Cyclassics – Started from Amsterdam now we are here

Here we are, standing right by the finishing line of the renown Cyclassics Hamburg, one of Europes’ biggest cycling events. The pros are passing by, stop. Better said; the pros are flying by. Elia Viviani sprints his way to his third consecutive victory at this prestigious race, raising both his arms in the air. 

…actually that is the same way we feel right now. 

Three days of straight pitch, interesting chats and loads of sales are over.

Setting up our booth next to established cycling brands like Gore and Rapha is just another highlight of the recently started journey of PIPPO. As we are still flying under the radar of many competitors we won’t be a threat – they thought. However people seem to always be attracted to the most unconventional looking brands. Not being able to set up a complete shop sight like the above-mentioned brands.

Essentially our authentically handcrafted, cozy booth helped us to transmit our image and very young company culture.

Referring to this year’s winner of the race, we also felt like winners seeing a lot of happy people proudly wondering around the sight of the main event in there Pippo Socks. Being  business owners ourselves the feeling of creation is tough to describe. Things you have created from scratch for months, to finally seeing them turning out a success or just a real, tangible product, is just great. In December 2018 we didn’t dare to think about strangers walking around in our product at a major cycling event in our home country. Then things like the following casually happen. See for yourself…

Hamburg is famous for many things, one of them being Elbe and the beautiful “coastal road” Elbchaussee that is taking cyclists through a hilly terrain towards Blankenese, leaving behind the busy streets of the Northern Metropolis. This is exactly what we did after closing our booth. Freeing our minds by pressing those pedals to the ground. When rolling through the beautiful alleys of North Western Hamburg the busy hours of explaining our concept to interested cyclists and enthusiastic tourists were washed away.

A highly recommendable ride in particular at dawn. A quick look across the river to the other side of Elbe reveals what makes one of our highlights when coming back home – the brightly shinning harbor lights. This is where you can experience Hamburg and its industrial charm to the fullest.

We have always been people wanting to give back to society. That is why we decided on selling our pairs of burgundy socks for 12€ a pair, donating 2€ per sale to a children’s hospice in Hamburg-Altona. Being able to donate a 100€ on Monday after the event was not the biggest donation ever, we are well aware of that. But it’s a start. Most importantly we built a relationship with staff and found a partner for a lasting cooperation on a public matter for the greater good. For us the need to share with our neighbors – is a given.

Looking back at three vivid days in Hamburg one can spot big smiles on our faces. As we now realize, more than ever, PIPPO has just experienced it’s lift off. We are working passionately on our new collection to supply you with more quality goods from Amsterdam.

Make cycling great again.

Yours,

PIPPO