The day is well engraved in our memory. Lorenzo Fortunato wins at the top of Zoncolanthe most important mountain of the Giro d'Italia, y Alberto Contadorteam co-owner Eolo-Kometa, is taking matters into his own hands and promises to cover the Madrid-Milan stretch by bicycle.
That was in the middle of May, but the promise was ratified in several ways. He was going to keep it.
Of course, at the time he saw it as far away, four months away. A feeling of distance in time that changed, once the dates approached: "When I realized how demanding the promise was, it was once we were going to execute it, two or three weeks away from doing it," Alberto Contador begins to tell us.
Then nerves and respect emerged, normal in these circumstances, "Jesús Chiquitín traced the route. He was the one who made the bet and I accepted if we won a stage in the Giro. It was a relatively flat route, he is not a climber and that made everything easier for us. You add many meters of elevation gain by the number of kilometers, not by the presence of big climbs," says Contador.
A few days after meeting the challenge, the former cyclist and ambassador of Gobik the body has responded very well," he explains. I admit," he continues, "that the days that gave me the most respect were the first few days. We started with 370 kilometers, then came stages of 300 and 320. In my case I knew that my body was going to get better, it has always happened to me, both in active and in the lower categories. I know it's not the same state of form, but as the days go by you notice that the pedaling is more lively and you accept the effort".
A team challenge made by a team
The fellow riders were the same ones who usually ride with him in the outings in his area, it was his trusted group, friends who took time out of their daily work and family life to ride long distances and kilometers before the great journey: "There were teammates who took it better, others who felt the fatigue, but it really went well".
Of course "there have been some complicated moments, although no one had anything to prove, it was a collective challenge, to go together as a group. One day one went better and the other the other way around. It was a question of working as a team."he continues.
With them were two drivers, one to store material and the other as a support car for sticks on the road and spare parts for punctures. "The truth is that we had quite a few punctures," he says. They were joined by the marketing person from Aurum, their bicycle brand, to generate the story in the networks.
“The moment of arriving in Milan was magical.just six days after leaving. As they were an average of ten hours a dayit has been very, very long. I had the good fortune to arrive in Milan after the Giro, but this time it was special".
Gobik it was the skin of the challenge
The group was dressed in GobikThe brand is doing an incredible job. The brand is doing an amazing job. We proposed the project, they said 'ok, we'll take it from here'." It's a beautiful, simple, elegant, eye-catching and classy model. We will keep wearing it, for sure". Contador concludes.
"The design reflects the pure essence of a grand tourspecifically that of the Italian round: a kind of organized chaos that, during the the most beautiful corners of Italy for 21 days. And to transmit it we created an attractive and minimalist design in which black gave order to the pink "Giro" of the details," says Angel Lencina, from the design department, who confirms that the series is not for sale.
The leather of the group that accompanied Alberto Contador was based on models designed for many hours on the bike: "The jersey CX Pro and the culottes Gravity y Absolute could not be missing in this challenge. Six days on the bike take the body to the limit and we had to equip the entire group as if it were a professional team, also incorporating the new rain jackets Pluviarain jackets, vests Plus 2.0, undershirts Second Skinsleeves, sleeves, socks and anything else they might need.
And about these pieces "some details that make them unique - continues Ángel -, such as the coordinates of Madrid and Milan and the number 1600.in reference to the distance in kilometers that separates the start and finish line of this challenge. In addition, the pink brushstrokes could not be missing to make a wink to the maglia rosa of the Giro d'Italia".
Everything was conceived in contact with the cyclist, because "communication with Alberto is fluid throughout the year. As a global ambassador for Gobik we are in constant contact and as soon as we saw Fortunano raise his arms at the top of the Zoncolan, we started conversations with him to work on the skin of the project."
Four months after experiencing his double debut at the Giro d'Italia, Gobik he has been able to dress up in such a unique event as the one that has been completed from Madrid to Milan in six days.
By JoanSeguidor's Notebook
Photos: AURUM