As we well know, the 2020 season ended, from a purely competitive point of view, with a truly exceptional exploit achieved by three Italian bike brands. Colnago has won the Tour with Pogacar. Pinarello wore the pink jersey with Tao Geoghegan Hart. And Bianchi led Roglic in Madrid for his personal encore at the Vuelta a España.
The year of records
But this year is also about to end with another important event commercial record for our country. Resuming the contents of a very interesting insight by Claudia Vianino, and recently published in the authoritative Bike europe2020 will represent a milestone for the Italian bicycle industry and for the Italian cycling economy more generally. The Covid-19 pandemic, first and foremost, but also undoubtedly the great advantage represented by the introduction of the mobility bonus by the Government, have in fact conferred a strong push to the market and the positive results are starting to be more than just an estimate.
20% jump
According to Claudia Vianino on Bike Europe, the boom in bicycle sales in Italy it was so strong that Confindustria ANCMA estimates growth of over 20% compared to 2019 data. The same trade association also predicts that by the end of 2020 our country will exceed 2 million bicycles sold (1.713.000 units were sold in 2019). A significant increase, mainly between June and November.
Most of the credit for this real boom in bicycle sales must undoubtedly be attributed, as mentioned above, to the "mobility bonus" awarded by the Ministry of the EnvironmentBut not only that. Since the pandemic began to affect the daily lives of Italians, they have begun to adopt a more sustainable approach and a different awareness of bicycle use, leading one to think that Italians themselves are probably changing one's habits rethinking the bicycle both as an optimal tool for sporting well-being and as a means of transport.
«There is a lot of enthusiasm in the Italian industry at the moment, but also a lot of caution – Piero Nigrelli, director of the bicycle sector of Confindustria ANCMA, declared to Bike Europe – and we are already working on other types of incentives for the future, aimed at increasing cycling mobility in cities. The changing attitude of Italians towards cycling and the proliferation of bike lanes in our country's major cities give hope that this trend will not reverse.
