The AG2R Citroën Team riders will be on new BMC bikes for the 2021 race season.
With funding from French automotive company, Citroën, the AG2R squad is preparing for a strong 2021 racing season. Its latest star signing is also not unfamiliar with the team’s new bike sponsor.
Greg Van Avermaet is anticipating a happy return to the Swiss carbon-fibre bike brand he has enjoyed great success on. “I’ve won Paris-Roubaix, the Rio Olympics and all my major victories on the BMC Teammachine SLR01 and I have such fond memories of my time on BMC bikes. The AG2R Citroën Team project was very attractive to me for various reasons and the chance to ride BMC again eventually made my decision an easy one to take.”
BMC’s support for team AG2R Citroën will run from 2021-2023 and three bikes from the BMC road bikes range have been confirmed for training and racing duty: Teammachine SLR01, the Timemachine Road and the Timemachine.
With its typically Swiss approach to technical design details, BMC can deliver an outstanding aerodynamics package for the AG2R Citroën riders. Some of the features included on its premium bikes include stealth dropouts, dropped seat stays and narrow fork blades, which all combine to lower the bike’s overall aerodynamic drag.
For those long training days or gruelling stages, BMC’s D-shaped seat tube and seatpost technology provides outstanding ride compliance, reducing rider fatigue. Pedalling efficiency and power transfer is not sacrificed for the benefit of ride quality, with all the BMC road frames retaining a robust level of lateral and bottom bracket stiffness, to ensure that every watt of energy is converted to turning the rear wheel most.
Vincent Lavenu, manager of AG2R Citroën Team, believes the team has found a choice bike supplier. “We have been looking for a strong partner for a few years and I am very proud to have our programme supported by such a great and innovative bike brand. I am convinced that it will perfectly back our team in its quest for success at the highest level.”
For BMC it represents an opportunity to showcase the performance qualities of its premium bikes. BMC boss, David Zurcher, is relishing the prospect. “Racing is a deep-rooted component of BMC’s DNA and we were keen to strengthen our presence at the highest level of road cycling.”
Elsewhere in the continual merry go round of teams and their equipment sponsors, Jumbo-Visma will be moving away from Bianchi bikes in favour of a deal with Cervelo. Cervelo's current team, Team Sunweb, have confirmed a deal with Scott bikes, and the Mitchelton-Scott team is in advanced talks with Bianchi.
BMC's contract with its current team NTT Pro Cycling - formerly Dimension Data - was penned until the end of the 2021 season, but it remains to be seen whether the South African outfit will continue its partnership with the Swiss brand.
