Cervélo Cycles saw the light of day in 1995 when 2 engineers, Phil White and Gérard Vroomen, decided to take the work they had been doing on developing faster Time Trial bikes to market. Already involved in bicycle and Human Powered Vehicle design since 1986, the turning point came when a top-ranked Italian pro cyclist approached Gérard to design the fastest possible Time Trial bike for him. He had come to the realization that his bike sponsor was capable of building traditional bikes using off the shelf tubesets from Columbus or Easton, but did not have the interest or expertise to develop leading edge designs with the focus on time trialing and aerodynamics. He also realized that he could not look at the novel designs put before him and know if they were improvements, or just "different". 

With help of his team we started the bike design from scratch. We evaluated the bikes on the market, and set a design goal for the bike that was difficult and uncompromising. We wanted something that was unbeatable in aerodynamics yet sacrificed nothing in weight or stiffness, and unfettered by issues of marketability. It was to be a one-off design for this rider.

The result was a pretty radical bike that pushed the rules in almost every area. It tested extremely well for aerodynamics, as well as handling, stiffness and comfort.

In 1996, Cervélo launched with two road and two time trial/triathlon models. It was immediately at the leading edge of bike technology; maybe a bit too much so as market acceptance was initially slow. But in the year 2000, the International Cycling Union brought in quite restrictive equipment rules, and many cutting edge bikes became illegal. Cervélo had anticipated the new rules and unveiled a complete new and vastly improved model line. Where its competitors were forced by the rule changes to take a step back or discontinue altogether, Cervélo opened up a significant technological gap and demand started to soar. 

In 2003, Cervélo became the bike supplier to Team CSC, at the time the 14th team on the world ranking. Cervélo was by far the smallest and youngest bike company to ever supply a team at this level. Team CSC has been crowned the world’s #1 pro cycling team aboard Cervélo for three years. The partnership lasted for six years, until the end of 2008.

In 2009, Cervélo will become the first bike manufacturer in the modern era to have its own cycling team at the highest levels of racing. It will be led by 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre and sprint star Thor Hushovd. While it will certainly turn heads in races, equally important is that having our own team will allow a more effective use of professional riders in the development of new products. It is for this reason that other thought leaders in the bike industry are joining this project. More info is available on the Test team.