“I’ve been riding since I was about three years of age. Until about 17 or 18, I used to race strictly on an amateur level.

I went to University and did other things… I didn’t ride a bike seriously for about 20 years.

And then, in my mid to late 30s, I rediscovered the passion of cycling… I joined the Italo Australian Cycling Club, and I’ve continued to ride since then.

I’ve known about Giovanni Battaglin for many years. I’ve always been passionately interested in the history of cycling.

Last year, I was here in Marostica with a very good friend of mine, Gino Carmelli, and Gino’s even more passionate about cycling than I am.

And he said, ‘Let’s go visit the Battaglin factory’. So we came here, we met Alessandro, we met Giovanni, and we toured the Officina.

I walked out and said to Gino, ‘I’m going to buy a bike’! And that’s basically how it all started.”

“The degree of professionalism I encountered during the entire experience was wonderful”

“I must confess that I was amazed, pleasantly amazed by the entire experience.

I’ve traveled back and forth between Australia and Italia for 30 years. And it’s fair to say that, from an Anglo-Saxon perspective, the Italian bureaucracy and the Italian method of business can be challenging.

But the degree of professionalism and experience that I encountered here was wonderful. Both Alessandro and Dario were very, very responsive. I’d send an email, and I’d have a response overnight.

If there were things that we needed to discuss through WhatsApp video calls, I could speak with Alessandro, and everything was sorted.

I ordered the Super Record Campagnolo Wireless because I’ve always ridden Campagnolo, and I will always ride with Campagnolo. There’s no other groupset to me.

Even though I understand that they’re incredibly difficult to obtain at the moment, Alessandro was able to work miracles.

“During my first ride with the Power+ EVO, I was hitting descents at 70-75 Km/h, descents that I’d never do that quickly on a carbon bike”

“A few days ago, on the 2nd of October 2023, I took delivery of the bike. I came here at the allotted time of 5:00 on Monday afternoon, and the bike was there, ready.

The next day, yesterday morning, I went out for my first ride.

I’ve been very lucky to have ridden many different bikes, and I’ve got a number of different bikes.

It’s a bone of contention between me and my wife. I ride a steel bike, a couple of carbon bikes, and a titanium frame made by an artigiano from this area.

It’s a handmade titanium frame, and I thought that it was the bike the best bike I’ve ever had… But the Battaglin is the best bike.

When you’re climbing, and you get out of the saddle and start reefing, there is an immediate power transfer to the road. It is so efficient.

You can feel the power going through the bottom bracket and going directly to the wheels.

The thing that I find incredibly amazing is the handling.

In this part of the Veneto, they are blessed with wonderful descents, good roads, nice open curves… The Battaglin handles like it’s on rails.

If you hit a little bump in the road on my carbon bike, it’ll jump. The Battaglin doesn’t. It’s steady.

If you don’t know a corner, you’ll back off. You might even hit the brake, and if you hit the brake, obviously, the bike will sit up.

With the Battaglin. I wasn’t breaking. I was pushing it and just seeing how far I can take it into a curve… And it just tracks beautifully.

I was hitting descents at 70-75 Km/h, descents that I’d never do that quickly on a carbon bike because I don’t know the roads.

Here, even though I didn’t know the roads, I felt comfortable with the bike.

The disc brakes are awesome. It’s my first experience with disc brakes, I’ve only ever ridden mechanicals, but I’m a convert.”

“The finish is amazing: with the autumnal sun, the bike was just glowing”

“The finish is absolutely amazing.

When I rode out yesterday, it was very early, around 7:30-7:45… And at this time of year, it’s that sort of autumnal sun, which is very warm.

Because of the color which I have chosen, which is an orange but it’s not an orange, it’s more of bronze, I think, the bike was just glowing.

And I did notice that all the cyclists coming in the opposite direction were all turning because it’s a fairly striking bike; the level of detail is lovely.

My father-in-law was a Fitter and Turner in a boiler maker, so I know a little bit about metal work.

The brazing, the welding is spotless.

You can virtually not see the welds… As a piece of art, as something to put up on the wall, you can do that with a Battaglin.

Personally, I would never do that because it’s a work of art to be ridden and to be used. But aesthetically, it’s lovely.”