VELTEC'S HISTORY

Veltec is a company where people are devoted to cycling. Back in 1966, a Dutch racer by the name of Piet Rentmeester hung up his cleats and retired from a life of flogging himself silly on the brutal cobbles of Europe. The very next day, he marched off to the nearest race and began selling cotton cycling caps on the side of the road. Piet could have sold insurance or gone fishing or gotten “a real job,” but cycling was in his blood. Even if he wasn’t racing, he had to stay connected to the sport. So began Veltec.

Of course, three decades has a way of changing things. All in all, Piet did pretty well for himself, retired and sold the company to his advisor, Manfred Krikke, in 1976. Veltec now represents 19 of the world’s most famous cycling brands in Europe and North America. Veltec Sports, Inc. is a leading US marketer and distributor of some cycling’s best-known brands. Veltec Sports keeps a sharp focus on offering the highest customer service centered on a successful brand family to U.S. Independent Bicycle Dealers (IBDs). And that unflagging zeal for cycling that drove a racer to stand on the side of a muddy road hawking cycling caps for a living has never left Veltec.

Today, Veltec is a family affair. Krikke’s sons Jurgen and Manfred Jr. run Veltec’s European and American branches respectively. Both sons learned the business from the ground up, having gotten their start shelving inventory out in the warehouse as teenagers.

“What we’re interested in,” says Manfred Jr., “is helping connect riders with the absolute best products. That’s always been Veltec’s mission. We’re absolutely committed to quality. We’ve found that the companies which produce the most meticulous bikes and products are the ones that focus on just that—designing and crafting gear without compromise, without distracting themselves with concerns of marketing, sales and logistics.” The people who work at Veltec are truly passionate about cycling. That’s not just a coincidence. That’s why we work here.

Veltec’s 2010 brand portfolio includes: Lake cycling shoes, Descente cycling apparel, Shebeest women’s cycling apparel,  Vredestein tires. Veltec is committed to core cyclists and their passion for riding, and living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.