 

Translated by Adriana Bocse, Riccardo Bianchi and Denise Mura

Reviewed by Prof. Robert Clarke