Swiss bike brand BMC are set to make their first foray into the women’s peloton for many years, partnering with a Spanish ProTeam, Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi.
The deal, which is with the team’s Basque Country parent organisation Fundación Euskadi, will see the team not only riding their Teammachine SLR 01 frame sets, but also using their cockpits and wheels.
BMC have been a presence in the men’s peloton for some years, and currently provide bikes to the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Before that, they worked with AG2R Citroën, Dimension Data, CCC and, obviously BMC Racing. However, they have not worked with a women’s team since at least the creation of the UCI Women’s WorldTour in 2016.
The company recently teased the partnership with a press release, saying "it’s about time we saw BMC bikes in both the men’s and Women’s Grand Tours," and the partnership has now been announced. As Laboral are one of the sport’s second-tier ProTeams, they have realised their desire to be present at the biggest women’s stage races.
"This partnership represents an exciting new chapter for BMC," said BMC’s head of marketing, David Heine. "As one of the brands that supported women's cycling early on, we are proud to return to the highest level of the sport with Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi.
"Women’s racing is thrilling, inspiring, dynamic, and growing rapidly worldwide. We look forward to supporting the team with our performance-driven bikes and proudly cheering for the riders throughout the season."
The partnership is part of BMC’s bid to gain more relevance with younger and more diverse riders and, as the team has riders from both Colombia and Chile on their 2027 roster, will help the company expand their presence not just in Spain but also South America.
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Spanish rider Sandra Alonso will return in 2027, having several seasons of experience on the WorldTour level and raced the Tour de France Femmes three times.
Laboral Kutxa have been riding at UCI level since 2020, starting life as Continental level team before moving up to ProTeam in 2025. During the 2026 season they rode Chinese XDS bikes and Shimano groupsets, it is not yet known whether Shimano will remain on board.
The president of Fundación Euskadi, Iñaki Isasi, is rightfully pleased with the partnership. "Their technical standards and culture of performance correspond to the ambitions of Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi. This support allows us to approach the season with confidence and continue to grow our women's team at the highest level."
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A recent addition to the Cyclingnews staff, Owen Rogers is an experienced journalist, working as a freelancer covering the sport for various magazines and websites for more than 10 years.
Initially concentrating mainly on the women's sport, he has covered hundreds of race days on the ground and interviewed some of the sport's biggest names.
Living near Cambridge in the UK, when he's not working you'll find him either riding his bike or playing drums.
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