 | Back in 1958 Alfredo Gios, with just eighteen years old, starts to work in the family business founded ten years before by his father, Tolmino, that had been an excellent professional cyclist participating to several important races and having being selected as member of the Italian National Team during the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. |
| Tolmino Gios |
The turning-point of the company came in November 1971,
when Alfredo Gios met Mr. Giorgio Perfetti, owner of the world
famous chewing-gum brand “Brooklyn”, during the Cycle show in Milan,
where Gios was exhibiting the new bicycle model “Easy Rider”.
Right after seeing it, Giorgio Perfetti ordered immediately 100 units of this style for a Lucky Draw organized by his company.
Right after seeing it, Giorgio Perfetti ordered immediately 100 units of this style for a Lucky Draw organized by his company.
The following year, Brooklyn decided to create and sponsor a new top level professional cycling team and, considering the excellent personal and business relationship existing between Alfredo and Giorgio, the company Gios was called to be the technical supplier delivering the racing bicycles to the whole team.
On the 4th of August of 1972, an official sponsoring agreement was signed between Alfredo Gios and Giorgio Perfetti, giving birth for 5 years (1973-1977) to one of the most successful professional cycling teams ever existed: the “Brooklyn” team, home to a never ending list of champions. One name above all “Roger De Vlaeminck, winner of: Milano-Sanremo, Parigi-Roubaix, Giro delle Flandre, Giro di Lombardia, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Freccia Vallone, Paris-Brussels Milan-Torino, Campionato di Zurich, Het Volk, Tirreno-Adriatico, Giro di Svizzera etc.
... and then Sercu, Panizza, De Muynck, Osler, Lualdi, Passuello!
Many victories, one colour - GIOS BLUE!
Alfredo Gios decided that they needed a special colour,
which went well with the “Stars and Stripes” designed jerseys of the Brooklyn cycling team.
So after many attempts, the unique electric, vivid, almost surreal “Gios Blue”
was born which has since become famous all over the world and an important part
of professional cycling history.
In 1978, Alfredo Gios signed a contract with Gustav Janssens, owner of a Belgian Ice Cream Factory. Then the official press presentation of the great Didi Thurau, who was to represent GIOS with the “Ijboerke-Gios” professional team. The following years would see many famous victories featuring two of the greatest GIOS bikes of the past: Aerodynamic and Professional.
In 1980 during the month of August, Alfredo, while visiting a Dutch dealer, meets Mr. Francois Vermeer, a patron deeply fond of cyclism and in a very short time they set up the basis of a new important pro-team "VERMEER-THIYS-GIOS" Great champions such as Michel Pollentier, winner of one "Giro d'Italia" are among the cyclists of this team that also has as testimonial an "exceptional model", Fons De Wolf, who wins in 1981 the Milano-Sanremo.
Then in 1989, Alfredo Gios renewed its cooperation with professional
cycling teams like “Jolly Componibili Club ‘88” featuring star riders such as Visentini, Leali and Colage.
In 1991, the super champion Stephen Roche chose the “Blue Bikes” for his exploits, and to this day the rider still has a close relationship with Alfredo, even after the end of his career.
(Picture - Alfredo and Stephen Roche representing GIOS at Anaheim Interbike exhibition, Los Angeles 1995)
1994-1999: these are the 6 seasons of the unforgettable KELME cycling team with superb champions that have honoured the GIOS brand with their victories. Escartin, Heras, Cubino, Dominguez, Edo, "Chepe" Gonzalez, Botero, Sevilla, Rubiera...
Great challenges and fantastic cyclists, and particularly to remember the Fernando Escartin podium at the 1999 edition of the TOUR DE FRANCE.
A new champion in GIOS history: Ivan Quaranta!
The “cheetah” shows his incredible power in the final 200 metres
by winning two stages of the 2001 Giro d’Italia and many other races.
(Picture: Alfredo with Ivan Quaranta)
1999, 2000, 2001: three years with one of the strongest ever Portuguese teams: MAIA MILANEZA. Great successes and enormous satisfactions for the GIOS brand.
In the picture: Alfredo during the official presentation press conference in 2001 surrounded by the star athletes of the Team: Angel Edo, Melchor Mauri, Claus Moller, Fabian Jeker.
During the month of October of 2004 the opportunity of creating a new pro-team, with the GIOS brand as technical supplier, takes shape. Shortly afterwards the RELAX pro-cycling team is born and it will be using the GIOS "Blue Bikes" for 3 seasons. Excellent cyclists like Sevilla, Mancebo, Santi Perez, Moreno are among the stars of this team which will be managed by Jesus Suarez Cueva, a former Kelme team champion in the 80's and a personal friend of Alfredo (in the picture: Xavier Tondo)
2010: An historical brand toward the new century
This year represents a new milestone and turning point for the "Blue Bikes brand" as Alfredo signs a strategic agreement with a Top Japanese Company in order to strengthen and spread even more the presence of the GIOS brand worldwide: new innovative models 100% styled and designed in Italy with the support of a Osaka based international sales office, now moved to Hong Kong for logistic and commercial reasons.
From this new joint-venture the GIOS of the 21st century is born in order to serve even more and better than before all the needs of the nowadays consumers worldwide.
