Cycling equipment manufacturer Lapierre partners with Alpine after termination of partnership with Groupama-FDJ

The cycling equipment manufacturer Lapierre, which has become a benchmark on the world stage, announced on October 20 that it was ending its partnership with Groupama-FDJ at the end of this year 2023. Dorian Tabeau, the director of Lapierre Cycles who explains to Cyclism'Actu the reasons and the desire to build a new and different story with Alpine, the manufacturer.

"Yes, it's true that it's been a long time, it's a beautiful story and besides, we part on very good terms between the team and the brand but it's also good to change, to not renew, it’s an amicable divorce so everything is fine!” explains Dorian Tabeau. The French bicycle manufacturer Lapierre is not completely abandoning cycling since it remains a partner of the FDJ-Suez, the women's World Tour team.

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"There were choices to make, we are in a market that is complicated in the world of cycling, it was the right time to lay certain foundations and ask the right questions. Alpine, it fits into a dynamic of wanting to grow the brand, and for that, we had to break certain achievements. Why? Because otherwise you do the same things every year and you ultimately fail to revolutionize your strategy and your brand."

"Why stay with FDJ-SUEZ? First of all, it's not the same price dimensions, we have to be honest. But above all, we believe a lot in women's sport, and particularly in the feminine dimension in cycling. It would be petty to wanting to talk to future consumers without supporting professional cyclists. We also believe a lot in the emergence of the Tour de France Femmes. For us, there was therefore no reason to stop. It was obvious to keep the FDJ-SUEZ team and to gain momentum with it."

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What a ride! Thank you @ThibautPinot, your presence will be sorely missed.

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