The staff and riders at inGamba are passionate about all things Italian, from the bikes to the cafes to the wine to the roads.
We’re passionate about the food, whether we’re indulging in homemade pasta in a tiny restaurant tucked away in the foothills of the Dolomites or unwrapping an Enervit energy bar in the middle of a mountain climb.
And we’re passionate about the clothing we wear, which is why we’re thrilled to be partnering with the Italian Q36.5.
The luxury cycling clothing brand is not only based in Italy, all of the research and design as well as the manufacturing is done within 350 kilometers of Bolzano in the Dolomites.
Like inGamba’s approach to bike tours, Q36.5 promises the ultimate upgrade in your cycling apparel. The brand blends high-tech performance with luxury to provide the optimal riding experience. The name is based on the brand’s unique approach to what creates the most comfortable, effective riding environment for you, namely, your body temperature. That’s where the name comes from: All Q36.5 technology works to help you maintain the optimal body temperature of 36.5°C, whether that means keeping you warmer in the winter or cooling you in the summer.
Founder Luigi Bergamo is also the head of research and development at Q36.5: In addition to the name being based on the optimal body temperature for performance, the Q stands for ‘Quarere’ which is Latin for ‘researching.’ Bergamo’s decades of work in the cycling industry led him to founding the company in 2013 with the idea of optimizing clothing for all aspects of performance, but specifically, temperature—something no other company was focusing on. “All of our innovations and technologies work towards maintaining a rider’s core body temperature of 36.5C at all times,” he explains.
“It was over 10 years ago now but I still remember the first time I met Luigi,” inGamba founder João Correia recalls. “The thing that struck me right away was his curiosity and his obsession for innovation.”
But the innovation goes beyond temperature control: Every miniscule element is dialed in for performance, comfort and aerodynamics. For example, take Bergamo’s approach to bib shorts: “The UNIQUE Bibs are our award-winning bib tights and the world’s first 3D ergogenic bibs: the panels are woven without seams in a one-piece garment and truly redefine performance cycling wear.”
“No other brand on the market does more for function, fit and quality than Q36.5 and as soon as you put on the Dottore jersey and shorts you can feel how unique it is,” Correia adds. “Then the real magic happens when you hop in the saddle and realize that you’re going to have to change your definition of cycling comfort.”
Q36.5 is constantly innovating, iterating on new fabrics and technologies in the lab in the Dolomites—in fact, 70% of the fabrics found in their collection are entirely proprietary. As they say, they are “always fine-tuning, always testing, always experimenting, always in beta.” They’re never satisfied, always striving to provide an even better riding experience for every type of rider… Which is exactly what makes them the perfect fit for inGamba.
The clothing is designed for all types of riding, whether you want to be as aerodynamic as possible in a time trial, enjoy getting muddy on a rainy gravel ride, or simply want to unwind with temperature-optimizing recovery gear.
The brand has even recently partnered with CORE, a body temperature sensor that many of the top Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes teams are using to monitor the riders’ body temperatures during each stage to adjust their cooling strategies accordingly.
“The curiosity and obsession with performance has turned the cycling clothing market on its head,” says Correia. “Watching the evolution of Q36.5 has been inspiring. It’s always great to see someone challenge the status quo and I love how one person’s creative thinking can end up changing a whole industry.”
According to Luigi, working with InGamba is a dream come true. “When I started Q36.5 11 years ago, I could only have dreamed that one day João and his guests would choose to wear Q36.5. In my mind, it has always been the dream of all genuine “corridori” to embark on an inGamba tour. Personally, I can’t wait to relax on a sofa in Lecchi, with aching legs from a day of riding, sipping on a good glass of red wine, and enjoying the company of my friends.”
Truly, inGamba’s roots are firmly planted in Italy, just like Q36.5, and we know you’ll love your Q36.5 kit when you come on your next journey with us.
