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The 2013 Giro d’Italia will go down as a race of legendary status, as much for the terrible weather that besieged the riders as the fantastic racing day-in, day-out. At the end of the race in Brescia though, a very worthy champion was crowned.

Vincenzo Nibali of Astana showed not a trace of weakness in any of the 21 stages, and finished the race with an impressive margin of victory, 4 minutes 43 seconds. Vincenzo rode a fi’zi:k Antares 00 saddle for the race, swapping his usual model on his race bike mid-race for a hot off the press, exclusive, custom pink one. It wasn’t just Nibali hitting the heights though, the remaining two riders on the podium, Rigoberto Uran of Sky Procycling and Cadel Evans of BMC Racing both rode fi’zi:k saddles, giving us a clean sweep of the final top three riders in the race. We were particularly thrilled too with the victory in the Young Riders Competition for Carlos Betancur of Ag2R-La Mondiale. He showed incredible racing flair on several occasions during the race, and backed it up with great consistency to take the Maglia Blanca. His team, Ag2R-La Mondiale are of course involved in the final testing phase of our new cockpit system – the handlebars and stem that expand our Spine Concept fitting system – so we are confident they are going to make their mark when they are officially released. In total, fi’zi:k sponsored riders finished first, second and third in the overall competition, first in the Young rider competition and a total of 5 stages. Quite an achievement, but we’d like to congratulate all the teams and riders that completed this epic race.  

 While Vincenzo Nibali is currently leading the Giro d’Italia, across the Atlantic Ocean at the Tour of California, it was another fi’zi:k equipped rider who was dominating this eight day stage race.

Tejay van Garderen of BMC Racing was clearly the man not only in form, but also on a mission to take his first major stage race victory. It wasn’t to be easy though, he needed to overcome a quality field and also some very testing weather conditions. The early stages took place in temperatures in the 40’s celsius which put much of the peloton in big trouble, particularly those who have been racing solely in Europe for the past few months and therefore more used to rain and cold than sun and heat. And there was to be no way to ease jetlagged legs into the swing of hard racing, the first summit finish of the race came as early as stage 2. Van Garderen maintained his cool however in the hot temperatures, and waited until stage 5 before assuming the race lead. From there, he consolidated it with a crushing performance in the following day’s time trial, and a strong display in the mountains. We’re pretty thrilled to be in the position of winning the Tour of California and leading the Giro d’Italia at the same time.

The Giro d’Italia has been an incredible race so far, with a huge amount of action and intrigue in just the first week. As the second week commences, fi’zi:k sponsored athlete Vincenzo Nibali is wearing the Maglia Rosa.

The fight for the overall looks like it is coming down to a four way fight, although this being the Giro, anything could happen. All four of the riders we think are in contention are pedalling comfortably on fi’zi:k saddles, and so will not only be fighting for the pink jersey, but also a pink saddle as well. Salvatore Puccio has already received the star treatment from fi’zi:k as he took the Maglia Rosa after the team time trial victory with his Sky teammates, and a new freshly made saddle was delivered to him in time for his day in pink. The fight among the top four riders however gets more and more intricate with every day. Bradley Wiggins, the overwhelming favourite at the start, now appears to be struggling with a lack of confidence on descents. Ryder Hesjedal came out all guns blazing as early as stage 3 but had un jour sans on stage 9 to lose a precious minute to his rivals on a relatively innocuous day. Cadel Evans came into the race as an outsider but looks to be more solid than he’s been for years. And Nibali? He has yet to put a foot wrong. Could this be his time to shine? We can’t wait to see what happens.  

The Giro d’Italia is a highlight of our calendar here at fi’zi:k, and this year it promises to be better than ever. We’ll have even more reason to be interested too – nine of the twenty three teams competing will be racing on fi’zi:k saddles, including most of the main contenders.

fi’zi:k favourite Vincenzo Nibali looks to have improved his riding still further in 2013, and this could well be the year that he takes his first Corsa Rosa. However, he faces none other than current Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins who has made no secret of the fact that the Giro is the focus of his year. And lest we forget that last years winner is also in incredible form and looks ready to defend his crown. Ryder Hesjedal of Team Garmin-SHARP will want to prove that last year was no flash in the pan, and underline that he is truly one of the worlds premiere stage racers. Aside from those riders supported by fi’zi:k saddles, we will also be particularly watchful of the athletes using our shoes. David Millar, Jussi Veikkanen and Francis Mourey will all be pedalling in style and are good bets for stage wins. There is no race that can better sum up the essence of the fi’zi:k brand than the Giro d’Italia. The passion for racing, the epic stages on the most beautiful roads in the world, from the high mountains of the Dolomites to the Tuscan heartland, the flair of the race, the ambiance... it’s truly one of the reasons we love this sport. Enjoy a beautiful three weeks, and remember to support your favourite fi’zi:k team.  

fi’zi:k have released a new Team Edition Collection of Arione R3 saddles in exclusive “Team Only” colours, paired with matching Superlight bar tape and presented in special packaging.

The new Team Edition Collection celebrates fi’zi:k’s sponsorship of nine professional cycling teams in 2013. Each colour scheme is designed to match the livery of one of the teams perfectly. This range has been designed for pros, raced by pros, and is now available to the most passionate riders at authorized fi’zi:k dealers, worldwide. The Team Edition Collection comprises of the following teams and colours: Arione R3 AG2R LA MONDIALE Arione R3 saddle with a central red cover and black side panels. Paired with black Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 Androni Giocattoli Arione R3 saddle with a central “Bianchi celeste” cover and black side panels. Paired with black Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 Astana Pro Team Arione R3 saddle with a central “Astana blue” cover and white side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 Team Blanco Arione R3 saddle with a central black cover and white side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 BMC Racing Team Arione R3 saddle with a central red cover and black side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 Cannondale Arione R3 saddle with a central “Cannondale green” cover and white side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 FDJ Arione R3 saddle with a central “FDJ blue” cover and white side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 Garmin-SHARP Arione R3 saddle with a central black cover and red side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. Arione R3 Sky Procycling Arione R3 saddle with a central black cover and black side panels. Paired with white Superlight bar tape with fi’zi:k logos. 

Tra le donne grande prova di Marina Ilmer (lungo) e Astrid Schartmüller (medio) Di Salvo per distacco su Zen e Bertuola, ma che gara! Fochesato domina il medio Tutti in piazza degli scacchi, anche i ragazzi in via di guarigione dal cancro Al via anche diversi professionisti come Tiralongo e Ballan.

In 2000 allo start Il vero protagonista della quarta edizione della Granfondo fi’zi:k – Città di Marostica che oggi ha animato la cittadina vicentina è stato …il sole, nonostante le previsioni meteo minacciose. Dal punto di vista agonistico, invece, sono stati più o meno i “soliti” a movimentare le fasi più calde della gara ed anche a salire sul gradino più alto del podio di una corsa affascinante, combattuta, soprattutto sulle asperità più irte, le salite di Salcedo, dell’Altopiano di Asiago e di Monte Corno. Astrid Schartmüller, Marco Fochesato, Giuseppe Di Salvo e Marina Ilmer sono i vincitori di giornata, rispettivamente del percorso medio, 100 km e 1670 metri di dislivello, e del lungo, 154 km e quasi 3.000 metri di dislivello di sole salite. Prima del via c’è stata la pedalata con i campioni e con i ragazzi in via di guarigione da quel brutto male qual è il cancro, la The Race of Brave Bikers. Al loro fianco anche professionisti di fama come Alessandro Ballan, Paolo Tiralongo e altri che poi si sono divertiti a pedalare con i granfondisti per tenere la gamba allenata. Coreografica la partenza in Piazza Castello, con la piazza degli scacchi presa d’assalto dai ciclisti, mentre sbandieratori e tamburini scandivano gli ultimi secondi e il Commissario del Comune Renata Carletti dava il via ai 2.000 granfondisti, nonostante molti si siano fatti intimorire dalle previsioni meteo. Le scaramucce sono iniziate prestissimo, soprattutto con Schiaratura e Laghi che hanno per un po’ destabilizzato il gruppo. Ma già sulla prima vera salita della giornata, quella di Salcedo, i più forti hanno cominciato a sgomitare e a “prendere aria” per primi si sono messi Palazzi e Fochesato, ma alle loro spalle c’erano i vari Cunico, Bertuola, Zen, Minuzzo con Eskov, il tedesco Steinkeller e soprattutto Di Salvo. La gara è entrata nel vivo sulla salita che da Pedescala catapulta direttamente sull’altopiano di Asiago, con 17 tornanti che hanno iniziato a scremare il folto gruppo di testa. Al quarto tornante ci ha provato Bertuola a dare una scrollata, ma il breve distacco è subito stato tamponato dagli uomini della Maggi, Eskov, Di Salvo e Cerri. Attento all’evoluzione della gara c’era anche Kairelis, “controllato” a sua volta da Cunico, Bertuola, Zen, Minuzzo, Fochesato, Magri e Camozzi, tutti uomini di classifica. A metà salita ha messo un po’ di pepe nella sua azione Federico Cerri (Maggi) ma anche il suo tentativo è stato smorzato subito. Alle porte di Asiago la gara ha cominciato ad illuminarsi con la fuga a quattro di Kairelis, Zen, Di Salvo e Bertuola. Cunico, Magazzini, Camozzi e Fantini si sono incaricati di rintuzzare l’attacco, ma quello di Kairelis e Di Salvo si è concretizzato nella discesa dove si sono involati in solitaria e da soli poi, passato senza dubbi il bivio medio-lungo, hanno affrontato per la seconda volta la salita di Salcedo. Un buon minuto e più di distacco su Romano, tallonato dagli attesi Cunico, Bertuola, Zen, Magazzini, Blaz ed Eskov. Era presumibile che la salita finale di Monte Corno sarebbe stata determinante. I due fuggitivi ci sono arrivati all’inizio con oltre 2’ di vantaggio e sembrava che la coppia dovesse tenere alta la cadenza fino all’arrivo. Un vantaggio arrivato fino a 3’, poi dopo metà ascesa Kairelis ha iniziato a rallentare vistosamente e nel frattempo Cunico, rimasto a secco, saliva sulla sua ammiraglia. Quando la gara si stava avvicinando all’ultimo GPM di Monte Corno, Di Salvo era tranquillamente al comando, dietro Kairelis veniva risucchiato da Zen e Bertuola, mentre Kairelis perdeva contatto anche con loro. Da lì a Marostica c’era poco, ovvero una ventina di chilometri, ma tutti in discesa e Di Salvo non si lasciava certo sfuggire la ghiotta occasione di inanellare la seconda vittoria su due tappe del Challenge Giordana. Il traguardo lo bruciava in 4.28.02, poi dopo 2’18” si presentava sul traguardo Enrico Zen che nell’imboccare la discesa ha “salutato” Bertuola attanagliato dai crampi. Per il trevisano il podio era comunque garantito a 2’54” da Di Salvo. Per il quarto posto era volatona, Eskov si è trovato a fianco l’austriaco Steinkeller, i due di sono toccati e Steinkeller è finito ruote all’aria, ma comunque quinto davanti a Minuzzo. La gara femminile non ha avuto praticamente storia. Marina Ilmer si è destreggiata senza problemi tra i maschietti ed ha chiuso con 5h00’30”. Brava la tedesca Caroline Kopietz che, a dispetto dei pronostici, è balzata inconsapevole sul podio a 13’ e davanti all’attesa Valentina Gallo, poi sono sfilate Claudia Avanzi e Dorina Vaccaroni, la schermitrice olimpionica, e via via tutte le altre. Il percorso medio è stato appannaggio di Marco Fochesato che si è preso il lusso di mettersi dietro la coppia della Isolmant con Magri e Camozzi, dominatrice alla GF Liotto. Tra le donne, inutile rimarcarlo, Astrid Schartmüller ha celebrato l’ennesima vittoria per distacco, con quasi 10’ su Sabrina Zogli e Manuela Sonzogni. Alla fine di una grande giornata di sport tutti soddisfatti, i protagonisti, i comprimari, i professionisti che si sono divertiti ed hanno faticato. “Percorso molto duro, ma al Giro ne vedrò di peggio” ha commentato Paolo Tiralongo dell’Astana, mentre Alessandro Ballan si è allenato in attesa del rientro vero e proprio alla Vuelta. La Granfondo fi’zi:k - Città di Marostica è stata anche una opportunità per i dealer stranieri del prestigioso marchio vicentino di essere al via e di conoscere l’azienda. Studio RX e B-Sport che hanno organizzato l’evento si sono presi i complimenti per un bel percorso ed una buona organizzazione. La gara, oltre che tappa del Challenge Giordana, è inclusa nei circuiti Nobili/Supernobili, Dalzero.it e Gran Prix Endurance RX, ed è prova di Campionato Italiano e provinciale ACSI. L’appuntamento per l’edizione del primo lustro il prossimo anno, ancora a Marostica. Granfondo maschile 1 Di Salvo Giuseppe Velo Club Cicli Maggi 1906 Asd 04:28:02; 2 Zen Enrico Asd Team Beraldo Since 1982 04:30:20; 3 Bertuola Alessandro Legend Miche Gobbi 04:30:56; 4 Eskov Nikita Velo Club Cicli Maggi 1906 Asd 04:32:41; 5 Steinkeller Klaus Steinkeller Racing 04:32:41; 6 Minuzzo Paolo Legend Miche Gobbi 04:32:48; 7 Magazzini Enrico Velo Club Cicli Maggi 1906 Asd 04:36:06; 8 Graziani Davide Asd Bevarino Thiene 04:36:19; 9 Romano Domenico 71 Sport Team 04:39:34; 10 Pinton Cristian Team Soullimit 04:40:55 Granfondo femminile 1 Ilmer Marina Gobbi-Lgl-Somec 05:00:30; 2 Kopietz Caroline 05:13:24; 3 Gallo Valentina Ar Team Armistizio Hard Service 05:23:45; 4 Avanzi Claudia Pedale Bagnolese 05:26:50; 5 Vaccaroni Dorina Gs Alpilatte Br Pneumatici Zane' 05:30:35; 6 Fumarola Vincenza Royal Team Asd 05:34:53; 7 Ciacci Lorna Sportler Team 05:35:16; 8 Polti Ylenia Mtbike 05:41:47; 9 Lambrugo Cristina Gobbi-Lgl-Somec 05:44:03 Mediofondo maschile 1 Fochesato Marco Asd Calcestruzzi Mascotto 02:44:58; 2 Magri Giulio Team Isolmant 02:45:02; 3 Camozzi Antonio Team Isolmant 02:45:11; 4 Simioni Federico Spezzotto Bike Team 02:45:16; 5 Cerri Federico Velo Club Cicli Maggi 1906 Asd 02:45:18; 6 Spiazzi Davide Asd Avesani 02:45:23; 7 Avanzo Francesco Bergner Brau 02:45:24; 8 Viglione Leonardo Asd Team Ucsa 02:45:25; 9 Pontalto Andrea Asd Sossano New Line Rovolon 02:45:25; 10 Pomari Giovanni Team X-Bionic - Lapierre 02:45:33 Mediofondo femminile 1 Schartmuller Astrid Asd Rana Tagliaro 02:55:50; 2 Zogli Sabrina Gs Alpilatte Br Pneumatici Zane' 03:05:30; 3 Sonzogni Manuela Team Isolmant 03:05:30; 4 Bonfanti Monica Gs M.T.B. Suisio 03:05:47; 5 Arsiè Martina Gs Alpilatte Br Pneumatici Zane' 03:11:20; 6 Koschier Christiane Asd Fimap Mrgud 03:11:22; 7 Bergozza Michela Giuseppina Hot Wheels Team Asd 03:14:28; 8 Zanola Michela Frecce Rosse Rimini 03:16:49; 9 Sartirana Silvia 03:19:25; 10 Coato Marisa Green Team Asd 03:19:26  

Team Garmin-SHARP have landed a second Monument for their collection. Liege-Bastogne-Liege is one of the toughest one-day races, and through fantastic teamwork, not to mention the combined strength of Ryder Hesjedal and sang froid of Daniel Martin, they scored a fantastic win in one of the greatest editions in years.

Daniel Martin has clearly been in brilliant form of late with his incredible display of strength and courage in the Tour of Catalonia which he won back in March. But although he already has a podium performance to his name in another monument, the Tour of Lombardy, he has consistently struggled in the Ardennes classics due to allergies to the spring pollen. This year though there was no holding him back. When team mate Ryder Hesjedal, also in sparkling form as he approaches the defence of his Giro crown, launched a ferocious attack, Martin was able to police the peloton and sit tight as his team mate forged on ahead. When the two reunited in a select group with just 5km to race, they looked to have the upper hand in terms of numbers, but were facing proven Ardennes winners. Martin though was clearly enjoying the ride of his life, easily tracking down Joaquin Rodriguez and then dispatching him with a long sprint to the line. An incredible performance, and one which has been rightly praised in cycling media around the world. When Grand Tours can effectively be strangled by teams, one day races such as this show that vintage racing tactics are alive and well. Panache is an overused word in modern cycling, but in this case, we can think of no better description for the performance of Garmin-SHARP.  

Maxime Bouet won yesterday morning the first stage of the Giro del Trentino. The rider from the AG2R LA MONDIALE team was in an 8 riders breakaway. He went out from this group with two other riders in the last kilometers and finally won the stage in a sprint.

The bunch crossed the finish line with about seven minutes behind the winner. After he crossed the line, Maxime Bouet said: "It is really incredible! Today, I didn’t expect to be in the breakaway and I thought, we'll see what the result is. The breakaway quickly had an advantage of up to six minutes. The gap has increased to nine minutes and with only a 120km long stage, obviously you think to the stage win. I'm happy because I adopted a very good tactic. I let the Colombian rider get tired in the final climb and the Czech rider run to increase the gap. I know I'm a good sprinter and I was confident in case of a sprint finish. I spent three weeks without racing and I return to competition on this Giro del Trentino. My victory proves that you can trust me, that I’m serious when I train and my efforts pay off . During this break, I left home to train to avoid being tempted. It had been two years since I had not won, and some persons doubted to my ability to win but the tide turned!” It is the 7th victory for Maxime Bouet since he turned professional and the 4th success of the AG2R LA MONDIALE Pro Cycling team this season.

Cast your mind back almost one year and all the talk was about the torrid conditions creating one of the toughest but most memorable IRONMAN events ever experienced on the African continent and for many, anywhere in the world.

This year, in stark contrast, Nelson Mandela Bay blessed athletes with near perfect conditions while spectators were enjoyed some scintillating racing as Switzerland’s Ronnie Schildknecht took it home in the men’s PRO field, who won with a sizzling 4:22:01 bike split, thanks to his ability on the bike and with the support of his fi’zi:k saddle Arione K1. The first part of the race, Schildknecht was 8th, 3’20” behind a group of four that included Bas Diederen of the Netherlands (49:27), Berger Dominik of Austria (49:31), Kent Horner of South Africa (49:31) and Horst Reichel of Germany (49:44). On the bike, Schildknecht displayed the championship form that has brought him six straight Ironman Switzerland titles and a 4th at Ironman Hawaii in 2008. Schildknecht hit T2 in 5:14:49 with a 4:22:01 split that was 12 to 17 minutes faster than his nearest pursuers and gave him a 12-minute lead starting the run. Soundly beaten on the bike, a pack of five men arrived in T2 within a minute of one another –Viennot (5:27:35), Diederen (5:27:42), Dominik (5:28:21), Horner (5:28:30) and Horst Reichel (5:28:40). Using his decade of top ranked international experience, Schildknecht played his cards coolly and conservatively, reeling off a 2:53:03 marathon that brought him to the finish in 8:11:24. Schildknecht gave back 4:28 to runner-up Viennot’s race-best 2:48:35 run but maintained a comfortable 8:27 margin of victory. At finish, Schildknecht put together a 52:48 swim, a 4:22:01 bike and a 2:53:03 marathon to easily earn the victory in 8:11:24.  

After victories in the early part of the season at the Dutch and World cyclo-cross championships, and in a change from her normal disciplines, in the three day mountain bike race the Sunshine Cup in Cyprus, Marianne Vos once again showed why she is called "the greatest cyclist ever" with an outstanding win at the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders).

The course remained largely the same after last year’s controversial changes, a 127km race from Bruges to Oudenaarde taking in some legendary climbs including the fear-inspiring Koppenberg. Marianne and Team Rabobank controlled the race and attacked after the Kwaremont. Thousands of people cheered Marianne on in Oudenaarde as she took the sprint in a gripping finish that was arguably more exciting than the men's race. At Fi'zi:k we are proud to support Marianne and look forward to her continued success through out the season. During the week the six day Pais Vasco will keep us entertained with a number of top teams taking part, then next weekend it’s one of our favourite races of the year, the classic Paris- Roubaix. As one of the toughest testing grounds on the world tour we can’t wait to see how the riders get on over the legendary cobbles in the “Hell of the North”.