On Cycleurope's booth at Eurobike it was confirmed that Gitane - it means 'gypsy' in French - will be back in the UK from November. Cycleurope's Bedford-based, two-man Bianchi sales team (backed up by a telesales staffer) will be rolling out the brand slowly at first, with plans for more staff in 2005 model year.

Cycleurope reintroduces Gitane in the UK

Gitane is big in France and Belgium but has always been a micro-brand in the UK. It has had on-off distribution for many years. Ripping Motos was the last importer.

The November launch will be low-key, said Salisbury-based Cycleurope UK MD Fu Wong, who’s also in charge of Cycleurope’s Spectra P&A range in Europe.

"In 2005 it’ll be a mega brand range but we’ll start slowly," Wong told BikeBiz.com at Eurobike.

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