To say that the calender is the navel of Gobik may be an exaggeration, but what is true is that it is the most magical place at Gobik, the place where ideas are captured on fabric and the garment begins to take shape, color and texture before going out into the world.
Ricardo Fluixá leads one of the company’s largest teams, the calender team, after nine years at Gobik. “When I joined, the company employed around twenty people,” he points out.
A TRANSFORMATION FULL OF PASSION
This is how Ricardo recalls his evolution at Gobik: “I was working in the wood sector and I felt like a change. I knew José Ramón and Alberto -cofounders of Gobik- from riding together. Shortly afterwards, I became part of this passionate family”.
Joining the company ended up shaping his life. “The process was intense -he smiles- but rewarding. Everything was very familiar and close-knit, we grew together and put incredible care into it. I don’t know what the formula for success is, but I’m sure it doesn’t lack any of these ingredients,” he emphasizes.
It wasn’t easy; the calender is a real challenge: “We handle a large number of variables and, in addition, it is a process that never stops, where one part of the team receives the printed paper and another collects the already printed fabric, where we can already see the original colors”.
In between, the water-based ink from each print evaporates and transfers to the fabric in a magical process, agile yet meticulous, as it means solving a full-fledged puzzle. A jersey can be made up of up to ten panels.
GROWING WITH GOBIK
Ricardo admits to being a very different person from the one who arrived at Gobik almost a decade ago. “The evolution is total, at every level,” he continues. My first calender was a chaotic machine; today we can say that we have one of the largest cycling apparel production centers in Europe. It is something that is almost dizzying, but we have achieved it thanks to the close and direct way we work with each other. Personally, I feel very fulfilled”.
Today he is in charge of the calender, or rather, the calenders. Around them, a team of 23 people coordinated by Ricardo takes meticulous care of each piece of the puzzle. They are the ones who keep the Custom DNA present at Gobik alive, from the very beginning.
Because they are the gearing in an immense chain, without pause, always active, like Ricardo and the values he has internalized while working at Gobik: “From these nine years I take away continuous learning, a process in which I feel like a very important piece. Here I see that I am part of a success story, that we have dressed UAE at the Tour, Movistar, the women’s FDJ… that is a source of pride, a story that has given me confidence and the desire to continue on this path that has given me so much”.
Q&A
Do you ride?
Yes, and I have for quite some time. In summer I do more gravel and road, while in winter I prefer MTB.
How many kilometers do you ride per week?
I don’t track it too closely; generally I ride three times a week, two midday rides of around two hours, plus the long ride at the weekend, more than 120 kilometers.
What music is always on your Spotify?
Rock, of course, with people like Fito or Benito Kamelas, although I like variety. I even listen to Alejandro Sanz sometimes, but definitely not that reggaeton.
Series or films?
The Big Bang Theory.
Wine or beer?
Both, each at the right time.
Tour, Giro or Vuelta?
Always the Tour, where the best cyclists go in their best form.
