A long road (so far) 70 years, started with the workshop of the then twenty-two-year-old Ernesto Colnago in Cambiago and which yesterday, four and a half years after the transfer to the Emirati fund that owns the UAE team, has placed a milestone... in steel to celebrate its birthday. We had the privilege of wandering around the Dots space in Milan and attending SETTANTA, the official unveiling of the limited edition Steelnovo (70 specimens, ça va sans dire, and rigorously Made in Italy) of which our Giorgio Perugini spoke to you HERE. Instead, you can read HERE the interview by Director Pier Augusto Stagi with CEO Nicola Rosin, who delves into the products presented here to move on to a comprehensive analysis of corporate strategies.

Returning to the Milanese event, the robustness of steel was counterbalanced, or rather complemented, by the fit of the new "capsule collection" (about ten pieces by designer Davide Tognetti) of off-bike clothing branded Colnago, in an equally limited edition and fine materials including Loro Piana cashmere. In the center of the large room, we were able to admire the Steelnovo bike and, a few meters away, the mythical C35 which was one of the pioneers of carbon monocoque and the mixture with Formula 1 in bike production. On two sides of the room, an exhibition of both sweatshirts and jackets from the capsule collection and original technical drawings related to bike projects for Merckx and Maertens, flanked by historic photos of Colnago triumphs such as Saronni's shot at Goodwood and Dancelli's solo at Sanremo. At the back of the room, two models and a model on pedestals wearing the new Colnago clothing, finally in two corners of the room the Colnago mechanics' stands ready to give masterclasses "frames and tools in hand" to the attendees.

Regarding the numerous tens of present, who enjoyed the exhibitions, the luxury venue atmosphere and first-class catering, in addition to the Colnago and UAE board, there were no riders who made history of the diamond ace: from Saronni to Motta, from Tafi to Cassani. RCS and Federciclismo brought their participation with Paolo Bellino and Cordiano Dagnoni respectively, Johnny Carera was present and several representatives from the cycling business world were present, but the highlight was the arrival of the Maestro in person: Ernesto Colnago, 92 years old heading towards 93, who received a wave of esteem and affection, getting emotional about "how many friends he still has in cycling".

To delve even more into the details of the bikes and clothing that were the protagonists of the evening, here's what the two people at Colnago who were directly involved in the two lines told us:

Engineer Davide Fumagalli - "I believe that Colnago is one of the very few brands in the world (and these few are all Italian) capable of producing a steel bike with credibility, because it takes an important mix of tradition and technology. The idea was born as early as 2019, during the development of the C68 Titanium, when the supplier who makes our titanium joints almost accidentally made one in stainless steel. Here's the click: once we have 3D printing available, why not try to vary the materials and reintroduce steel in a completely new way? We reconnected with a fantastic partner like Columbus, who customized all the tubes specifically for us, and after a lustrum, here we are! Today we have two bike families: the V, which are now synonymous with Pogacar, those purely high-performance racing bikes, and the C, which are indeed performant but must above all be beautiful to look at and wonderful to ride. The Steelnovo ideally falls into this family. I don't think steel is absolutely the material of the future, but because there isn't really a single material in this sense: there are technologies that can bring 'old' materials back to life by adapting and enhancing their geometry and other characteristics according to innovative standards. And steel certainly still has a lot to explore..."

Digital Marketing Manager Joelle Gyppaz - "For these 70 years, we wanted to 'give ourselves' a new way to express the brand's values, and what better than a high-end Made in Italy manufacture that allows you to... wear Colnago? We wanted to apply the style, class, elegance, desirability, and exclusivity of our bikes to another type of product that can accompany the Colnago user even in contexts outside the bike. A Tadej wearing these pieces? Not bad at all!"