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In the spring of 1989, I graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in Fine Arts, and received a grant 
to attend the INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONFERENCE ASPEN.

That year’s theme was “The Italian Manifesto: The Culture of Nine Hundred and 
Ninety Nine Cities”.

Among the many Italian design luminaries 
who presented were Achille Castiglioni, 
Ettore Sottsass, Italo Lupi, Aldo Rossi, 
Gianfranco Ferré…

…and Antonio Colombo. 

Colombo’s father, Angelo, started a tubular steel manufacturing company he named COLUMBUS TUBI in 1919. 

While it was originally known for producing remarkable modern furniture, it would soon go on to supply the tubes for the most beautiful, sought-after racing bicycles in the world. 

As an Italian, a design freak, and an avid cyclist, I made sure I was in the crowd on 
June 16th, 1989, to hear Antonio discuss 
the line of futuristic racing bicycles he had developed - dubbed CINELLI LASER - at 
his lecture, “The Italian Bicycle Between Dream and Reality.”

In 1979, Antonio acquired Cinelli Bicycles from the founder, Cino Cinelli - himself a legendary professional road cyclist and a pioneering bicycle manufacturer who fundamentally transformed modern cycling technology.

The CINELLI LASER project once again revolutionize cycling.  These inconceivably brilliant, beautiful, radically aerodynamic 
track bikes became the dominant force in Olympic and World Championship Cycling, 
winning 28 gold medals.

Colombo is quite literally a Renaissance Man; amongst his many remarkable achievements, in the mid-1980s, he gave his friend Keith Haring a Cinelli Mountain Bikes, and Haring returned the favor by hand-painting 
a Cinelli Laser for Colombo.

This past Monday, June 14th, I met Signore Colombo at his art gallery in Milano; I wasn’t sure if we were going to just chat for 
5 minutes, but when he invited me to stop by, it was - as we Italians say - an offer 
I couldn’t refuse. 

We spoke for 5 hours... and it was definitely worth the 37-year wait. 

📷 courtesy of @cusatellite

#meetyourheroes
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