Israel-Premier Tech are set to celebrate its Italian sponsor Vini Fantini at this year’s Giro d'Italia with specially designed bikes and kit.
Both the jersey and the Factor OSTRO VAM bike draw inspiration from Vini Fantini’s standing as the largest boutique winery in Italy. The 106th running of the Giro also happens to see the Grande Partenza take place just a few miles down the coast from their hometown of Roseto deli Abruzzi.
Like the production of great wine, timing is everything and the Ostro follows hot on the wheels of Colnago's €22,000 Giro-celebrating gold-leaf coated C68.
(Image credit: Factor)
The Factor OSTRO is Israel-Premier Tech’s aero bike and one they’ll use throughout the race. The special edition frameset features graphics that Factor says “are emblematic of playful spumante bubbles and orderly vineyard rows”, and use colours that represent the deep red of the wine and the aqua blue of the Adriatic Sea; it’s the vineyards close proximity to the sea that helps create the region’s microclimate that’s ideally suited to wine production.
(Image credit: Factor / Israel-Premier Tech)
Likewise, the jersey is a celebration of both the Fantini brand identity and the picturesque backdrop of Abruzzo. Made by Ekoi and designed by Élie Desgreniers of Premier Tech, it uses the rising circular dots seen in Fantini’s effervescent logo alongside the aforementioned colours that sybolise wine and sea.
“We looked at a variety of ideas but it was the Fantini logo and bottle branding with the circular dot and line formation of the logo that really drew my eye, and this was the inspiration for the jersey design,” says Desgreniers.
(Image credit: Factor / Israel-Premier Tech)
It’s not the first time the Israel-Premier Tech team has chosen to honor Vini Fantini at the Giro, wearing a special edition jersey in 2021. However, this year’s proximity to the winery's home region makes this jersey and bike particularly relevant.
“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate our partnership at the Giro d’Italia, particularly with the Grande Partenza in Abruzzo,” said IPT General Manager Kjell Carlström. “When our riders race against the clock on stage 1, they will cross the finish line in Ortona, where the Fantini Group factory and headquarters are located.”
(Image credit: Factor / Israel-Premier Tech)
Israel-Premier Tech will line up for the year’s first Grand Tour with hopes of both contending for the general classification as well as hunting for stages. Its GC ambitions will likely live and die with Domenico Pozzovivo. The 40-year-old climber will be riding in his 17th Giro and will hope to replicate his form of last year that saw him in contention for much of the race before finishing in 8th place.
Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.
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