When Colbrelli announced the turning point of his life, Claudio Marra was sitting next to him, also touched by the moment.He still had the sun on him from his last trip to Taiwan and as a good host immediately made the offices available FSA to organize the press conference of 15 November.
Testimonial and tester
Le words of that day they are still in the air. Social media is full of stories of the Milanese afternoon, but in the meantime time passes and Marra takes stock of the situation, remembering the hours spent with Colbrelli talking about product development and imagining what the story might be like next.
«There is a special relationship with Sonny – he says – of friendship, but also of extreme collaborationHe's an important tester, he even helped us fix small details on the wheels. The ones he used at Roubaix were made specifically for him.They had a particular fluency and they debuted with him. The Italian, the European and the Paris-RoubaixHe didn't want to let go of her anymore.».
Colbrelli will be the man of the Team Bahrain Victorious, but will be directly involved in the launch of the 71 Merida Reacto customized with his name and the new logo that contains itThe bikes will be equipped with the same technical sponsors as the team, so Sonny will certainly put his experience at the service of the riders, but also of the technical sponsors who will want technical feedback from a champion who will continue to use the bicycle.
Is it important to have a figure like this in teams?
When we have collaborations of this type with the teams, we try not to be just sponsors, but We work together so that the supply of material is for us a starting point and not an arrival point.We learn a lot from them and then we always try to improve through their advice or needs. They drive us crazy, but it's always a motivation to improve.
The fact that Colbrelli remains within the orbit of the team and its partners is also a great sign of humanity.
Our goal is not only to provide products, but also Spread the culture of cycling, be friends, experience emotions, joys, hard work and sacrifices together. Which in the end is the salt of life. Having riders who share this thought of ours even outside of racing is the best for us and we try to always support them, when possible, even after they get off the bike.
How did you personally experience that day in March?
It was tragic. Once we had confirmation that Sonny was out of danger, I immediately had the feeling that everything would change from thereFirst of all we hoped that everything would go well, but we understood that his life would never be the same again and we promised to help him in this projectHaving him here with us for his announcement was our way of making him feel that we are with him.
There's you, there's Merida, there's the team: it's not so common, in a world that sometimes forgets values.
It's true, but I have to say that cycling is a different and better worldWe are people with a philosophy, which is that positive people, who always manage to carry out a mission, who knows why they always find themselves together and they share the same kind of idea. And that's why we're happy to be able to support it as best we can.
