French cycling company Mavic rolls into Waterbury
Sept. 26, 2023 | By Sandy Yusen | Correspondent
Mavic staffers at their new North American headquarters in downtown Waterbury. Left to right: General Manager Benjamin Grenon; Service Center Manager Fabrice Gaydon from Chavanod, France; North America Service Center Manager Guenter Hofer; Sales and Marketing Manager Josh Saxe; North America Manager of Finance and Administration Scott Bergin; and Lionel Kamard, consumer experience manager from Chavanod office. Photo by Jared Katz Photography
Waterbury has a new reason to stake its claim as an outdoor recreation destination. Mavic, a bicycling wheel and equipment manufacturer based in France, has set up shop in Pilgrim Park to open its North American sales and service center.
Founded in 1889, Mavic has a rich heritage in cycling and is a highly respected brand among cycling enthusiasts. In 1934, it launched the first aluminum rim, a lighter alternative to the wood used at that time. Over the years, Mavic has continued to advance cycling with innovations such as electronic gear shifting and tubeless technology for wheels. A long-time partner of the Tour De France, Mavic pioneered the first neutral support ride, with yellow cars loaded with bikes and gear following the peloton to provide service to all competitors.
In recent years, Mavic (pronounced MAV-ick) struggled with ownership changes and financial troubles and went into receivership, but reemerged in 2020 after being acquired by Bourrelier, a French family-led investment group dedicated to rebuilding the brand. Mavic’s international headquarters is now in Chavanod, in the southeastern region of France.
Gary Kessler, race director for the Killington and Green Mountain Stage Races, calls Mavic an “iconic company in the cycling world,” adding, “It was disappointing when they left the U.S. market. They made such a wide range of parts and had done so for a long time. They were at the forefront of a lot of different areas and then went away. It’s exciting they are coming back to the U.S., and hopefully they can be successful once again.”
Josh Saxe is sales and marketing manager for Mavic North America, a long-time Vermonter, UVM graduate, and competitive cyclist. He emphasizes Mavic’s goal to re-establish its brand in the North American market. The Waterbury-based team will support sales and service in the U.S. and Canada and rebuild the brand’s network by reconnecting with past customers—independent bike dealers and original equipment manufacturers—and expanding its customer base. Mavic will continue to do business primarily through bike shops and online retailers, but it also plans to develop a direct-to-consumer e-commerce presence.
Mavic’s four-person team moved into 5 Pilgrim Park in Waterbury this summer. The team occupies approximately 4,000 square feet of office space covering a portion of the first floor of the building. In the future, the office will serve as a showroom to host bike dealers and events. As for whether the Waterbury facility could include a retail storefront, Saxe says, “It won’t be set up as a destination location…yet. But nothing is off the table.”
With previous facilities in Park City, Utah, and Haverhill, Massachusetts, Mavic honed in on Waterbury for many reasons. “The first thing we identified was the east coast from a time zone perspective, which means we have easy communications with France,” Saxe explained. Mavic explored transportation centers such as Boston, Burlington and Montreal, but without a retail storefront, the company was able to explore locations outside of larger cities.
What solidified Mavic’s interest in Waterbury was the town’s proximity to amenities, opportunities to participate in the community, and its growing popularity for cyclists and cycling events. “Waterbury has the Perry Hill trails, phenomenal gravel riding, fantastic road riding, and world-class events nearby such as Rasputitsa, the Overland, Green Mountain Stage Race, and the Waterbury Gravel Grinder that happens right in our parking lot,” Saxe said.
Riders set out from Pilgrim Park for the 2023 Gravel Grinder ride in June. Photo by Gordon Miller
Mavic’s move is welcome news to Logan Shuman, vice president of the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Waterbury Area Trails Alliance. "We are super-excited to hear that Mavic is joining the strong lineup of businesses in the Waterbury community,” Shuman said. “To have a business that has done such a great job of supporting and advocating for the cycling community right in our backyard is fantastic. I am eager to see how we can team up with Mavic and share with them WATA's knowledge of the biking community here in Waterbury.”
Saxe reports that Mavic is currently in expansion mode and committed to continuing its tradition of innovation. The company’s North American product line-up will focus initially on wheels – its signature product – along with other cycling gear, equipment, helmets and apparel to follow. Mavic’s newest product is the Cosmic Ultimate 45 Disc carbon wheel which won a design award at Eurobike, the cycling industry’s largest trade show held this past June in Frankfurt. The company’s 2024 lineup is expected to span gravel, mountain, road and e-bike offerings.
Saxe is a member of Mavic’s France-based innovation committee, where he channels feedback from North American customers to understand rider trends and help inform future products. Saxe estimates 40% of Mavic riders are highly competitive cyclists, while 60% are recreational cycling enthusiasts. The North American team is eager to open its doors to feedback and conversation from cyclists at all levels and in every cycling category.
Cyclists in the Mad River Valley leg of the Green Mountain Stage race in early September. Photo by Angelica Dixon
Noah Tautfest, owner of Bicycle Express in Waterbury agrees that being in a “mountain bike epic area” will fuel Mavic’s research and development, and will further elevate the cycling community in Waterbury. “The more cycling you have in the area, the better,” he said.
As the company grows, Saxe anticipates the Waterbury location will expand, creating new employment opportunities. In the near term, he hopes to partner with local colleges and high schools on internships focused on all aspects of the company—engineering, marketing, graphic design, and more. He believes Mavic North America can provide experiences that encourage students to develop skills to go into cycling or other fields. “We can be the ones educating future technicians at any age,” he suggested.
Saxe’s vision is for the cycling industry in Vermont to mirror the prominence that winter sports companies have held in prior years. “At one point, Dynastar and Rossignol were dominant ski companies in Vermont…let’s see if we can do that in the bike industry,” he said.
Christina Erickson, executive director of Local Motion, a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization for active transportation, is optimistic about what Mavic’s move says about the future of cycling in Vermont: “Having a company like Mavic will only add to Vermont's bike culture for residents and visitors alike.”
Cyclists in the Burlington stage of the Green Mountain Stage race in early September. Photo by Angelica Dixon
Kessler agrees that an expanding cycling industry benefits Vermont. The Green Mountain Stage Race he oversees has grown to become the largest road bicycle stage race by participation in North America. This year’s race held Sept. 1-4 attracted nearly 750 cyclists. “Vermont is a great state for cycling in general. Certainly in the last bunch of years, gravel riding and racing has taken off in Vermont,” Kessler said. “It’s athletic tourism in the end. It gets people here to experience Vermont, and want to come back and race or vacation here or move here. It’s a way to get people introduced to Vermont.”
Saxe said he sees Mavic playing an integral role in this culture “We want to be participants in this community, enhance what’s going on, and show France this is a vibrant place to be. The backyard fun is just beginning.”
Freelance writer and Waterbury resident Sandy Yusen is a member of the board of directors of Local Motion.