Antonio Colombo's 'A.C. Confidential' chronicles art, cycling, and design

Antonio Colombo, patron of Columbus and Cinelli, has published a memoir titled 'A.C. Confidential. La mia vita tra arte, bicicletta e design' (Ediciclo Editore, 2026, co-written with Giacomo Pellizzari). The book explores his fusion of technical precision and artistic vision, tracing his family's legacy back to his father Angelo Luigi Colombo's 1933 Berlin agreement with Bauhaus designer Marcel Breuer to supply steel tubes for Wohnbedarf furniture. Colombo acquired the Cinelli bicycle brand in 1978 and collaborated with artists such as Alessandro Mendini, Keith Haring, Barry McGee, Alchimia, Fornasetti, John Pawson, and others. He introduced Europe's first mountain bike, the Rampichino (1985), and later launched the first continental BMX, gravel bike, and fixed-gear bicycle. In 1991, the Laser model won the Compasso d'Oro, Italy's top design award. Colombo's Artist Program culminated in Mendini's gravel bike in 2022. The book recounts his friendship with Mario Schifano, who designed Tour de France jerseys in 1988-89, and an unrealized proposal for Maurizio Cattelan to crush Marco Pantani's bike with a steamroller before the Giro. Colombo's archive and gallery in Milan, Colombo's Gallery and Colombo's Archive, house this intersection of art, design, and cycling culture.