Chapter2 bikes replace Cervelo at women's Bigla team in 2019

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New Zealand bike brand Chapter2 will replace Cervelo as the equipment sponsor for the UCI women's Cervelo-Bigla team in 2019, according to a team press release. The team announced earlier this month that Bigla would be the main naming-rights partner.

"We're excited to partner with Chapter2 at this stage of their journey," said team manager Thomas Campana. "They are an exciting start-up, pushing the boundaries of design and reshaping how things have been done. The brand is about inspiring people to ride and explore and to not be afraid to take new less-travelled paths."

The team also announced that Bigla signed a contract extension that will keep the Swiss furniture company as the title sponsor until at least the end of the 2020 season. The roster for next year includes Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Martina Alzini, Elizabeth Banks, Elise Chabbey, Mikayla Harvey, Emma Cecilie Norsgaard, Nikola Noskova, Maria Vittoria Sperotto, Leah Thomas and Sophie Wright. The team lost Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Lotta Lepistö to CCC and Trek-Segafredo, respectively.

"When you look at the athletes we have on the team next year, a number of them left conventional paths to explore their passion for the bike that has translated into professional contracts," Campana said. "Their boldness has been rewarded. Twenty-nineteen is going to be an exciting journey for them with partners such as Chapter2."

Michael Pryde is the designer behind Chapter2, a relatively new cycling brand that says its quest is to create something unique that follows a road less travelled. A connection between Bigla and Chapter2 was, in part, established because the team is known for providing development opportunities for up-and-coming talents in women’s cycling.

"At Chapter2 our aim is to 'Explore the road less travelled' - through our design, dealer-friendly business model, and the way we approach the world of cycling,” Pryde said in a team press release.

"By coming on board with the Bigla Team, we are partnering with people who share our values, who live and breathe cycling, and who want to tell the story of cycling beyond the norm… Bigla offers the opportunity to see a Women’s team develop, challenge expectations and break stereotypes. Exploring the road less travelled."