Wolfgang Hohmann is the founder of Wolfi's bikes in the United Arab Emirates. From selling bikes from a corner of his brother's garage in Germany's black forest to building one of the middle east's most prestigious cycling retail operations, Wolfi's story is a testament to the power of persistence. 

What started as a side hustle while working as a chef eventually grew into a cycling empire that caught the attention of the UAE Royal family who became an investment partner in 2021.

Today Wolfi's operates 12 business units, including retail locations, distribution events, management, and cycling academies with over 150 employees. His unique blend of hospitality, mindset and cycling passion has not only built a successful business, but it's helped transform cycling culture across the UAE. 

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Nicolò Ildos is a seasoned industry veteran who has worked for some of cycling's biggest brands, including FIZIK, Campagnolo, and Pirelli.

In the episode, we dive into the intricate world of sports marketing in professional cycling.  From his early days as an amateur racer and product tester to global sports marketing manager, Nicolo shares his insights on what makes successful sponsorships work. The complexities of world tour team partnerships and the evolving dynamics of cycling sponsorships. He discusses everything from the multi-million Euro costs of the world tour bike sponsorships to the critical importance of activation strategies. Offering a rare behind the scenes look at how brands leverage their investments in professional cycling. 

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Claudio Masnata is the Global Marketing Manager at Bianchi. We dive deep into one of cycling's most iconic brands, from his early days as a competitive cyclist to leading marketing at the 140-year-old brand, Claudio shares fascinating insights into managing the iconic brand in the digital age. We explore the delicate balance between tradition and innovation, the challenges of expanding into new markets, and how data-driven decisions are reshaping the cycling industry.

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GFNY is the world's largest endurance sports marathon series with over 30 events held in 15 countries.

The story of Ulrich Fluhme and his wife Lydia starting the GFNY is nothing short of remarkable. Uli had a job in finance at a Swiss bank in Manhattan. When he and his partner Lydia literally took a leap into the abyss when they decided to start the GFNY.

This Is a tale of two highly driven people who had a vision to bring the Italian Gran Fondo to the big apple, in the process, they built a life for themselves around cycling events and traveling the world. 

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Anne Hed is CEO and Co-founder of HED cycling. Anne's journey is one of perseverance, innovation and family legacy. Anne is a native of Minnesota and shares the remarkable story of HED cycling, which she founded with her late husband, Steve Hed.

In this conversation, we hear how she and the company have weathered personal tragedy and technological shifts to remain relevant in the incredibly competitive cycling business. Anne takes us through HED's early days of handcrafted wheels to its latest innovations all while remaining committed to USA manufacturing and family values.

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Travis Erwin has extensive experience in the US cycling market. He began his career in various bike shops, working his way up to become a store manager at Performance Bicycle in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the early 2010s, he progressed to Regional Sales Manager for Pivot Cycles.

Travis then moved on to help build Reynolds Cycling's OEM wheel business, eventually becoming the Global Sales Manager in 2017.

After that, he joined The Pro's Closet. At The Pro's Closet, Travis played a key role in building the business and contributing to its success. As you may know, The Pro's Closet unfortunately closed recently. You'll be able to hear more about the reasoning behind this and get an inside look at some of the circumstances the team was facing at that time.

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John Harrison is an entrepreneur and angel investor. He purchased the US bike brand Parlee in 2023, after it ran into trouble during the post COVID inventory glut.

This conversation is exploration of how a relative outsider of the industry is bringing experience and knowledge of operations to right the ship, and relaunch the premium bike brand.

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I have been wanting to have a conversation around the state of cycling marketing in 2024. Joshua Riddle is the marketing manager for Hayes bicycle. We've had Joshua on the show before, and in the conversation we go deep into the current state of marketing in 2024.

We talk about topics around channel strategy, social media, website management, campaigns and the evolution of cycling marketing over the past few years. This was a fun conversation and I think you can get a lot of value from it.

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Cervelo founder Gerard Vroomen is an entrepreneur and an engineer. When I asked Gerard if he is more entrepeneur or engineer, his answer was YES.

It was truly amazing to talk with Gerard and hear about his journey from student to building one of the most important bicycle brands in the world.During the conversation, you really get a sense of his firsthand experience.

He shared how they gained traction with high-performance triathlon bikes and how, through innovation, tenacity, and hard work, they made significant inroads into the challenging North American market.

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In this live panel recording we discussed insights about Channel Strategy and how brands are navigating the delicate balance of D2C, Marketplace, and traditional distribution.

My guests were Michael Stimola CEO ENVE Composites Stijn Vriends CEO Vittoria Group Steve Smith Brand Manager Castelli Cycling and Jonathan Sherwood Sales and Marketing at SCHUBERTH.

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