“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible”…. (TE 
Lawrence)…. this we did and out of it came Gruppo Sportivo Coritani.
Motivated by cycling’s roots and history in Italy; using the iconic Maglia Nera jersey (“last man on the road”) from the Giro d’Italia as inspiration for the original black of the GS Coritani kit, taking our club name from the ancient British tribe, the Coritani… a collection of like minded people who shared the same outlook on life under Roman rule in the area surrounding Lindum Ratae (close to modern day Leicester) and rounding of the circle by combining the Red, White and Green of the Leicester University with the very same colours of the Tricolore… summer 2010 saw that initial dream become a reality and the launch of Gruppo Sportivo Coritani.
So, there’s the history lesson.; now the current stuff!… The GS Coritani kit carries these club “rules:”
-our combined St.George’s Cross/ Tricolore shield is underlined by the word “Corriamo” … We Ride
-the rear of the collar carries the wording “Moda Sopra Sostanza” – “Style Over Substance”….which can be read as:
-espresso – essential… Americano/cappuccino acceptable, but NO to lattes! We are powered by Big Maggys coffee (go to www.bigmaggys.com and enter in “cafecoritani” at the checkout section to get 15% discount on their great coffee)
-if in doubt ride Italian…or at least aspire to that -being well dressed on the bike is as important as being 1st…if you can win and look good …ottimo!
-pasta not pasties…carbos not fat!
-independent bike shops not chains, as long as they remember that the customer is king; the longer established, the better
and always remember…“non sei veloce come sembrai”… learn this and shout it out loudly to those cyclists who fail to acknowledge you on the road…“you’re not as fast as you look”
IT IS WITH A GREAT DEAL OF PRIDE THAT, AS OF AUTUMN 2011 WE WELCOME ON BOARD THE GREAT CLAUDIO CHIAPPUCCI AS THE HONORARY CLUB CHAIRMAN – IL PADRONE!
Courtesy of our links with Flavio Zappi, Claudio agreed to be the Honorary Club Chairman and in doing so, allow GS Coritani to use his name to help raise awareness of the CRY Charity and to spread the word for quality medical testing of young athletes; as part of this, Roger has arranged for Flavio’s 2012 team to be tested in the pre-season to ensure they, like all young cyclists in Italy and elsewhere in Europe are cleared and fit for racing. We look forward to meeting with Claudio, presenting him with club kit in 2012 and hopefully enjoying a ride or two next season….assolutamente brillante!!
CLUB BACKERS:
Need to make mention of the generous backing supplied by the sponsors featured on the GS Coritani club kit:
Cardiac Risk in the Young a.k.a CRY (www.c-r-y-org.uk) – founded in 1995 to raise awareness of conditions that can lead to Sudden Cardiac Death and Sudden Death Syndrome (SCD/SDS/SADS) – GS Coritani proudly carry the logo of the CRY organisation in memory of Jack Maddams, son of Roger, one of the original Coritani…many events to ride or already ridden and will aim to raise further funds for the CRY charity
Black Mirror Ltd (http://blackmirrorltd.wordpress.com) – financial directorship, management, company secretarial and consultancy services for the social housing sector. Extensive experience within a variety of social housing providers, ranging from 20,000 to 400 units. Treasury, business plan modelling, governance, IT and human resources expertise.
Chemlink (www.chemlink.co.uk) –offers an application and formulation led approach to chemical distribution, backed by a comprehensive product range from a wide range of global manufacturers, bringing innovative products and chemistry to customer’s products.
J1 Technologies (www.j1technologies.com) – manufacturers of a range of surfactants and formulated products which are used in a wide variety of domestic, institutional and industrial applications, specialising in designing surfactants and formulations to meet individual customer requirements across a wide spectrum of industry.
Gregario Ltd - A newly founded company trading in all things Italian; right down to the mini tricolore which forms part of the company logo.
Big Maggys: Great rider, great coffee, great cafe, great kit…and they all came over from Jersey to ride the Pearson 150. Chapeau! http://www.bigmaggys.com/
CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Owning and riding in the GS Coritani kit makes you a member of the family. Contact Roger or Mark for details on Sportives/events we plan to ride and any other planned club trips/ group rides.
CLUB CYCLING KIT
The GS Coritani kit was designed by Melissa based on ideas from Mark and after initally being supplied by Endura, for 2012 and beyond the kit will be manufactured by “One-11″ a small family run company in Lombardia. Kit is available in traditional short-sleeve & long-sleeve jerseys and bib-shorts – other kit is subject to minimum order levels - from 2012 there will be only one version of the club kit… a predominanlty black kit with tricolore vertical highlights and script GS Coritani logos- pricing guide listed under the Club Colours page (pricing listed on the kit, we do have some limited stock so please email and ask….if the items are not in stock we do aim to order at least once per season so it shouldn’t be long before we can supply you with some kit!!) Every jersey we sell equates to a donation to the Cry charity.
RACE/SPORTIVE/EVENTS UP-DATES:
The Events page accessed from the top bar of the site will carry links to events that someone/somewhere in the world will be riding in wearing the GS Coritani colours…. Following on from events we will post timings/results (unless they are so bad that they undermine even the most stylish rider lacking any substance at all.) As Henry Ford said….”Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t…you’re right”…so don’t hold back on entering Sportives/ races, etc., etc! and please email in any photos of yourself riding/training/ sitting in trendy Italian piazza coffee shops/ harassing famous riders, etc., etc here….
LIKE-MINDED SOULS:
Appreciative nods go out to:
Les Veloistes Gentils: an informal gathering of middle aged men who climb aboard the unforgiving saddles of road racing bikes and pedal across challenging countryside, all in the name of charity. http://lesveloistesgentils.wordpress.com
Pearson Cycles: the oldest bike shop in the world, proudly proclaiming “1860, Sutton, Surrey” on the rump of their shorts http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk
Race Scene: One of the best exotic shopping experiences around…Ciocc, Somec, Casati, etc., etc… Campagnolo Pro Shop…worth a trip up North to Barnsley for you Southern Coritani: http://www.racescene.co.uk/
Prendas Ciclismo: specialising in unique, stylish clothing for all cycling uses…if you don’t buy the Coritani kit, buy from Mick & the guys at Prendas. Cannot be beaten on service..and they happen to carry black/tricolore caps and socks to match the Coritani club colours. http://www.prendas.co.uk
Big Maggys: Great rider, great coffee, great cafe, great kit…and they all came over from Jersey to ride the Pearson 150. Chapeau! http://www.bigmaggys.com/
The Italian Cycling Journal: a great on-line read http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/
Retro/Vintage T-shirts from the US http://www.velo-retro.com/T-brands.html - you want a classic musette or iconic t-shirt? Step this way..great service too
Flavio Zappi http://flaviozappi.com/zappis-cycling-club/ UK based ex-pro rider, great club, spirit (and kit!!) – central Oxford cafe and the man behind Zappi’s cycling team/ academy.
The Washing Machine Post – “ramblings, etc…” http://www.thewashingmachinepost.net/
The spirit of the club can also be summed up as:
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realise fishing is stupid and boring” (Desmond Tutu)
“You never have the wind with you – either it is against you or you’re having a good day” (Daniel Behrman)
“Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live” (Mark Twain)
“Una bicicletta non e un giocattolo” (Ernesto Colnago…”A bicycle is not a toy”)
Training “tips”….
“Don’t stand if you can sit, don’t sit if you can lie” – cyclist’s mantra
“To prepare for a race there is nothing better than a good pheasant, some champagne, and a woman” (Jacques Anquetil)
“Guidare la bicicletta, guidare la bicicletta, guidare la bicicletta” – Fausto Coppi’s 3 training tips…..(ride, ride,ride)
And to finish with a prayer, whilst remembering that, cycling is like a church…many attend but few understand…
“And God created the bicycle, so that man could use it as a means for work and to help him negotiate life’s complicated journey….”
From an inscription at the chapel of Madonna del Ghisallo, the cyclist’s chapel above Bellagio, Lago di Como, Italy, always on the route of “il Lombardia”
Mark Kenny & Roger Maddams founded GS Coritani sitting in an airport in June 2010 and are still equally resolutely determined not to grow up since first meeting in October 1980
