Faster, always faster

Anyone with an interest in bikes knows that Cervélo was founded in 1995 by Phil White and Gérard Vroomen. However, the duo had been working together behind the scenes for many years before that.

‘Actually, “studying” is probably a more accurate way to describe what they were doing,’ says Sean McDermott, Cervélo’s director of projects. ‘Gérard was making a carbon frame as an engineering project at McGill University in Canada. He crossed paths with Phil, a fellow student engineer who shared his interest in bikes, so he jumped into the project. They were both interested in TT bikes, but thought like engineers using data to inform design, rather than constraining themselves to what bikes were generally supposed to look like at the time.’

Evidence of this analytical approach is displayed in the brand’s name. Cervélo is a portmanteau of cervello, the Italian word for brain, and vélo, the French for bike. Looking at the industry at the time, the pair recognised they had an opportunity to disrupt a market that was still wedded to the status quo of round-tubed steel bikes.

‘This led to their first design, the Baracchi,’ says McDermott. The bike is well