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Three years after selling his stake in Cervélo – the high-end road bike manufacturer he co-founded – Dutch engineer and inventor Gerard Vroomen has teamed up with 3T CEO René Wiertz to acquire all shares in bicycle component maker 3T.
“It gives me great pleasure to tell the world that Gerard has agreed to join me as a partner in 3T," said René Wiertz. "We’ve grown into a very successful company in the last few years and Gerard will support us to continue on this path.
“He will help us to develop even more original high-end bicycle components and he will inspire and coach our young engineers to do even better. His experience in building Cervélo and as a long-time 3T customer will also ensure we address the needs of our OEM and aftermarket customers even better.”
Vroomen added: “3T is one of the true originals of the bike industry, its inventions and designs have shaped our sport for more than 50 years. 3T has always been on my – very short – list of favourite companies so I was thrilled when this opportunity arose.
"I’ve known René since he resurrected 3T in 2007 and I really like his professionalism and work ethic. He’s done an exceptional job, starting from zero and rebuilding 3T into one of the leading component brands globally. At Cervélo, we were his very first customer and he became one of our most reliable suppliers. That’s not easy in this industry and I know that with René at the helm, 3T will continue to excel in the years to
come.”
Vroomen’s involvement in 3T has no consequences for his work at OPEN, the small, high-end mountain bike company he co-founded with ex-BMC CEO Andy Kessler in 2012.
3T Cycling was founded in 1961. The brand has a design studio in Brembate, Italy and engineering office in Taichung, Taiwan. i-ride distributes 3T to the UK cycle trade.
