Vredestein returns to World Tour with AG2R – La Mondiale
Apollo Vredestein has announced a partnership with the renowned French World Tour team Equipe Cycliste AG2R – La Mondiale for the next two years. The agreement means that Vredestein bicycle tyres are qualified and will again be deployed at the highest level of competitive cycling after a ten-year absence. The AG2R team will ride the 525 model bicycles of legendary Belgian brand Eddy Merckx. Vredestein has also been chosen as Eddy Merckx’s OEM-tyre supplier for the next two years.
Celebrating its 110th anniversary next year, the Dutch tyre brand Vredestein has earned its place as a household name in cycling. Thomas Mittendorff, GM of Apollo Vredestein’s Bicycle Tyre division, is delighted to join forces with Eddy Merckx: “The two brands share a passion for high performance and supreme aesthetics, and both have a rich heritage in the cycling industry. We are truly excited about the cooperation with Eddy Merckx and AG2R and look forward to adding a new chapter to our heritage by achieving great things together at the highest levels of sports.”
The timing couldn’t be better as the Tour de France will start this year in Brussels, in honour of the five Tours that Eddy Merckx won as a rider in his epic career
Vredestein sees the partnership with AG2R as both a platform for promotion and a superb opportunity to use feedback from the riders and mechanics as input for new product development. “The timing couldn’t be better as the Tour de France will start this year in Brussels, in honour of the five Tours that Eddy Merckx won as a rider in his epic career,” continues Mittendorff. “The fact that Vredestein tyres are back in the World Tour after more than a decade, together with two of these big names, is a great achievement. It will generate global attention during many interesting races on several continents and the Tour de France alone is already the world’s biggest sports event in terms of media coverage.”
Vredestein Fortezza Senso T
The AG2R team bikes will be fitted with Vredestein’s Fortezza Senso T, the handmade cotton, high performance tubular in 700x25C. This tyre has a 290 TPI cotton casing that provides low rolling resistance and high comfort. The All Weather Silica (AWS) compound makes the tyre versatile and offers superior dry and wet grip. The polycotton anti-puncture layer ensures excellent protection against punctures. For cobbled classics, the team will be using the 700x28c version.
About AG2R – La Mondiale
Established by former pro-cyclist Vincent Lavenu, the AG2R team has participated in the Tour de France for 24 consecutive seasons and is the oldest and most well-known French squad. AG2R has had varying degrees of success with highlights being the podium place in the Tour de France of Jean-Christophe Péraud (second in 2014) as well as Rinaldo Nocentini’s eight-day adventure in yellow in 2009. This season, Swiss young gun Silvan Dillier came second in Paris-Roubaix, Romain Bardet grabbed 6th place in the Tour de France and Pierre Latour took the jersey for best young rider. During the World Champions’ Road Race in Austria this year, Romain Bardet won a silver medal, just behind winner Alejandro Valverde.
