The Business of Cycling

The Business of Cycling

The Business of Cycling podcast takes you inside the cycling world from the perspective of those that work in the sector. Hear from passionate entrepreneurs and professionals from brands, teams, and bike shops. Read the latest 'The Business of Cycling' Blog Sign up for 'The Business of Cycling' Newsletter

Episodes

July 7, 2025 79 mins
In this episode, I sit down with Greg Shapleigh, who came highly recommended by multiple previous guests as someone I absolutely had to interview. Greg's journey in the cycling industry is remarkable - he started as a shipping clerk at Giro after moving to Santa Cruz to pursue bike racing, but quickly found himself pulled into marketing and product development discussions. Over three decades, he's shaped some of cycling's most icon...
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Stefan Reisinger is the Managing Director of Fairnamic which is the organization behind the Eurobike event in Frankfurt. 

In this timely conversation, Stefan provides an insider's perspective on what to expect at this year's show in Frankfurt, including 1,500+ exhibiting companies, new industry innovations, and the launch of a groundbreaking global bicycle purchasing index. 

With the cycling industry navigating challenging times, Ste...
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Wade Wallace's journey from a nuclear research town in Manitoba to building one of cycling's most influential media platforms was anything but conventional. As the founder of Cycling Tips and now Escape Collective, Wallace shares how a simple blog started during the 2008 financial crisis grew into a pioneering digital cycling platform.

This conversation traces his path from accidental blogger to media entrepreneur, including his for...
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Live from Cycling World 2025 Dusseldorf: In the discussion we dive into the future of cycling distribution with industry experts from Harmen van Es of Stichting DST & Dynamo Retail Group, Luca Bergliaffa of Assos, and Michael Scholz of SRM. Discover how digital integration, data sharing, and omnichannel strategies are transforming relationships between brands, retailers, and distributors in an increasingly connected cycling eco...
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The following is my conversation with Steve Smith. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, he's among the most accomplished and interesting people that I've met in the cycling business. In addition to being a hardworking and genuine guy.

Steve started his career at Nike in Oregon.His dream job was working for Nike, and after 10 years with the swoosh, he decided to pull up roots and move himself and his wife to Europe. I asked him why he...
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Felix Kuffner, is the creator behind "Felix Testet Bikes" and one of Germany's leading cycling content creators. Felix transitioned from racing BMX and working as a marketing manager to building a successful YouTube channel during the pandemic.

In our conversation, we'll explore the business side of content creation in the cycling industry—from monetization strategies and brand relationships to what makes compelling video content th...
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I wanted to sit down with a leader in the industry and talk about the recent developments regarding the tariffs being put in place by the United States. I was really happy to talk with Stijn Vriends, CEO of Vittoria Group. This was recorded on April 10th, just one day after the 90-day pause was announced. I wanted to give just a quick snapshot of this moment in time.

This is a little different than our normal format, but I just want...
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Will Fripp is a UK industry veteran with decades of experience across all segments of the cycling business. Will's journey spans from his early days working at bike shops and Evans cycles to leadership roles at Madison, the UK's largest distributor and Shift Active Media.

He is now the head of Extra UK, one of the country's premier cycling distributors, and Will offers unique insights into the evolution of the industry, particularly...
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My conversation with David Millar revealed the fascinating journey of this former professional cyclist turned entrepreneur. Based in Girona, Spain, David openly shared his path from professional cycling to founding the clothing brand CHPT3.

With his Scottish roots and formative years spent in Hong Kong, David spoke candidly about the challenges of transitioning from professional cycling to becoming a small business owner. 

Our conver...
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Max Von Singer is the founder of Berlin-Based Bicycle Brand Standert. From its humble beginnings as a small bike shop café during the fixed gear boom of the early 2010s, Standert has grown into a respected European cycling brand with a loyal following.

Max, along with his wife and co-founder Ana, share their journey from selling 50 track bikes to developing a full lineup of premium bicycles, all while maintaining an organic, design-...
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Diego Colosio is one of the most experienced sales executives in the cycling business today. Diego's journey spans over three decades from building frames in a small Lombardi area workshop to leading global sales for iconic brands like 3T, Cinelli, Colnago, Bianchi, and now Pinarello. 

We explore his remarkable career, the evolution of the industry and his unique perspective on leadership shaped by his philosophy of being "The owner...
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Nicoletta Sartore is the CEO of Elite. Elite was founded in 1979 by her father Amerigo and has grown from a small family business to a global leader in cycling equipment while maintaining its Italian roots. From its headquarters in Fontaniva, Italy, Elite combines innovation with tradition.

Nicoletta shares her remarkable story of navigating Elite through COVID-19, where their indoor training products became central to both the indu...
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Stefano Migliorini was a professional bike racer in Italy and BMX World Champion in 1986. He was one of the pioneers of downhill mountain bike racing in Italy.

Stefano had a successful 20 year career in the bicycle industry working with top brands like Cinelli, Kona bikes and Marzocchi suspension.

A turning point in his life came when he met Livio Suppo, who was the Moto GP team manager for Ducati, and they became mountain biking par...
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Piet van der Velde is a veteran product developer and entrepreneur in the cycling industry. His fascinating journey began as a competitive cyclist in the Netherlands before he became one of the industry's most respected product innovators, ultimately founding the premium components brand ERE Research.

Having worked with major brands like Specialized, Cannondale, and Velo, Piet offers invaluable insights into how cycling products are...
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2024 has been an amazing year and I want to thank everybody that has a subscribed and listened to as well as the guests that came on to the show. We've had some amazing growth and we couldn't have done it without all of you. I also wanted to take a minute and just look back at some of the conversations that we had over the course of the year. Thanks everyone again for supporting the podcast and we look forward to a really successfu...
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 Wolfgang Hohmann is the founder of Wolfi's bikes in the United Arab Emirates. From selling bikes from a corner of his brother's garage in Germany's black forest to building one of the middle east's most prestigious cycling retail operations, Wolfi's story is a testament to the power of persistence. 

What started as a side hustle while working as a chef eventually grew into a cycling empire that caught the attention of the UAE Royal...
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Nicolò Ildos is a seasoned industry veteran who has worked for some of cycling's biggest brands, including FIZIK, Campagnolo, and Pirelli.

In the episode, we dive into the intricate world of sports marketing in professional cycling.  From his early days as an amateur racer and product tester to global sports marketing manager, Nicolo shares his insights on what makes successful sponsorships work. The complexities of world tour team ...
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Claudio Masnata is the Global Marketing Manager at Bianchi. We dive deep into one of cycling's most iconic brands, from his early days as a competitive cyclist to leading marketing at the 140-year-old brand, Claudio shares fascinating insights into managing the iconic brand in the digital age. We explore the delicate balance between tradition and innovation, the challenges of expanding into new markets, and how data-driven decision...
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GFNY is the world's largest endurance sports marathon series with over 30 events held in 15 countries.

The story of Ulrich Fluhme and his wife Lydia starting the GFNY is nothing short of remarkable. Uli had a job in finance at a Swiss bank in Manhattan. When he and his partner Lydia literally took a leap into the abyss when they decided to start the GFNY.

This Is a tale of two highly driven people who had a vision to bring the Italia...
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