Alessandro Fabian, the Italian pro triathlete has secured a long term sponsorship deal with Castelli.
“I’m really happy that Castelli has confirmed,” said Alessandro Fabian, “Both because it is an innovative company that is constantly researching, and is therefore able to give me more cutting-edge products, and because the confirmation of Castelli strengthens my conviction that we have done well so far, but aspire to improve.”
Alessandro Fabian was named the Triathlete of the Year in Italy at a recent event organised via FCZ.it (Fantatriathlon Community Zone) a leading portal for the Italian triathlon community. The policeman from Padua, back from a 2012 that saw him race with the world’s best at the Olympic Games in London, where he placed ninth, was named best triathlete of the season by a jury composed of journalists and industry experts.
“The race held by Alessandro at the Olympic Games in London has touched all of us in the company,” said Steven Smith, Brand Manager at Castelli. “We have experienced very strong emotions, so strong that we realized that this could not be a moment of arrival, but a point of departure for a new adventure.
“When, after a few days, we began to analyze the race rationally, we noticed that the moment Ale suffered most was the start of the running leg. We then began to think about how you could save more energy during the cycling leg, so as to get the freshest transition.”
From these reflections came the idea to set up tests in a wind tunnel to test products, wheels, bike, position and the athlete. “The results were very satisfactory,” added Smith. “We tried race body, helmet, goggles, wheels; but it is in searching for the best position on the bike that we got the most important answers, coming to improve the aerodynamic coefficient.”
With Castelli, alongside other companies, backing Alessandro Fabian, the next four years on the Road to Rio will look to make continuous small improvements that could make a difference: “We can not afford any mistakes,” concluded Castelli’s Smith. “The wind tunnel was a major investment, but we did understand in which direction to go, what to use and what clothing materials are required.”
By Gary Roethenbaugh – triathlonbusiness.com
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