At present Specialised introduced that will probably be sponsoring the FDJ-SUEZ staff for 2025, coinciding with each the staff’s twenty fifth anniversary and the signing of Dutch famous person rider Demi Vollering.
This ends the French staff’s long-standing partnership with Lapierre, and follows the identical path because the FDJ males’s staff (although the 2 aren’t related moreover sharing a title sponsor), who swapped from Lapierre to Wilier for the 2024 season.
In a brief assertion supplied to the press, Scott Jackson, head of S-Racing at Specialised stated:
“FDJ-SUEZ instantly impressed us with their dynamic worldwide strategy to racing, daring imaginative and prescient for the longer term 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’s not uncommon for it to be both a part of the signing contract for the rider, with some circumstances 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 complete profession, approaching because the bike sponsor for the decrease league TotalEnergies squad whereas the Slovakian was nonetheless racing within the remaining years of his profession.
Whereas Specialised is taking up a brand new staff with FDJ-SUEZ, it’s persevering with to associate 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 could need to search some type of early termination.
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Vollering will proceed to race on an S-Works Tarmac SL8 for 2025(Picture credit score: Specialised)
She must get used to Shimano componentry although, with a full Dura-Ace construct right here(Picture credit score: Specialised)
“Tomorrow is determined right this moment”(Picture credit score: Specialised)
Specialised gives the bikes, but in addition the wheels and ending equipment by way of its in home model Roval(Picture credit score: Specialised)
Specialised is definitely a much bigger identify by way of bike sponsorship for the FDJ-SUEZ staff, however in addition to contemporary gear, and a brand new star rider, the staff has additionally bolstered its roster with the likes of French street race champion Juliette Labous in an effort to offer Vollering with the very best assist attainable. Normal Supervisor, Stephen Delcourt stated 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 staff to achieve new heights by combining our strengths and experience to attain 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 now have seen the groupset is supplied by Shimano (the top-spec Dura-Ace, naturally), which will likely be a departure for Vollering who raced on SRAM elements whereas at SD Worx-Protime.
Maybe most curiously is the tyres, with the photographs indicating that the staff will likely be racing on units of Continental GP5000 S TR for 2025. Within the photographs, these have been arrange with inside tubes, however we anticipate the staff to make use of tubeless for races quite 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.
We are able to’t glean any extra details about the bike from this, however the jackets are cool nonetheless. (Picture credit score: Specialised)
