At this time Specialised introduced that it is going to be sponsoring the FDJ-SUEZ group for 2025, coinciding with each the group’s twenty fifth anniversary and the signing of Dutch celebrity rider Demi Vollering.
This ends the French group’s long-standing partnership with Lapierre, and follows the identical path because the FDJ males’s group (although the 2 aren’t related in addition to sharing a title sponsor), who swapped from Lapierre to Wilier for the 2024 season.
In a brief assertion offered to the press, Scott Jackson, head of S-Racing at Specialised mentioned:
“FDJ-SUEZ instantly impressed us with their dynamic worldwide method to racing, daring imaginative and prescient for the long run and wealthy historical past in French biking. Collectively, we sit up for elevating the way forward for ladies’s sport, driving innovation, and sharing our ardour to pedal the planet ahead.”
This isn’t the primary time {that a} bike sponsor has moved groups together with a key rider, and it isn’t uncommon for it to be both a part of the signing contract for the rider, with some instances the place the bike sponsor agrees to pay the star rider’s wages. Cyclingnews has not been get together to the contract negotiations on this case. Specialised adopted riders like Peter Sagan his entire profession, approaching because the bike sponsor for the decrease league TotalEnergies squad whereas the Slovakian was nonetheless racing within the ultimate years of his profession.
Whereas Specialised is taking up a brand new group with FDJ-SUEZ, it’s persevering with to accomplice with SD Worx-Protime for the foreseeable future too, with a deal in place by means of to the tip of the 2028 season. Provided that SD Worx-Protime nonetheless has Lotte Kopecky, the present street race world champion, on the books it appears unlikely that it might wish to search some type of early termination.
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Specialised is actually a much bigger identify when it comes to bike sponsorship for the FDJ-SUEZ group, however in addition to contemporary tools, and a brand new star rider, the group has additionally bolstered its roster with the likes of French street race champion Juliette Labous in an effort to supply Vollering with one of the best assist doable. Normal Supervisor, Stephen Delcourt mentioned of the partnership:
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“We’re extraordinarily proud to enter into this collaboration with Specialised, an undisputed chief within the biking world. This partnership represents an incredible alternative for our group to achieve new heights by combining our strengths and experience to realize our formidable objectives.”
As per different Specialised sponsored groups – the likes of AG Insurance coverage-Soudal and SD Worx-Protime – FDJ-SUEZ is roofed by the model for the total bundle: Frames, wheels, and ending equipment. Within the photos we’ve seen the groupset is offered by Shimano (the top-spec Dura-Ace, naturally), which will probably be a departure for Vollering who raced on SRAM parts whereas at SD Worx-Protime.
Maybe most apparently is the tyres, with the pictures indicating that the group will probably be racing on units of Continental GP5000 S TR for 2025. Within the pictures, these have been arrange with interior tubes, however we count on the group to make use of tubeless for races moderately than photoshoots. Specialised sponsored groups, be that SD Works of the likes of Soudal-QuickStep within the males’s peloton, are likely to additionally race on Specialised tyres, utilizing the Turbo Cotton, or the S-Works Mondo within the cobbled races.
