Pro Team Tech 2004

Fassa bikes arrive just in time for Christmas

From Tech News, December 5, 2003

Alessandro Petacchi
Photo ©: Cyclingnews

With 24 wins during the 2003 season, 12 more than runner-up in the winners' rolls Jaan Kirsipuu, super sprinter is certainly the right name for Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) this year. Petacchi took his first win in Spain (23 Feb./ Trofeo Puig) and his last one (28 Sept. / Stage 21-Madrid: Vuelta d'Espana) too. Petacchi won a record 15 stages in Grand Tours this season, confirming that he is currently the fastest finisher in cycling.

In early December, Petacchi and his new FB teammates Fabio Sacchi and Alberto Ongarato paid a visit to Cicli Pinarello in Treviso, Italy to pick up their new training bikes for the 2004 season. On hand were Fausto and Andrea Pinarello, and Fausto explained to Cyclingnews that "For Pinarello, it's important to sponsor a top professional team; as our company can provide the best of our resources, both human and technological. The bicycle of a top rider, such as a champion like Alessandro Petacchi, is created from a continual collaboration between our workshop and the athlete to meet the specific needs of the riders. So I can tell you that the work of our engineers and mechanics, who have worked with us for years, have helped very much to successfully build bikes for champions like Miguel Indurain, Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel, just to mention a few."

Pinarello has already delivered the first round of bikes to Fassa Bortolo for 2004, with the second lot scheduled for the Fassa Bortolo team training camp in January, including Pinarello's top of the range Dogma model. Petacchi's rig was a Prince SL with a new Campagnolo Record 2004 carbon fibre group, Look pedals with Ti spindle, new Mavic Ksyrium SL2 wheels and a new, customized Selle Italia SLR saddle with carbon inserts for reinforcement. According to Pinarello, Petacchi will now be forced to haul around a "cancello" that weighs 7.2kg this winter until he get his even new lighter Dogma.