Italian clothing brand moves on from Alé BTC Ljubljana after UAE Team Emirates takeover
Brent Copeland (Team BikeExchange General Manager) and Alessia Piccolo (CEO of APG, The company headed by Alé)(Image credit: Team BikeExchange/GreenEDGE Cycling)
Alé will remain at the top-level of professional cycling after signing a two-year partnership agreement with the Australia-based WorldTour men's and women's Team BikeExchange through 2023.
The Italian clothing brand is set to end its title sponsorship at the current Women’s WorldTour squad Alé BTC Ljubljana after a takeover from UAE Team Emirates in its bid to launch a women’s team in 2022.
“We are very pleased to begin this new partnership with Alé; a brand that is investing heavily in our beloved sport, both in terms of marketing and continuous research and development of top-quality products,” said Brent Copeland,, General Manager at Team BikeExchange.
“These two aspects are very important to us because they can support us in the continuous growth of our team, both in terms of international visibility and for the performance of our athletes. We are only at the beginning, but we expect to continue growing together for a long time."
The Veronese brand will join Team BikeExchange beginning January 1st, 2022, bringing its textile expertise and its Research & Development laboratory, which has dressed numerous cycling champions over the years.
The garments will be made from the PR. R and PR. S lines, with the fabrics, fits and cuts specifically designed by Alé to support Team BikeExchange riders to achieve their performance goals in the coming seasons, according to a joint press release.
“It’s with great pleasure that we announce the important partnership with Team BikeExchange. We will dress the team with our unmistakable design, providing them with the best textile engineering in the field of cycling clothing,” said Alessia Piccolo, CEO of APG.
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“Our Style Department is already working on the graphics, which will be impactful as always. While waiting to discover the new jersey design and the new 2022 line-up, I wish the whole team the best for their off-season preparations, and I can't wait to start collaborating and winning together.”
UAE Team Emirates announced in October that they will have a women’s team in 2022 and will acquire the WorldTour licence of the Alè BTC Ljubljana team, a team managed by Piccolo and where the Alé clothing brand has been the title sponsor since 2014.
Alé BTC Ljubljana made its first statement regarding the takeover two weeks ago with Piccolo, APG Cycling CEO and President of Alé BTC Ljubljana, confirming that Alé would continue their involvement in women’s cycling after the team changes hands, and continue to support amateur cycling.
Cyclingnews understands that the Alé clothing brand will not sponsor the UAE Team Emirates women's team next year. Former title sponsors Cipollini are also set to depart as bike supplier, to be replaced with Colnago.
Kirsten Frattini has been the Editor of Cyclingnews since December 2025, overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand and delivering quality, engaging content.
She manages global budgets, racing & events, production scheduling, and contributor commissions, collaborating across content sections and teams in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia to ensure audience and subscription growth across the brand.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
