In February 2022 I visited the Wilier Triestina headquarters and factory in Rossano Veneto, Italy. Marketing manager Mattia Polombini showed me the factory where the Wilier high-end bikes are made such as the Rave SRL gravel bike that I will be riding my races on and the Filante SLR road bike. Both composed by master builders Enrico and Paulo. They also gave me a glimpse into the rich history of Wilier since 1906 with a tour of the Wilier Museum. The company name originated as an acronym for the phrase “W l’Italia liberata eredenta”, where the W is an abbreviation for “Viva!” (Long live Italy, liberated and redeemed). Triestina comes from the name of the city of Trieste. When Wilier was founded, Trieste was not part of Italy.
Wilier caused a furore with victories of Fiorenzo Magni in the Giro d’Italia in 1948 and 1949. ‘Il Parate’ Marco Pantani cycled the Tour de France on a Wilier in 1997. From 2018 till 2021, Wilier Triestina supplied bikes to the Team Total Énergie UCI Pro Continental road racing team and since 2020 to Astana Pro Team.
I am honoured to represent Wilier Team at this year’s UCI World Gravel Tour.
