Family Business in the Thirties

Umberto and Caterina Miele, my grand parents, had a family while the business flourished. My mom, Mirna, my aunt Diana, uncle Enzo and aunt Anna-Maria. Enterpreneurial circumstances are and were never easy but the children attended private schooling and never lacked comforts. The Miele family had success but at the sacrifice. As with many families in small business, and I know this from personal experience, will extend working hours into personal time. Throughout the years business relationships became personal ones and I am not contesting or proclaiming that this was wrong or disturbing to the family, I am stating that this is a consequence of being in business. As I reflect on this issue I think that it can be positive because it shaped each character and help inform a personal view of work/life balance.

With that said not everyone wanted to be in business and that is not only normal but healthy. Nonna Caterina told stories me of how they coped stress filled times and the emotional pitfalls on family. I call this "sweat equity" we all put in our time for long term reward, or at least we hope that our time is invested for the future. I have a young family of my own and I now appreciate this concept.

The thirties had brought many challenges the Miele family, to Italians, as with most of the world. The economic problems of the Great Depression, as well as political growth of Communism in Italy and Europe along with many other social and political unrest had witnessed a rise in strong authoritarian rule. Fascism demanded resolution between Church and State and determined to control captialism and industry through the State. These political ideas were strongly and violently nationalistic, opposed to liberal and democractic ideas, strongly anti-Semitic and racist, elitist and authoritarian. Heavy handed political, social and economic control came as a consequence to the turmoil within Italy at the time. Under times of great stress a consequence can be an appeal to the strength of law and order.

During the 30's and the lead up to WWII, Mussolini's Fascists took up the business of sport as the rallying cry for national propaganda. Victory, under Fascist control became a political message of strength and superiority. The Fascists gave great respect to cycling, showcasing and romanticizing the country and exhalting the strength of Italian athletes. The cyclists of this generaion were Ottavio Bottecchia grand winner for the Tour de France, Alfredo Binda winner of 5 Giro d'Italia, his predecessor Gino Bartali and the "il campionissimo" Fausto Coppi. Government invested in cycling to create sporting legends reasonant throughout cycling history.

Nonno Umberto had dreamed of creating a bicycle that represented his family name and involved his cycling knowledge and hertiage to professional cycling epic battles . His dream was to create a bike worthy of a Giro champion. In those days the mythic brands were Legnano and Bianchi. But I specificlally remember the Legnano name and that business model was one that he aspired to build. It no surpise after I read about the importance of the Legnano bicycle to the sport of cycling. It may not be a brand spoken about today but it's very important brand to Italian cycling.

Legnano was the Italian brand that steered many road champions to victory. It symbolized Italian pride. In 1924 the Legnano brand was popularized by the impressive cycling superstar Alfredo Binda. During the mid 1930s, Legnano's team, starring Alberto Binda but captained by Eberardo Pavesi, collected six world titles and won five Giro d'Italia, two Tours de France, four Tours of Lombardy, and numerous less famous races. To make matters more interesting (and no doubt profitable), the racing world promoted an emerging rivalry between the Legnano and Bianchi teams.

By the late Thirties and with Europe plunging into a war partly initiated by Germany's refinements of Mussolini's fascism, Legnano adds a pair of certified cycling all-stars to its team: Gino Bartali in 1936, followed by Fausto Coppi in 1939. This was the time that Nonno Umberto was in contact with the cycling elite and part of the racing culture in Southern Italy.
These are important times for the Miele family, it had planted the seeds for a future in cycling during a time of immense destructive change. No one in the family had the idea that everthing would be lost in a short period of time.