There are professional stories that end up on a contract and others that, instead, become part of a company's history itself. That of Ermanno Leonardi undoubtedly belongs to the second category. For 36 years he was the central pillar of Specialized Italy, contributing to the growth and establishment of the American brand in our country, from 1989 as head of Southern European markets, to the birth of the Italian subsidiary in 1993 until September 30, 2025, when he left his role as CEO to dedicate himself to well-deserved retirement after years of extraordinary service.

But when cycling truly enters your life, it's hardly possible to set it aside. And so, even after officially leaving Specialized, Leonardi has continued to be a presence and a point of reference for the Italian cycling movement. After all, his story is deeply intertwined with that of the brand founded by Mike Sinyard in 1974, a company born from a tire and that over the years became one of the most important names in world cycling. With Sinyard, Leonardi shared a significant part of this journey, accompanying Specialized through its evolution in product, innovation, marketing and competitions.

Today, in Montreal, just hours before the men's road race at the World Championships, we find him in a new role: that of the Italian national team, following the National team led by president Cordiano Dagnoni. A different jersey, but with the same passion for a world that has represented much of his professional life. From Specialized's history to today's cycling, from experiences alongside Mike Sinyard to his relationship with competitions and the Italian movement: on the eve of the Montreal World Championships, we spoke exclusively with Ermanno Leonardi for Tuttobiciweb to retrace some pages of a story that, despite leaving his role as CEO, is far from its final chapter.

Ermanno, you dedicated 36 years of your life to Specialized, accompanying its growth in Italy since the birth of the subsidiary in 1993. What is the memory, the moment or the lesson that you carry with you more than any other from this long journey?
«Certainly I learned the culture of discipline, because without passion you don't go anywhere. Especially in a job like ours, but it applies to pretty much all jobs. I also learned to surround myself with collaborators who had the same mentality as me. It's something I learned from Mike Sinyard and that I then tried to bring into Specialized Italy. For me it has always been fundamental to work as a team, to work as a squad and not as individual individuals. Marketing decisions, investments, commercial decisions, in my opinion, must be made together. It's a bit what Americans call "line of one": once a decision is made, you push it forward all together, to the end, at least as long as it works well. And then there's passion. If you like cycling, it doesn't mean you have to have been a great champion to emerge or excel in this sector. Passion is fundamental. And in our work there are no set hours, just as there often are no weekends».

You shared an important part of this story with Mike Sinyard. What kind of relationship did you build over the years and what did you learn from him and his vision of cycling and innovation?
«From Mike I learned above all to think 360 degrees. He has always had a great vision of the bicycle business. His goal has always been to make the best products to put everyone, from the amateur to the professional, in a position to perform better on a bike. Whether it was a more aerodynamic helmet, more comfortable shoes, more breathable clothing, a more high-performance bicycle... Mike has always had this obsession with technology and product improvement. An obsession - in a good sense - for technology. And then there was the demonstration of this through sport. Today being here at the Worlds and seeing the elite of cycling, with Specialized as one of the most present brands, makes me understand even more how visionary Mike was».

Specialized is a company that has always looked far ahead, but without forgetting its own history. How important is it, in your opinion, for a brand to have memory of its past while continuing to experiment and seek new paths?
«It's very important. Specialized was the first company in the world to have a real wind tunnel at Morgan Hill. It became over the years a point of reference for our riders, to try to improve and perfect the position in the saddle, to test wheels and everything that was needed to go faster. The company was founded in 1974, so today it has 52 years of history. It was born from nothing and today we see the result of 52 years of very well done work. I hope that Specialized can continue to grow like this, with this desire to do research, to innovate and also to look at what was done in the past».

After leaving your role as CEO in September 2025, you have continued to be very present in the cycling world. Did you ever really manage to step away? And what pushed you to remain so close to this environment?
«Passion and many friendships. Today I'm in Montreal with the National team uniform, but I'm not part of the Italian Federation. I'm here as a guest of President Dagnoni to experience another World Championship. Then who knows, maybe one day I'll have a role within the Federation. We'll see. With Specialized Italy, on the other hand, I completely stepped away, because it was the right thing to do. It was right that it moved forward without me, with new people and also with new ideas. After 36 years I think it was the right time to take a step back. But I never really stepped away from cycling. There's passion, friendships and a world that, after so many years, is part of your life».

Today you find yourself in Montreal, on the eve of the World Championships, with a completely different role: that of the Italian national team, alongside the Italian National team. What does it mean to you to experience such an important appointment from this perspective and what changes compared to the major events you experienced for so many years with Specialized?
«Little changes, also because I'm in a hotel with many athletes who have Specialized. It's a bit like being at home. There are so many friends, including Alessandro Ballan, who was our last World Champion, there are S-Racing colleagues... in short, there's really a lot of people I know. Being here today is very beautiful and moving. The organization is impeccable, the weather is wonderful and in the National team you can feel a fantastic atmosphere. So yes, it's a different role, but in the end I always feel inside the world I lived for so many years».

Looking at Italian cycling today, after observing and living it for over thirty years from a privileged position, how do you see it and what do you think are the most important challenges and opportunities for the future?
«We don't have a Pogacar, just as we don't have a Nibali and a Vollering. But we have some very strong young riders. This year, in my opinion, our National team, especially the men's team, is one of the strongest in recent years. We have Trentin and Bettiol, who are riders of great experience, and then Pellizzari and Finn, who are two young talents, but it's a well-blended squad in every component. For Italian cycling it's a difficult moment, but these are cycles that happen to everyone. Even in France many years passed before having Seixas. I believe that more time and more space should be given to riders. It's good to have a Lorenzo Finn at the start of a professional World Championship. You have to give space to young people and especially give them time to grow. I have confidence in our boys. There's great cohesion in the group, among the athletes and the staff, and this makes me very happy. I like being able to experience the National team from the inside and I believe that President Dagnoni, with his staff, is doing great work. Then of course you can always improve».

You have gone through different phases of the bicycle market. How has the market changed and what do you think are the main challenges for the bike industry today? In recent years we have seen a strong acceleration in technology, but also an increase in prices and greater complexity in the offer...
«Before talking about technology, in my opinion there's a price problem. Today bicycles cost too much. Reaching 13,000, 14,000 euros for a bicycle is really a lot of money. As for technology, it's welcome. Everything that serves to improve the product and cycling is good. But there should also be some price moderation, because otherwise you risk reaching saturation and therefore selling less. There are many brands that are in difficulty, and not just in the bicycle market. If we could straighten the course a bit, in my opinion it would be an advantage for everyone. Technology must move forward, but you also have to be careful about how much the market and the consumer can sustain».

And safety?
«Safety is fundamental. Lawyer Balconi is a dear friend and colleague, who has been doing great work on this topic for years, so much so that with Specialized in 2025 we established a collaboration relationship because the company has always been very attentive to this topic and from the start I felt that for us it would be added value. We were the first bike company to have legal protection in case of a cycling accident. I realize that today it has become an increasingly central topic. If we want new talents to grow on road bikes, we need to intervene at the ministerial level too. Today a parent thinks twice before putting a kid on a bike, especially on the road. Here we need the help of CONI, the Ministry and institutions. Because if we want to grow cycling and bring new kids to bikes, we must first of all put them in a position to do so safely».