Everywhere I go at the moment it seems to start raining.
Stockholm was no different. A sunny evening turned into a very soggy morning.
However I had an absolutely delightful breakfast coffee to look forward to at a rather special café on the Stockholm scene,
The Bianchi café.
Italian café, Italian staff, fantastic cappuccino and celeste blue bicycles displayed almost as art. Pictures of some of the great Bianchi riders rotating on an electronic screen in the window.
In the back of the café a very good bike shop selling everything you could wish for to go with your passion – from caps to cufflinks.
The breakfast coffee was all the better because I had it in the company of Tony Gimaldi whose family owns the Bianchi brand. He told me the great story of how his family’s Swedish industrial conglomerate got into the bike business in Sweden but some years later after a number of acquisitions got the chance to buy the struggling Bianchi business.
When he went to Italy to start integrating the business into their other bike businesses Tony not only found his Italian family roots it was very, very clear from his passion that he fell hook, line and sinker for the Bianchi legend. He was great company and I suspect we could have talked for hours had time allowed, especially in that setting.
Any bike nuts going to Stockholm – this is your place.
I Do Not Despair 