“We have always done it this way” is the death of any innovation: this is the phrase that opened the first edition of the Campus Bike Convention, held over the weekend in Bologna and which addressed the over fifty interventions dedicated to scientific innovation in cycling.
Product innovation, represented by companies such as Colnago and Selle SMP, but also innovation in the methodologies of athletic training, nutrition, biomechanics, technology and psychology applied to the world of professionals, but also of amateurs and young people.
The Pros: cyclists have become supercyclists
“There have been two great revolutions in the history of cycling.
That of technology, which has transformed bikes over the years, and that of training: data analysis, nutrition, personalized preparation. Without a professional and scientific approach, you don't win today. Thanks to science, the bar is so high today that perhaps I wouldn't even have been able to become a professional." says Alessandro Ballan, world champion in 2008, which rings an alarm bell:
“The question is: how long will today's champions last? will there be a Valverde in the future? We will see.
What is certain is that in Italy, for young people, there is too much competitive spirit and there are few clubs in the area: they only work for the result. Careful reflection must be made.”
Amateurs: cycling must first of all be an opportunity for well-being and pleasure.
Cycling is done above all by amateurs, who make up the vast majority of the movement.
“The well-being of amateurs must come before the performance,” says Paolo Gaffurini, PhD and professor at the University of Brescia.
“The scientific approach underlying biomechanics is aimed at making cycling a pleasure, eliminating pain and potential problems. Strength training, for example, is an essential element, particularly for the many cyclists over the age of 40."
Young people: "we must create athletes before cyclists, let's think about their enjoyment before the results"
“Today's kids no longer know how to ride a bike: we need to start from the base and think about building athletes before becoming cyclists” explained Diego Bragato, Head of Performance of the Italian Cycling Federation. “We must put the person, education at the centre: we must start with our own body, provide tools of knowledge, not spread the obsession with the result. We need to build the athlete's mentality and physique; only then can we work on the cyclist's training.”
And the theme of young people and their athletic development was at the center of many interventions, including that of Marco Aurelio Fontana, Olympic medalist in London in 2012 who reiterated: "Young people must have fun: educating about sport means learning sacrifice, have the desire to win, accept defeat, but fun - as well as rest - is always essential, otherwise we risk them moving away".
Similarly, Davide Cassani, former technical commissioner of the Italian national cycling team, highlighted in his speech dedicated to team management: "Let's remember that young people are different from what we were, and that we must carefully take this into account every time. that we work with them and every time we talk to them.”
Innovating also means refuting habits
There were more than 200 participants in the first edition of Campus Bike Convention, coming from all over Italy, with many young faces: "Innovation must start from habits and question them: this is the best way to identify and overcome false myths , because if we continue to do what we have always done we will hardly obtain better results” declares Omar Gatti, director of the health division of Bikenomist who organized the event. “By bringing together prestigious speakers and a selected audience who fueled the debate, we have contributed to a reflection that we hope will guide the present and future of Italian cycling, in particular as regards the youth movement”.
“Our bicycles have also evolved thanks to scientific research” says Manolo Bertocchi, Colnago, marketing manager of Colnago, main partner of the event: “We are here because there is science behind our bicycles. The exhibition we brought to Campus – which represents 70 years of innovation – is designed precisely to underline how technology, and in particular aerodynamics, have made design evolve, but also cycling, consequently.”
“Cycling is good for you, but it can also generate problems, without a scientific approach”: Nicolò Schiavon, Selle SMP.
“In particular, the saddle is the most critical element of the human/bicycle interaction, because it puts stress on a delicate, naturally protected area, the perineal one. It is therefore necessary to evolve the saddle product first of all to solve problems of this type, both for males and females. This is why design must start from science.”
Campus Bike Convention, more information on the website https://convention.campus.bike/
