Dia 7 Treviso and Pinarello

Today we had the opportunity to visit one of the finest bicycle manufactuing facilities in the world, the Pinarello plant (www.pinarello.com) in Treviso Italy. Our group was given a tour by Andrea, Chiara, and her faithful companion Duplo Pinarello. The company has a rich family history which continues to this day and is a great source of pride for those who work at the plant. Pinarello makes and distributes about 10,000 bikes a year. The majority of the bikes stay within Italy, but there is a respectable market for Pinarello in both the United States and Japan. Quailty is a conerstone of the Pinarello company. This was quite evident in our tour from the shipping, painting, designing, and building of each and every Pinarello bike. Yet, Pinarello does more than just make bicycle frames. The company also sponsors several mens and womens teams and sponsors a popular Gronfondo each summer.

In addition to the impressive and beautiful bicycles that Pinarello builds, there is another more important reason that I gained respect for the company. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, Andrea and Chiara treated our U of M group with the highest level of respect, patientce, and dignity. It was most evident that personal connection, in addition to quality, are pillars of the Pinarello business. Although many of our group members were unfamiliar with the comany before the tour, Andrea and Chiara were most kind with their explinations and their time. It was truly an honor to be in the factory and to meet the family members who are responisble for the reputation of such an elite company. My sincere thanks go to both Andrea and to Chiara for our experience today.

Ciao!
Bud Trnka
U of M Kinesiology undergraduate student