Desire: Passoni Fidia Milano-Sanremo
Milan-Sanremo, known locally as La Classicissima, often sets the stage for epic escapes, daring feats and biblical weather. Filippo Pozzato’s own escapades in the 2006 edition inspired Italy’s young and old alike, as well as the master craftsmen of the region, Passoni included.
Passoni’s Atelier in Lombardy has, for more than 30 years, produced artisanal frames from cycling’s most exotic metal, titanium, but Pozzato’s historic victory in Sanremo led Passoni to create something a little different.
Fidia is Passoni’s flagship race bike, using a proprietary carbon-titanium filament to capitalise on the ride characteristics of both. No longer must you choose between the comfort of titanium and the strength-to-weight ratio of carbon. Fidia weaves the two together in an impressive display of craftsmanship that only the finest hand-made bicycles can achieve.
To celebrate the sadly postponed 2020 edition of Milan-Sanremo, Passoni have produced a limited edition Fidia, a touching tribute to the great Monument, with the course displayed proudly on the downtube, dashes of gold and a suitably lavish build. As a nod to the then-25 year old Pozatto’s youthful triumph at La Classicissima, only 25 of the bikes have been produced with each set to cost €25,000.
Naturally, Passoni want to ensure that only the best components dress this super-limited frame and each Fidia Milano-Sanremo will be equipped with a choice of pro-level groupset, enhanced with Ceramicspeed pulley wheels, a gold TiN chain and finished with carbon accoutrements from THM, co-branded with Passoni. That means their beautiful Clavicula carbon chainset and matching bar and stem. As for wheels, you’ve got a choice of hubs, between the top-of-the range option from Passoni or Gokiso, paired with tubeless super-light rims from Xentis.
With their Atelier in Milan at the heart of the crisis in Europe, Passoni have seen the devastating effects of Covid-19 firsthand. To help their inundated local health service, they have generously offered one of the 25 Fidia Milano-Sanremo bikes to benefit CESVI – one of the largest humanitarian organisations in Italy, with 30 offices worldwide.
The donation will help them purchase equipment for the intensive care unit of Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo and support vulnerable over-65s in the Bergamo and Milan regions. To visit the auction and support this fine cause, click through here.
Monica Lucarelli, CEO of Passoni, says: “We have tried our best to keep production going but had to shut down operation at our Atelier a couple of weeks ago; clearly the impact to our business will not be insignificant. Nevertheless as a Benefit Company, at Passoni, we take very seriously our role in the community, and our sustainable and charitable approach to how we do business will continue being the foundation of our ethos.”
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