Ridley Factory Team swaps bike sponsors mid-season

The Ridley Factory Team is morphing into the Team Plan C Cyclo-cross / Stevens effective immediately. The seven-year-old cyclo-cross development team is switching its title sponsorship from Ridley to Stevens.

"The decision was clear," Paul Schoening, Director of Plan C Marketing, told Cyclingnews after the team evaluated its options and decided on the new partnership.

The deal with Stevens Bicycles of Germany will manifest itself in full for the 2010-2011 season, when all team riders will be riding Stevens Bikes.

In the mean time two of the team's elite riders will transition immediately to bikes provided by the new sponsor. Rebecca Wellons and David Hackworthy won't have much time to make the switch as they make their racing debut with the new rigs at this weekend's United States Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross round in Mercer, New Jersey.

Stevens already sponsors World Cup winners Katie Compton and Niels Albert, both of whom race for other teams.

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