This chocolate Campagnolo chainset was made especially for Fausto Pinarello when he stayed at the five-star Sofitel St James in London last night after his appearance at Rouleur Live.
Talking to Cycling Weekly at the London Pinarello store this morning and surrounded by high-end bikes including the latest Pinarello Dogma F, Fausto was keen to talk us through the development of the custom confectionary component.
(Image credit: Geraint Thomas)
It was created by the team at the Sofitel St James' Wild Honey restaurant, which has as its head chef Anthony Demetre, who is a massive cycling fan.
The Sofitel St James is one of the partners of the newly founded La Squadra Pinarello owners’ club, which will be run from the Pinarello flagship stores in London and Manchester.
La Squadra members will be able to access community rides including with Team Ineos Grenadiers pros, they will be entitled to wear an exclusive ‘team’ kit made by Kalas, and there will be special social events and discounts with La Squadra partners.
There’s also a companion app that allows members to connect with each other and access road and gravel rides in the UK.
There’s already a similar setup for Pinarello owners in Italy, which reverses the language and is called ‘Il Team’. Fausto Pinarello himself is a regular, including on Zwift.
But back to the cake. Fausto was so taken with it that he messaged a photo of it to Valentino Campagnolo. Proof if any were needed that Campagnolo is the sweetest ride.
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Simon Smythe is a hugely experienced cycling tech writer, who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003. Until recently he was our senior tech writer. In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends most of his time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.
