The plan­ets align for Georgio Squinzi’s fledg­ling Mapei team and Colnago as the man­age­ment of the Spanish Clas team - spon­sored by Colnago - decides to reduce its involve­ment in cycling. Squinzi snaps up Clas’s rid­ers and bike spon­sor and one of the most suc­cess­ful col­lab­o­ra­tions of the mod­ern era begins.