CUSANO MILANINO, Italy (BRAIN) De Rosa, a name long associated with pro tourracing, hopes to stage a win in the global market as it gets a financial andmanagement boost from an investor group that includes industry veteran AndrewHerrick.

De Rosa's footprint in the U.S. market is scarce despite the brand'spopularity in the 1980s. "But there's always opportunity for a small brand in thisage of niche brands," Herrick said Tuesday. He is a managing director at OutdoorCapital Partners (OCP).

While Herrick acknowledged that the global market for road bikes is in aswoon, a small company like De Rosa often can be nimbler than its largercompetitors. "We're not so worried about the macro economics of the industry,"he said.

Next year De Rosa will also return to the pro tour with a teamannouncement expected soon. Herrick pinned some of De Rosa's future growth onwhat appears to be a thriving market in Europe and North America for gravelbikes, gravel events and gravel racing.

A few days ago, Cristiano De Rosa brought a prototype gravel bike into theMilanino office to show his 85-year-old father, Ugo, the company's founder.

"What's this?" Ugo asked.

"It's a gravel bike," Cristiano said.

Ugo quickly quipped,"It's a bike. We've raced on gravel for years."

The company will continue to be led by Ugo's sons, Cristiano and Danilo.Ugo comes to the office every day and still reads the Gazetta dello Sport in thecompany's showroom. He remains chairman. His three grandsons also work at De Rosa.

Ugo, an amateur racer but a professional builder, founded the company in1953. He has built bicycles for some of pro racing's most famous names, and hisbikes have been ridden to victory at the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and theWorld Championships.

"De Rosa stands for quality, design and innovation, providing bikes for someof the best riders in history," Ugo De Rosa said in a statement. The investmentcapital and management skills Outdoor Capital brings to De Rosa marks a newstage in the company's development, he added.

Currently, some of the company's carbon bikes are made in China withsome assembly done in Taiwan. They are painted and finished in Italy. The remainder are manufactured in Italy, including The King, a carbon road bike. The company's e-road bike uses an Asian carbon frame but is fully assembled in Italy.

The company offers frames in carbon, steel, scandium and titanium.

Outdoor Capital Partners is a boutique investment firm with offices inLaguna Beach, California, and Denver. The company's principles includeEric Horton, formerly Giro Sport Designs' creative director, and MichelleVanGilder, who managed demand planning, sourcing and supply chain logistics forthe Rossignol Bike Group's Felt brand. Sam Mancini, who has worked with Apple,Cisco, Oracle and others, is a specialist in acquisitions, corporate turnarounds andinfrastructure reorganization.

Herrick was a co-founder of Pedro's and later joined GT as a vice president.He has been CEO of Crank Brothers and later was CEO at Intense. He also hasserved on a number of boards, including Selle Royal.

Read this article:
US investment company teams up with De Rosa as it returns to pro tour in 2020 - Bicycle Retailer