(May 4) They pedal just for fun and use the bike mainly in town and during good seasons. 6 Italians out of 10 use the bike to stay fit and healthy, while the environmentalists us it to promote respect for the environment and stay in touch with nature. And now the Italian bikes starts to be very popular even outside Italy. With a turnover of around 200 million euros and 133 business offices in the region, the Lombard bicycle industry is the most valuable. In 2011 the export of made in Italy bicycles around the world grew by 16.6% since last year. These figures emerge from data processed by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan and Istat for 2010 and 2011. In particular, between 2010 and 2011 (January to November), the two-wheeler exports increased by almost 20 million euros. The United States and Africa in general are the markets with the most significant growth, respectively 135.5% and 125.7%. The exports in European are mainly direct ot France, with 53.8% of exports (69.6 million euros). In 2011 the whole Europe accounted for 95.2% of outgoing goods: after France, Spain (18 million, 14%) and Germany (8 million, 6.4%). Hungary and Romania are among the European markets which demonstrate the strongest growth compared to 2010. (Red)
