What We’ve Learned

“Every day is a school day,” we used to hear when we were kids. There’s a spark in that eureka moment, something wonderful about being aware that everything is still waiting to be found, that the space for learning is vast and the potential for improvement is endless. This idea is what drives us at Orbea.

One of the projects that challenge and teach us the most is our work with professional teams. In almost 180 years of history we’ve partnered with all kinds of teams at all levels. Our experience tells us that each squad is different and the first challenge is always to adapt.

We’re now entering the second season with Lotto, another team with a long history and extensive experience collaborating with different brands. After a first year of adjustment and getting to know each other, we’ve been able to draw some important conclusions. We had to adapt new communication processes, like scheduling regular meetings and daily conversations.

Xabier Rodrigo, member of our Sponsoring department and one of the main points of contact with the team:
“Behind every project there are people who need time to connect, align their objectives and create the right synergy to make everything run more efficiently. […] Despite the challenge and the pressure we had in the beginning and thanks to the effort of everyone involved we can surely say that we have become a top player in the industry in terms of communication.”

Enol Costales, Road Tech Sponsoring, has experienced firsthand the high demands of a team like Lotto. There’s no room for error or even the slightest delay in logistics at this level. However, from the very first interactions, the Belgian team understood that they were stepping into a well-oiled machine, which, as Enol explains, has been fine-tuned thanks to joint efforts. The lessons learned during this first year with Lotto have allowed us to implement new processes that have optimized turnaround times and refined our service course.

OOLab, Orbea’s lab of ideas, research and development, has been working at full capacity. Receiving such immediate feedback from a team like Lotto is a privilege, an extraordinary boost to our research and experimentation, but it’s also a tremendous responsibility. Entering OOLab, a kind of operating room, feels like stepping into the future of cycling. By listening to Lotto, we’ve tested, went wrong, built prototypes that failed spectacularly and created wonders that will shape the bikes of tomorrow.

Joseba Arizaga, Road Product Manager, explains how he’s witnessed the results of a healthy obsession with perfection.

Everything we’ve learned during this first year of collaboration with Lotto adds to the feedback we receive every day from our users, ambassadors and current and former teams. These lessons can already be felt, and will continue to be, in the bicycles of the future, which are already in the making.

Marina Arri and Tommaso Patrucco highlight the importance of the Design department in giving birth to the bicycles that the team is riding during this second year with Orbea. For instance, paintwork is far from a minor detail in this project: on the road, weight is a critical factor, and the finishing touches can play a major role in the final outcome. The creative process, from ideas and inspiration to testing, has been an incredible journey and it serves as a calling card for the entire Orbea machine working behind the scenes for Lotto.

Our first season with Lotto has provided us with invaluable insights and has made us much better. Elite cycling doesn’t wait and we are always in the forefront in Orbea, that’s why we never stop learning.