“We were convinced that for Miche, the only way to grow in terms of image, in terms of perceptions, was to be in the WorldTour,” says Gregory Girard, the not too long ago appointed CEO of Miche, from the corporate’s headquarters simply north of Treviso in northern Italy.
Miche is situated in a space of Italy this is house to one of the crucial global’s best-known motorcycle manufacturers and producers. The Pinarello manufacturing unit is lower than an hour away, for example. The corporate’s origins date again to 1919 and it prides itself on its in-house production. Nearly all of apparatus is manufactured on-site in Italy.
Element sponsor adjustments for groups are introduced each and every wintry weather and initially of each and every new season. Some come and move briefly, and others are a long time outdated. Regardless, it’s thrilling to peer what apparatus groups and riders will use each and every 12 months.
Miche introduced it could turn out to be the wheel sponsor to Groupama-FDJ previous this 12 months, in a deal that can even see them supply different elements to the workforce for the following 3 years. We spoke with CEO Gregory Girard in regards to the logo’s ascendancy to the WorldTour, apparatus manufacturing, checking out and what it method from a industry point of view to supply apparatus to a WorldTour squad.
Groupama FDJ switched from Shimano wheels to Miche for 2025 (Symbol credit score: Getty: Dario Belingheri / Stringer) Forming a brand spanking new partnership
The genesis of the settlement between FDJ and Miche has its origins again in 2022, the 12 months Wilier Triestina bought Miche and the 2 firms introduced a brand new partnership. Girard joined Miche as CEO in Would possibly 2024 after 15 years at Wilier. Each are family-run firms with a wealthy historical past, however Girard defined that whilst Miche’s production excellence was once in position, the emblem had to beef up its profile and advertising methods.
“Miche was a family company. Wilier bought Miche and they decided to help the company grow step by step, without making big changes, without new managers or removing people from the company. So the idea was to say, with our experience, with our people, let’s try to grow Miche as a brand and as a company.”
The producing aspect of the industry was once already sturdy, efforts had been targeting manufacturing, capability and making improvements to such things as the robot CNC machines used to supply elements. Making improvements to the emblem profile got here subsequent, and a dating with a WorldTour workforce to expand merchandise and build up gross sales was once required. Partnering with a WorldTour squad as a wheel producer, alternatively, wasn’t a stroll within the park.
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“We started to have discussions with different teams two years ago. It’s not an easy task, first of all, there are not many WorldTour teams. Many of those teams already have long-term contracts. Some like Specialized, like Trek, Scott, and Cube, have their private brand for wheels, [in-house wheel brands like Roval and Bontrager] so those teams were already excluded from the beginning.
“We centered our efforts at the groups which may be to be had. Then got here the second one factor, of the to be had groups a lot of them are already operating with large manufacturers of wheels. So that you arrive as Miche, because the small one, and also you display your merchandise, you get started to talk about the monetary portions, but it surely was once now not simple.”
Groupama FDJ switched from Lapierre to Wilier bikes in late 2024, but Wilier’s subsequent acquisition of Miche did not automatically throw open the doors to team sponsorship. Girard stresses the value of the continued relationship with Shimano and the team and riders’ reluctance to switch to an unfamiliar product.
“I’ve to mention there was once one of those wall from the workforce. The primary factor was once the truth that Groupama has been operating with Shimano for the reason that introduction of the workforce in 1997 so it was once a 27-year sponsorship, at once with Shimano. The workforce was once pleased with the fabric, pleased with the relationship with the Shimano group of workers, and glad in regards to the beef up. So at that second, they did not see any explanation why to modify to some other logo.”
Wilier’s ownership of Miche helped shape the conversation and Girard himself acknowledges the sponsorship wouldn’t have happened without it. However, the WorldTour is the Formula 1 of the cycling world, and marginal gains have been taken to a different plane entirely in the last few years. Groupama wouldn’t have accepted a lesser product to race on at the sport’s top level.
“They [the team] stated ‘The primary level prior to talking about what you’ll be able to be offering in relation to finance and so forth is that you must display us that your wheels are technically no less than at the similar stage as our Shimano Dura-Ace wheels.’ So this was once the beginning of the method.
“When they asked us to show that the wheels were at least as good as Shimano’s. It was first of all in terms of aerodynamics.
“The second one step, if the primary one was once ok, was once that the wheels could be examined via two riders out of races and blind. The ones two riders had to say that the wheels had been excellent, no less than as excellent because the Shimano ones.”
The riders testing the wheels at first apparently did not know what they were using to avoid any placebo effects or predispositions about a certain brand or product.
Groupama riders examined the Miche wheels within the off season (Symbol credit score: Getty: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)Tech and checking out
Girard explained that wind tunnel testing at the Abus tunnel in Germany combined with real-world riding from two trusted riders with an excellent feel for equipment informed the team’s decision. The wind tunnel testing included testing bikes and wheels, including competitors, as a complete system across a range of yaw (wind) angles, mainly 5-15 degrees.
“In regards to the wind tunnel, we needed to expand a particular product, as a result of to be truthful, with the former product, we had been slightly in the back of Shimano.
“Then with the development of the Kleos RD, our top-level wheel. Our wheels were a bit better in the wind tunnel, with respect to Shimano. The second step was on the road. Test riders tried all three wheel depth profiles, the 36, 50 and 62mm. The riders preferred two of the profiles and thought one didn’t make much of a difference.
“On the time, we knew that Shimano was once now not so glad about it, as a result of they sought after to stick within the workforce. So we had numerous discussions with Shimano to check out to search out an settlement that would are compatible each events.” Girard explained.
An agreement was indeed reached for the team to ride Miche’s wheelsets. The brand will also supply thru-axles, bottom brackets, computer mounts and 60-68 tooth chainrings for time trials – Shimano doesn’t currently offer the very large chainring sizes that are common at WorldTour level, another WordTour team also approached Miche for Shimano-compatible, large-size chainrings over a year ago for this same reason.
Miche recently added a fifth assembly line at its factory to meet the required additional production demands. It manufactures all the hub shells for its wheels in-house and even machines titanium freehub bodies for its top-line Kleos range, Girard explains the right tooling is needed to machine the hard titanium material. Aero-bladed spokes are also shaped in-house by Miche themselves. As for the wheels, the carbon manufacturing is done in Asia, but Miche uses its own moulds, All assembly is then taken care of in Italy at the factory.
Miche is growing new wheelsets for the approaching years (Symbol credit score: Getty: Dario Belingheri / Stringer)A calculated funding
If a team is happy with a prospective sponsor product, the second part of the equation is calculating – or at least trying to anticipate – the return a brand can expect to see on its investment as a result of increased exposure and brand awareness.
It’s been the same for a long time in cycling, people generally want to use or are at the very least interested in what the pros race on.
“Step one was once to make a calculation of the entire value of the funding after which to make other industry plans. What about if the primary 12 months we promote 1% extra of this class of product. What about if we promote 10% extra of this class of product? We predict to promote extra wheelsets, we additionally be expecting that the visibility of Miche as a logo will lend a hand us to promote extra cassettes, extra backside brackets, and extra laptop holders.
“We had to make all the calculations to understand where the break-even point is. How much do we need to sell to at least cover the cost, how much do we need to sell to see the benefits, or for instance when will we need to invest in another machine if our production capacity is not enough.” Girard defined.
Miche produced two industry plans for the approaching years, one factoring within the funding of supplying a WorldTour workforce and one with out. Girard stresses the wish to make a thought to be, managed funding. In 2024, the corporate had a turnover of round 10 million euros, Girard explains a smaller logo like Miche has more room and extra space to develop and construct, while a logo on the peak doubtlessly has a tougher time ultimate successful within the present marketplace.
“We wanted to be safe, we want to be sure that, at the end of the year, if profits are lower, the company remains safe, the company remains healthy, we can keep all employees on board because this is a family company. This is something super important.”
It appears like production skill has at all times been a robust swimsuit for Miche, and the emblem is initially happy with what it nonetheless manufactures in Italy with a personnel of below 50 group of workers.
“We are very proud to have the production in Italy. We are 42 people total, of which 27 are in production. For us, there is no plan to go outside of Italy, for some products [carbon rims] we have suppliers in Asia. We are proud of this ‘Made in Italy’ tag.”
It appears like Miche is already making plans for the long run and growing new wheelsets for the approaching years to stake its declare and rival different large manufacturers. It sort of feels the product issues and their use via one of the crucial quickest cyclists on the earth will now imply no stone is left unturned within the seek for efficiency.
“Now we are looking for every single marginal gain because we can understand how we can improve, how many watts you can save, how many kilometres an hour you go faster. For Miche, our products will be better in the future due to this collaboration.”
