The Mitchelton-Scott WorldTour team will ride Pirelli tyres from the Tour de France onwards after a multi-year deal was announced at the French Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday.
The event was attended by Giro d’Italia star Simon Yates, who later presented Lewis Hamilton with an award for posting the fastest lap in qualifying.
Mitchelton-Scott has been testing with Pirelli products since the turn of the year, totting up thousands of kilometres in racing and in training with the team set to use the PZero Velo range on a full-scale level at July’s Tour, where Adam Yates will lead their GC chances.
We’re like a start-up
Pirelli has a global workforce of around 26,000, and while the cycling branch of the company is able to tap into the resources surrounding research and development, they are still just a small piece of the company’s footprint. That said, the 20 or so full-timers on cycling, have already made a significant impression.
“We have been really happy with the development of the tyres. Pirelli has been excellent in the way they’ve communicated with our athletes and taken on board their feedback. We have ended up with a fantastic fast, grippy, comfortable tyre that handles incredibly well.”
Sponsorship
Given the fragility within the cycling world, and that several teams including Mitchelton-Scott are looking for long-term investment, the inevitable question for Pirelli is whether they see this as a test for future collaborations with other teams, or the chance to see if a title or sub-title sponsorship of a squad is desirable.
Daniel Benson is the Managing Editor at Cyclingnews. Based in the UK, he coordinates the global coverage for the website. Having joined Cyclingnews in April 2008, he has covered several Tour de France, the Spring Classics, and the London Olympic Games in 2012.