Originally Posted by
cyclotoine
Basically Campagnolo has a long history and Italians and the French are grandfathers of cycling in general, nowhere in the world has cycling ever been as big and important as in these two countries.
I guess it depends on what you mean as important. In terms of racing and prestige, yes, Italy and France wins. From a utilitarian perspective I would say that postwar Britain and much of Asia, such as China, is/was far more important. The conversation is about performance though, so I can understand your reasoning.