From Kask to Rudy Project, the change did not go unnoticed. For the new four-year period, as we had anticipated in recent days, the Italian Federation will use Rudy Project material, already technical sponsor of the Team Bahrain Victorious: just look at the images of the European track championships in Zolder to realise this.
How do these changes occur? What is the basis for the choice? At the end of the year, the Federation involved about ten companies, previously identified, to bring their models for evaluation. We therefore asked Massimo Perozzo (Marketing & Communications Manager at Rudy Project) to explain the various stages of the Veneto company's arrival on the national team. Indeed, they were among those companies.
"The Federation – he explains – he asked for the possibility, especially for the part relating to the track, of testing helmets to evaluate marginal gainsTests were conducted with multiple athletes in different situations. Both quartets and single athletes. Men and women. A wide variety of positions, and for each of these, a whole series of aspects were evaluated. And in the end the Wingdream it was the best performing helmet overall, with good ratings also for The Wing and the Nytron».
When did this selection phase take place?
At the end of last year, around the end of November, beginning of December. Given the test results, The Federation has started contacting us through Infront to understand if we were willing to collaborate, given that they were interested in having our best product.
And you?
I say this very sincerely: for us it's pure prideWe are an Italian company, made up of 50 people who have been on the market for 40 years and every year we try to do something more. We know that for a few seasons now We are working well on aerodynamics and reaching this goal was the culmination of a journey. A gift for our 40th anniversary. So, when we realized that the Federation was happy with the helmets and wanted to use our Wingdream, we started talking to Infront. We started defining the relationship with the Federation with which we will collaborate until Los Angeles Olympics.
Was it a complex journey?
Step by step, day by day, phone call after phone call, we finally finalized the details of the contract, which was signed, as you know, last week. At that point... we had to rush the helmets to Montichiari in preparation for the European ChampionshipsThe guys had already tested our helmet, but there was still some setup work to do. It needs to be evaluated for each individual athlete. the size requirements or whether any structural changes need to be made in terms of comfortWe spent a day with them in Montichiari and we put them all right. While in these days of the European Championships there has always been one of ours who followed them step by step, to make any corrections.
And it went well, as some gold and other medals arrived…
The golds of Martina Fidanza and the female quartetbut also that of Matteo Bianchi in the kilometer from a standing start. The distribution of helmets and when to use them has a separate regulation.If the event involves multiple riders, such as quartets or team sprints, athletes are required to use our helmets, also for aerodynamic reasons. If the athlete is part of a specific team or a sports group with another sponsor, they may use their sponsor's helmet in individual events. For this reason, We were pleased that Matteo Bianchi used our helmet and also Viviani, who however is currently without a team.
Have you already had any feedback?
As always, we're talking about the famous marginal gains, which are essential in these specialties. So a helmet like the Wingdream, which has demonstrated so much gain or saving in watts, is essentialAnd then we're happy that the kids are happy to use it.
You mentioned setup: how much customization is there on a helmet like this?
On the inside, on the padding. In fact, the structure must not be touched for safety reasons.. So once the helmet is baptized and certified by the UCI, the internal structural part must not be touched for purely safety reasons. The only part we can intervene on, and which Ivan Parolin takes care of when he races with them, is insert ad hoc inserts, with material of different thicknessesA personalized work is done with the athlete to understand what thickness and material to use. When the athlete puts on the helmet, must feel firm, comfortable and capable of always guaranteeing the necessary safetyIf an athlete is in his moment of comfort and therefore has no discomfort, he is able to perform at his best.
Is development work also planned alongside the Federation?
They have already started to give us some advice on small changes that could be made for some disciplinesThese are things we also do regularly with Team Bahrain, which actually has its own dedicated staff for this. There is a sort of continuous work cycle during the yearWe receive their information and pass it on to the product, for example to develop the height of the visor or the technical part of the rear rotor for fastening. There are a thousand details that then impact the development of a helmet. Let's say that the new model is already quite advanced and is then calibrated to the team's needs or, in this case, of the Federation.
Will yours be a standard supply?
The supply has already been confirmed from today until 2028. It is logical that in this type of relationship the quantities are contractually agreed upon., but then the actual ones are always variable and rarely lower than those stipulated in the contract. Often there are more, to provide different opportunities and choices. If there is a change to be made, tests are done and these involve an increase in the quantity to be developed and delivered.
If Rudy Project releases a new model between now and 2028, will it clearly also propose it to the Federation?
Let's say that Team Bahrain has a sort of pre-emption right, because we almost always do the bulk of the development work with the team. Wingdream was born from the work done with them, but the Federation is in any case the first body that would be consulted and to whom a new product would be presented.
Is the Wingdream one of the helmets the UCI wanted to ban?
That's right. When we produce a helmet that's then given to a WorldTour team, it has to be approved by the UCI. We cannot give a helmet to a team without the UCI knowing or certifying it., just like with bicycles. Last year, our helmet, like the Giro helmet from Visma-Lease a Bike, received a lot of attention. Not because it's dangerous, as some have claimed, but because it's a highly original helmet. All that talk it was only due to an aesthetic factorWe haven't received any communication from the UCI at this time. The teams are using our helmets on the road and have also used them on the track. Riders don't care as much about form as they do about whether the helmet allows you to be fast.Everything else, with the permits in place, is just smoke.
