James Garrison, 8848’s MD, sponsorship specialist and former sports journalist looks at the names behind this year’s Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes teams.
Pro cycling teams have been named after their sponsors since the 1960s, but what are the businesses behind the sport’s biggest teams?
As the peloton whizzes by, a blur of colourful jerseys plastered with logos, unlike many other sports, cycling teams rely heavily on sponsorships to keep the wheels turning.
As the 111th Tour de France gets set to leave Florence this weekend, a fascinating cyclist.co.uk article does the leg work for you on who’s who in cycling sponsorship. The longer article is fascinating and I strongly recommend a read if you love cycling.
AG Insurance-Soudal (Belgium)
- AG Insurance: Belgian insurance company (owned by Ageas)
- Soudal: Belgian building materials company
Alpecin-Deceuninck (Belgium)
- Alpecin: German shampoo brand (part of Dr Wolff Group)
- Deceuninck: Belgian window and door company
Arkéa-B&B Hotels (France)
- Arkéa: French banking group (Crédit Mutuel Arkéa)
- B&B Hotels: Budget hotel chain (founded in Brittany)
Astana Qazaqstan (Kazakhstan)
- Sponsored by Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund (includes national railway, oil companies, etc.)
Bahrain Victorious (Bahrain)
- Funded by the Bahrain government, not a single sponsor
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe (Germany)
- Red Bull: Austrian energy drink company
- Bora: German manufacturer of cooking extractor systems
- Hansgrohe: German manufacturer of shower heads and taps
Canyon-SRAM (Germany)
- Canyon: German bike brand
- SRAM: American component manufacturer (also owns RockShox, etc.)
Cofidis (France)
- Consumer loans company owned by Crédit Mutuel
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale (France)
- Decathlon: French sporting goods retailer (owns B-Twin, Van Rysel bike brands)
- AG2R La Mondiale: French insurance and financial services company
DSM-Firmenich-PostNL (Netherlands)
- DSM: Dutch health, nutrition and materials corporation (merged with Firmenich)
- Firmenich: Swiss flavour and fragrance company
- PostNL: Dutch delivery company
EF Education-EasyPost (USA)
- EF Education First: Swiss-based education company
- EasyPost: American e-commerce software company
FDJ-Suez (France)
- FDJ: Française des Jeux, France’s national lottery (mostly state-owned)
- Suez: French utility company (waste management, water)
Fenix-Deceuninck (Belgium)
- Fenix: Material for sinks and wall coverings (made by Arpa Industriale)
- Deceuninck: Belgian window and door company (see above)
Groupama-FDJ (France)
- Groupama: French mutual insurance company group
- FDJ: Française des Jeux (see above)
Human Powered Health (USA)
- Sports science company offering personalised athletic training plans
Ineos Grenadiers (UK)
- Ineos: British multinational chemicals company (founded by Jim Ratcliffe)
Intermarché-Wanty (Belgium)
- Intermarché: French supermarket chain (part of Les Mousquetaires group)
- Wanty: Belgian construction and civil engineering company
Israel-Premier Tech (Canada/Israel) (Team recently changed name to Roland)
- Premier Tech: Canadian sustainable solutions firm (wastewater treatment, etc.)
Jayco-AlUla (Australia/Saudi Arabia)
- Jayco: American RV manufacturer (Australian franchise owned by Gerry Ryan)
- AlUla: Tourist board for the ancient city of Al-‘Ula in Saudi Arabia
Jumbo-Visma (Netherlands)
- Jumbo: Dutch supermarket chain
- Visma: Dutch dairy company
Laboral Kutxa (Spain)
- Basque credit union offering banking, savings, and investment services
Lidl-Trek (USA/Germany)
- Lidl: German discount supermarket chain
- Trek: American bike brand (also owns Bontrager components)
Lotto-Dstny (Belgium)
- Lotto: Belgian national lottery
- Dstny: Belgian business communications company
Movistar (Spain)
- Movistar: Spanish telecom company owned by Telefónica group
SD Worx (Belgium)
- Belgian HR services company (SD Worx) with ProTime (time registration) as part of their HR family
Soudal-QuickStep (Belgium)
- Belgian building materials company (Soudal) co-sponsored by QuickStep (floor manufacturer)
Tashkent City Women (Uzbekistan)
- State-funded team named after the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
TotalEnergies (France)
- French petrol and energy company (TotalEnergies).
St Michel-Mavic-Auber93 (France)
- French team with sponsors including St Michel (food manufacturer), Mavic (components brand), and Auber93 (local association)
UAE Team ADQ (UAE)
- Backed by the government of Abu Dhabi (ADQ), the cycling arm of UAE Team Emirates (airline Emirates).
Uno-X Mobility (Norway)
- Norwegian fuel station chain (Uno-X Mobility) owned by Reitan Retail group.
Visma-Lease a Bike (Holland)
- Dutch team with sponsors Visma (software provider) and Lease a Bike (bike leasing company).
Cyclist.co.uk is the home of road and gravel riding, bringing you the latest news, reviews, and expert analysis. The site brings together in-depth bike tech coverage, pro race analysis, interviews with riders, journeys to amazing cycling destinations, inspiring features and much more.
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