On Thursday, June the 8th, 2023, the International Sales Meeting Nalini 2023 and the unveiling of the shrine in memory of Vincenzo Mantovani, founder of the Moa Sport company, were held at the picturesque location of the Ghisallo Cycling Museum.
“Omnia vincit Amor” is the phrase engraved on the last stone laid on May 31, 2006 of the museum that has become, over time, a place of worship for all cycling fans. We are talking about the Museum of Madonna del Ghisallo, located right in the heart of the Larian Triangle, in Magreglio, next to the Ghisallo Shrine dedicated to the patron saint of cyclists.
This Lombardy temple, custodian of the epic of Great Cycling, was chosen as the evocative setting for the 2023 Nalini International Sales Meeting, confirming that passion for the sport has been the driving force and soul of the Mantua-based company for more than 50 years.
The first part of the day was an opportunity to meet the national and international sales force of the Castel d’Ario-based brand, to whom the Spring-Summer 2024 collection was presented in an absolute preview, with a fashion show presented by Alessandra Agostini, international sales manager, and by Enrico Zecchini, developer of the collection, along with some innovative products that pleasantly surprised those in attendance, such as the Dyneema® Protection Kit – made in collaboration with the DSM team.
The second part of the day, presented by journalist Gianpaolo Grossi, was dedicated to the celebration of a particularly solemn moment for Claudio Mantovani, his son Alessandro and daughter-in-law Carmen Vadalà, namely the unveiling of a shrine dedicated to Moa Sport’s founder, Vincenzo Mantovani, a former cyclist silver medalist in the team pursuit at the 1964 Tokyo Games and an intuitive and forward-thinking entrepreneur.
Many guests attended the meeting and contributed to pay tribute to Vincenzo “Cencio” Mantovani, starting with Davide Boifava, former professional cyclist and sports executive, who remembered his friend this way: “There is an absolute value in life: never forget people. And I never forgot Vincenzo who was essentially a pioneer, a visionary One day he accompanied a stage of the Giro d’Italia that passed through Castel d’Ario by flying over in his twin-engine plane. He told me he would do it, bu I couldn’t believe it. He and his brother Claudio, whom I met later, made a formidable pair. Moa Sport is a prestigious and solid reality with, behind it, a great past and, in front of it, a bright future, thanks to the Mantovani family and the great team of collaborators that makes it up.”.
Claudio Mantovani, visibly moved, also wanted to remember his brother with a series of anecdotes that took those present back to those legendary years: “Vincenzo, on Saturdays, sold the shirts he had made in a craft workshop and ran on Sundays. He stopped competing early because he had a big project in mind: starting a clothing company. I remember that one day, while I was training at the Milanello Sports Center – I at that time played for Milan as a goalkeeper – he came to visit me with twenty riders, the Italian national cycling team of that time, just before leaving for Tokyo. ”
Nalini is not only “glorious past,” but also innovation and modernity, and many of the products presented at the meeting, are the result of the continuous search for technological solutions that can meet the challenges of the market.
Alberto Dainese, of the Dutch DSM team of which Nalini is a technical sponsor, fresh from winning the 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia and present at the event, commented on the team’s relationship with the Italian brand as follows: “Certainly the great quality of the garments, coupled with the search for aerodynamic lines that boost performance, was already captured in the wind tunnel. We wanted to implement rain products to give us maximum protection from water and cold, and everything requested by the team is developed by Nalini experts.” Statement supported by Piet Rooijakkers,head of R&D for DSM, who emphasized Nalini’s ability to always provide the right solutions to the team’s needs.
Nalini is a brand that has always been present in the professional world, but also attentive to the evolution of the amateur movement. This is evidenced by the words of Emiliano Borgna, Vice President ACSI, of which Nalini is a partner, who spoke at the event, stating, “The two worlds, pro and amateur, need to communicate and create new synergies, just as Nalini is doing. The partnership was born primarily out of the esteem between ACSI and the people of this company, and it is a source of pride for us to have partnered with such a prestigious brand. With the Nalini Road Series Circuit, we have simply taken one more step toward the amateur world so that it knows even more about this important all-Italian reality.”
Closing the Nalini team’s busy day of work were the words of Giuseppe Bovo, general manager of the Castel d’Ario-based brand, fully summed up the value of a company that stubbornly continues to make Made in Italy its trademark: “To be present in a place that is both iconic and full of the best Italian-ness, it was a perfect choice for a company that produces everything exclusively in Castel d’Ario. The importance of having stayed in Italy when everyone was going to the Far East
has proven, in recent years when there has been a boom in demand for cycling apparel, to be a really winning move. Very few of us were able to give an immediate response to the market.”
Before taking their leave, the Mantovani family wanted to thank everyone present for participating in the day and, in particular, Antonio Molteni and Carola Gentilini, president and director, respectively, of the Ghisallo Cycling Museum, for their excellent organization.
To learn about all the new features of the Nalini Dyneema® Protection Kit: https://www.nalini.com/it/dyneema-protection-kit
Web-site: www.nalini.com
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naliniciclo
To learn about all the ACSI Cycling news: www.ciclismo.acsi.it
To learn about the new roster of events that make up the Circuit, all ACSI, NRS 2023: www.naliniroadseries.com
Press Release curated by: Ufficio Stampa Nalini Elena Pellegrini I pressoffice@nalini.com I press@steelcomunicare.it
