The rider’s ride
Sarto Asola, £3,600 frameset, sartoantonio.com
‘I was looking for an Ironman sponsor. They weren’t interested, but they did want a model’
We push through to a more forgiving incline along a shelf of road hanging over the valley below. With the sun now sitting over the mountains, the early morning dew and mist creates an almost Amazonian look to the valley below, accentuated by the piercing cries of local birds. It brings with it a brief relief from the gradient, and I take the opportunity to quiz Andrea on his cycling prowess.
Andrea came 20th at yesterday’s Granfondo Campionissimo, an event raced by many top domestic and ex-professional Italian riders. ‘In Italy, there are people who just train to race granfondos,’ he says. ‘Yesterday they told me some of the top riders earn €20,000. I can’t keep up with them – I work.’
Andrea runs a pharmacy near Locarno, but you’d be excused for thinking he was a full-time athlete too. For a while he nearly was. He was a top junior, racing in the Swiss national squad. He decided instead to pursue a career away from cycling, although he found enough free time to become a world champion Ironman triathlete.
‘That’s how I first got in touch with Assos – I was looking for an Ironman sponsor,’ Andrea says. ‘They The Sarto Asola is the lightweight endurance offering from custom Italian brand Sarto, which builds bikes for other brands as well as under its own name. This one is part of Campagnolo’s test fleet, and was kindly lent to me for this ride. The frame is well balanced in terms of handling, comfort and stiffness, and its 700g frame weight was much appreciated on the steeper parts of the climb. Descending was a joy too, thanks to the Campagnolo Bora 35 clinchers and the excellent brakes. Campagnolo has filed down the resin around the braking surface to increase friction and braking performance, and it made a big difference when I was dragging the brakes down 20% inclines, with the rims coping admirably. The Campagnolo Super Record groupset is a great choice given the very low weight, and the decisive shifts were reassuringly positive.