The remains of the Falling Leaves Classic have been swept up, our triathletes are in recovery, and Jeremy Powers and Katie Compton are crushing the ‘cross competition. Let’s look back at some of fi’zi:k’s greatest 2011 moments.
First, we extend a simple and sincere grazie to Cadel Evans for bringing us our first Tour de France victory. Humbly we can say that while we’ve won almost every major road, mtb, and triathlon race, we’d never ridden into Paris in yellow. Across the globe and in the factory, fi’zi:k employees and founders shared the same feeling: we had finally arrived. We celebrated on the Champs Elyées with Mark Cavendish as he registered yet another stage win and his first Green Jersey. Eight days in yellow, 2011 was our sweetest Tour yet.
Five weeks later in Copenhagen the top step was ours again when the made-for-Cav British National Team dropped him off just a couple hundred meters out. While Cavendish dressed the Arione in a new suit of World Champs stripes, Germany’s Tony Martin (our 2011 Spine Concept Bull) ordered up a suit in the same Rainbow colors for the Ares TT with his World Championship Time Trial victory.
Our spectacular year started early. Matthew Goss kicked it off in with a stunning eight-up sprint at Milan-San Remo that saw him outkicking the likes of Fabian Cancellara and Philippe Gilbert. A few weeks later, Johan Vansummeren delivered the most profound victory since Garmin-Cervelo’s inception with the coveted cobblestone that symbolizes victory at Paris-Roubaix.
It has been a magnificent year. It’s time to turn the final page and seal the last chapter of the historically successful Team HTC-Highroad. Honored are we who have been a part of that story. But our chronicles – our Blackbook – continues and we believe it will get even better. Twenty-twelve news is next.