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Former bike shop owner and mechanic Alan ‘Aldo’ Hewitt has died at the age of 54.
Also a former time trialist and sales executive, Hewitt had strong links with Madison.
Madison sales director Bill Baxter said: “Aldo’s charm, charisma and larger than life passion for our industry and for having fun made him an invaluable part of Madison. He was a modest man, generous with his time and love of cycling. I don’t think any sales team meeting or customer event is ever going to feel quite the same. His enthusiasm for Shimano, Park Tool and the hands-on side of cycling and cycle mechanics made him a force to be reckoned with.
"All of us at Madison have had great times with, and have unforgettable memories of Aldo. He will be sorely missed.”
Madison CEO Dominic Langan added: “My very first memory of Alan was when I visited his shop on Dunbarton Road, Glasgow some 20 plus years ago and he offered me a drink. I was expecting the more normal morning tea or coffee but instead he opened a big fridge in his work shop and offered something much stronger! We certainly experienced some nights of excess usually on Madison roadshows or sales meetings but despite Alan’s wild reputation he was massively well respected within the industry.
"Alan knew his stuff and customers and suppliers valued what he had to say, which is just as well, because he didn’t tend to hold back! Alan was a great man in many ways, a true industry character, he possessed fantastic technical knowledge and ability, loved by many both at home and abroad but above all he was a big softy and will be sadly missed.”
Twitter also saw many tributes to Hewitt, including from Sir Chris Hoy. Read more of those on British Cycling’s obituary.
