Pirelli signs up with BMC and becomes the technical partner of the AG2R Citroën Team
After having reconfirmed the technical partnerships with Trek-Segafredo and Team BikeExchange for the 2021 season, Pirelli continues to grow on the World Tour scene with a third team to choose the Italian manufacturer's equipment for their bikes. It is the AG2R Citroën Team that will be using BMC bikes this year.
They are also working on joint product development
The agreement between Pirelli and BMC will supply the World Tour and U23 teams with the ultimate Pirelli technology for modern cycling. The brand-new TLR tubeless-ready and tubular versions of the Pirelli P ZERO Race will be available to BMC Teammachine SLR 01 and Timemachine Road 01 cyclists, in addition to the Cinturato TLR road tyres ideal for training and long-distance rides in total safety.
Just over three years after having returned to cycling, Pirelli has signed another technical partnership with a World Tour team also geared towards product development and continual evolution. AG2R Citroën Team will provide feedback on the tyres throughout the season, helping to improve performance in competitions and training.
Top-level line-up
As many as 30 cyclists of eight different nationalities will be wearing the AG2R Citroën Team colours in 2021 and compete on Pirelli tyres. They include classic race specialist and reigning Olympic road champion Greg Van Avermaet, winner of the 2017 UCI World Tour final ranking, whose prize list includes the 2017 Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Tours, two stages at the Tour de France, the points ranking at the Vuelta a España in 2007 and an Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016. At the end of the AG2R Citroën Team training camp, Van Avermaet spoke about the technical partnership declaring that Pirelli can carry over the great experience gained in other sports to cycling. “Personally, I'm happy to have Pirelli tyres on my bike as well as my car”, he added. “My first feeling with the Pirelli tyres is very satisfactory. The rolling resistance and wet grip are good and this is really important in terms of performance and safety. I'm looking forward to trying them out in a race at faster speeds”. Other top names of the AG2R Citroën Team line-up include Luxembourger Bob Jungels, winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2019, Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne in 2019, seven-time national time trial champion and six-time road champion.
The AG2R Citroën Team debuted with Pirelli tyres at the recent Gran Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise, winning the race with Frenchman Aurelien Paret Peintre.
