You can trace the history of Santini, the jersey manufacturer which turns 60 this year, also AT THIS LINK in the interview from the "courageous captains" series that our director Pier Augusto Stagi conducted fifteen months ago with sisters Monica and Paola Santini. The latter, Paola, marketing director of the Bergamo-based company, can be heard in episode 276 of the BlaBlaBike podcast with plenty of anecdotes. Here is the interview we conducted yesterday with her sister, CEO Monica Santini.

Last Thursday we had the pleasure of attending the opening evening of the Santini: 60 Years of Cycling festival, what remains with you from the evening and how did the festival go?

"From that evening I have many beautiful sensations, shared within the family, and the compliments received both for the party and for the exhibitions and installations we set up. I'm left with the joy of the great participation that evening and the two days that followed. We're thinking of creating a book with all the beautiful messages we received. Friday evening's Gravel Ride and entertainment were very well-attended, the half typhoon on Saturday almost swept us away (smiles, ed.) but we reorganized well by holding the talks inside. We really had a full house!"

Sixty years of the company, 16 with you at the helm: how does it feel to carry on a tradition like that of your father Pietro and mother Maria Rosa, with your sister by your side?

"I feel it as an honor and a responsibility. Paola and I work every day to maintain the values and working method of our parents, a continuous tradition that makes us a highly respected company. Our father is recognized by everyone as a true gentleman and we daughters have taken on the 'mission' of carrying this forward while simultaneously making continuous steps forward: Santini must be a company with a strong past, but that appears modern and attractive."

How do you remain a leading company in the sector, by producing everything locally?

"Let's start with a premise: we interpret our role primarily as employers. When the trend of delocalization emerged, we chose not to follow it. It was a matter of respect for the people who dedicate their working lives to us. Moreover, this allowed us to be flexible and 'visionary' with relative ease when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out: while everyone around us had supply chain problems, we were able to adequately respond to market demands. By maintaining production in Bergamo, we have the advantage of controlling processes from start to finish: maybe we have an idea in the morning, we can immediately develop it in the factory and test it the next day. If you depend on production thousands of kilometers away, this is impossible. At Santini, we have personnel rich in skills, capabilities, dedication and 'attachment to the jersey' that you can only obtain when workers see the unity of purpose and concrete commitment from the company management up close. As long as we have all the elements to do so, we will continue with this advantageous model. The real challenge in this sense is continuing to find the right personnel, because today it is very complex."

Compared to when you entered the company, is it easier or more difficult to create quality cycling jerseys?

"We are dealing with new and different technologies that are more complicated but at the same time make innovation easier. I like to say that we are now constantly in a 'hamster wheel' where it comes naturally to constantly think about something different. It's part of the transformation of society in general and of companies like ours, accustomed to thinking we must do even better than what was done the day before. When I arrived, the activity depended on two or three figures who always had to think about what to create differently. Over the years, together with my sister, we have created an innovation ecosystem within Santini: inputs come from multiple sources, almost automatically. Then yes, the products are more structured and refined, with fabrics that require specific treatments: it' certainly more complex. To those who come to work with us, we say they must 'embrace complexity: if you don't like complexity, this is not your place!'"

What innovations in particular should we expect soon?

"Generally, we focus on 'little pieces of innovation' on products that already exist but which we continuously evolve. A bit like cars, of which periodically updated versions of the same model are released. At the moment, we're building items that are not so instinctively connected to our brand: we've always been about performance, embracing the needs of the 'enthusiasts' and we continue to do this with the usual standards, but we are working in parallel on a new type of consumer who wants to enjoy cycling in a broader sense and needs above all protection and ease of use. So, many projects are simmering simultaneously."

Has cycling become a sport for the rich?

"It costs much more than ten years ago. We try to maintain a good cost-quality ratio, but the more innovative and elaborate the products are, and if you add the increase in labor and raw material costs worldwide, unfortunately prices rise. On the other hand, it's true that there's something for everyone in the market. If you always want only the 'top' product just released, it will cost much more; if you're satisfied with the previous one, you can buy a high-level product while spending less. The 'expensive' also depends on how you interpret it."

Close your eyes, think of the Santini world championship jersey: what's the first image, the first rider that comes to mind?

"The World Championships are perhaps the race I experience with the most emotion, certainly since we started making the 'rainbow jersey' (1988) I've probably missed only three World Championships and could spend twenty minutes pulling out memories. The most impactful name in this historical moment is Tadej Pogacar, but for example, I have a beautiful memory linked to Cadel Evans' victory in 2009 because as Santini we experienced it as the technical partner of the Australian National Team. Same for Peter Sagan's successes as partner of the Slovak National Team. And Oscar Freire's trio immediately comes to mind: he's a true friend who gave his testimony at last Thursday's evening. Finally, I want to mention a woman: Lizzie Deignan. A champion with whom we've collaborated extensively and continue to collaborate, as she races in Lidl Trek. It was precisely the World Champion jersey that put us in contact with her, and between road and track she has collected others, and Santini has become true friends with this truly special girl."