With the 2021 season over, the attention and focus of the WorldTour teams quickly turned to preparation for 2022. On the face of it, the 2021 season was one of smooth sailing compared to the wildly disrupted season that preceded it, but pro road cycling's fragile sponsorship model means several team managers still have to work immensely hard to secureāØ a future for their team, riders and staff.
However, while the immense investments of title sponsors are the foundations on whicāh a team can survive, they're not the only sponsors that teams rely on. Beyond the millions of dollars required to obtain a WorldTour licence and operate a team at the top of the sport, the teams also need bikes ošn which to race, saddles on which to sit, clothing to wear and helmets to keep them safe.
They wouldn't be a very successful bike racing teašm without them, would they?
There are varying types of sponsor agreement. Some will include a cash injection alongside tšhe provision of equipment, while others will be the equipment alone, though of course, rarely will such details be shared publicly. In addition, some agreements will be a simple handover of product in return for the publicity it will garner, while others will be fully integrated technical partnerships where the two parties work together to innovate, develop and markešt their products.
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For example, Specialized's partnership with QuickStep-AlphaVinyl is much more than just a shipment of bikes. Representatives from the brand are almost always present at winter training camps and big races to help riders and receive feedback. The team are given access to the brand's wind tunnel, its team of bike fit specialists at sister brand Retül, and its range of footwear, helmāØets and components.
The brand also works particularly closely with select riders on the development of future products. Sam Bennett and Mark Cavendish were integral to the creation ź¦”of the S-Works Ares shoes, for example, and Kasper Asgreen was providing feedback on the Tarmac SL7 two years beforeš it was finished.
One team doing things slightly differently are Team DSM, who have taken the dešvelopment of their clothing in-house. Although still relying on third parties for support - initially Bioracer and now Nalini - they claim to be developing their own racewš¦¹ear, rather than simply wearing sponsor-supplied kit.
Rarely is a sponsorship agreement indefinite. Many are agreed for two or three years - sometimes even just for one - and, as you can expect, it's usually the more integrated partnerships that last the longest and bear the moš„st fruit, both in terms of performance and publicity. However, to many, the grass seems greener on the other side, so every few years the WorldTour sees a merry-į£go-round of swaps as teams and their sponsors part ways and form new agreements elsewhere.
Bikes
Specialized's šÆflagship Tarmac SL7 will be ridden by QuickStep-AlphaVinyl and Bora-Hansgrohe, as well as the second-division Tš·otal Energies - the new home of Peter Sagan (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
At the start of the 2021 season, such an event involved Bianchi, Cervélo, and Scott. Mitchelton-Scott changed to Team BikeExchange and switched from Scott bikes to Bianchi; Jumbo-Visma stepped away from Bianchi and climbed aboard bikes from Cervélo; while Team Sunweb rebranded to Team DSM and their partnership with Cervélo ended, leaving the door open for Scšott to step in.
This year, there's much less movement, with 17 of the 18 WorldTour teams confirmedš¦ to be riding the same brand as in 2021. The only team changing is BikeExchange-Jayco, whose one year deal with Bianchi ends, leaving the door open for Giant Bicycles to return to the WorldTour. Giant was forced out of the sport's top flight for the first time since the late '90s, when CCC Team folded at the end of 2020.
Clothing
Ineos Grenadiers will race in new Bioracāer kit in 2022 (Image credit: Ineos Grenadiers)
A similar merry-go-round is happening inā the clothing deź§partment. Bioracer has stepped away from the project with Team DSM in favour of a partnership with Ineos Grenadiers. Their previous sponsor Castelli will now supply QuickStep-AlphaVinyl.
Meanwhile, in order to stź¦ep into the vacancy left at Team DSM, Nalini Clothing has stopped supplying Cofidis. However, instead of QuickStep's former supplier Vermarc completing the circle, Decathlon's in-house brand Van Rysel will step into the WorldTour to plug that Cofidis gap, leaving Vermarc to focus solely on its other team, Lotto Soudal.
Groupsets
Which version of Shimano's Dura-Ace will moā¤st teams go for? (Image credit: Josh Croxton)
The only groupset change for the 2022 season is Lotto Soudal's šswitch away from Campagnolo in favour of Shimano, a change that was announced in late October alongside a separate contract extension that will see the team continue aboard Ridley bikes until 2026. This move also saw the team swap Campagnolo wheels for DT Swiss.
The big question on the groupset front is not a question of one brand against another, such as 168ę¾³ę“²5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę:SRAM vs Shimano, but actually a case of Shimano against itself. More specifically, given the current parts shortage, it's not yet confirmed whether all of the WorldTour teams will upgrade to Shimano's new 12-speed Dura-Ace groupset or be sticking with the older 11-speed version. Of the 18 teams in the WorldTour in 2022, 13 will use Shimano but, so far, only 10 have conšfirmed the use of the latest 12-speed groupset.
Two teams (Movistar and Trek-Segafredo) will be using SRAM's 12-speed Red eTap groupset, with a further three (AG2R šŖCitroën, Cofidis and UAE Team Emirates) running Campagnolo.
There's no change at AG2R Citröen, meaning the French team will continue abošŖard Swiss brand š§BMC equipped with Campagnolo's Super Record EPS 12-speed groupset and Campagnolo wheels.
Courtesy of limitations set by bike design, the team will be exclusively committed to disc brakes. They will bear the threads of Rosti clothing once more,ā and will be navigated by Wahoo's Elemnt range of computerš²s.
Bikes: Wilier Zero SLR, Wilier Filante, Wilier Turbine TT
Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Disc 12 Speed
Wheels: Corima
Clothing: Giordana
Saddles: Prologo
Finishing Kit: Wilier
Computers: Garmin
Asiš¦de from the departure of sponsor Premier Tech and the consequent name change, the Astana team see no major equipment changes. They will continue aboard Wilier bikes with Corima wheels, wearing Giordana clothing and usšŖing Garmin computers.
There's also little change at Bahrain Victoriouās. The team did start the 2021 campaigā¦n in Nalini clothing, before they switched to Alé during the summer, but that new partner remains along with the use of Merida Bikes, Shimano groupsets and Vision/FSA componentry.
Alongside the departure of Peter Sagan, the German Bora-Hansgrohe squad also saw their longtime clothing sponsor, Sportful head for the exit, so in steps British brand Le Col to provide the kit. That and an upgrade to the newest Dura-Ace groupset aside, everything else remains the same, with the continued use of Specialized bikes andā all the peripherals that come with it, including Roval components.
Cofidis aršÆe forming part of āthe four-way clothing sponsor shuffle this year. They lose Nalini as a sponsor, but gain Van Rysel, the in-house brand of mega European sports-retailer Decathlon.
The other š ·change in the Cofidis camp is a switch away from Fulcrum wheels in favour of Corima - the same brand that supplies Astana Qazaqstan. They will remšain on De Rosa bikes for a third year, and will continue to use Campagnolo's groupsets, Selle Italia saddles and Wahoo computers.
For the most part, it appears EF Education-Nippo are sticking with what they know in 2022, šcontinuing aboard Cannondale bikes, Vision/FSA components and Prologo saddles. There will be an upgrade to the latest Dura-Ace groupset, too.
There is still a question marš¼k hanging over whiź¦ch computers they'll use, suggesting a possible switch away from Garmin.
As one of the teams that are most closely partnered witš„h Shimano, it's unsurprising to see that Groupama FDJ will upgrade to the 12-speed Dura-Ace groupset but, that aside, everything else remaišns as it was in 2021.
Wheels: Shimano (Lightweight, Princeton Carbonworks & Aerocoach will be present as non-sponsored additions)
Clothing: Bioracer
Saddles: Fizik
Finishing Kit: MOST
Computers: Garmin
The biggest change for Ineos Grenadiers came in the latter half of 2021 when they switched from rim brakes to disc brakes - being the final team in the WorldTour to make the switch. The move came thanks to Pinarello's launch of the Dogma F, which shaved enough weight off to ensure the team could still hit the 6.8kg minimum weight limit while running discs. It's unclear whether tāhe team will still continue to use rim brakes at all, or whether they will be phased out at the turn of the year.
The team have also switched clothing supplier, waving šgoodbye to Castelli and launching a new partnership with Bioracer.
It appears there will be a couple of changes for the WorldTour's newest ršecruit, Interšmarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux, whose bike sponsor Cube will enter only its second-ever season in the WorldTour. The team will swap Fulcrum wheels for Cube's sister brand Newmen, and a question mark hangs over the team's clothing sponsor for 2022.
Wheels: Black Inc (Road: Black 20-80, TT: FIVE, THREE, ZERO)
Clothing: Jinga
Saddles: Selle Italia
Finishing Kit: Black Inc
Computers: Hammerhead
Besides changing name from Israel Start-Up Nation to Israel-Premier Tech, the team willā start 2022 exactly how they finished 2021, with Factor's range of bikes, Shimano groupsets, wheels courtesy of Factor's sister brand Black Inc, and computers from the rapidly ascending Hammerhead brand courtesy of its Karoo 2.
Jumbo Visma will also see noš² equipment changes as they transition from 2021 to 2022, with continued use of Cervélo bikes, Shimano groupsets and whāeels, and clothing from Dutch brand Agu.
There's quite an upheaval of componentry in the Lotto Soudal camp, with Campagnolo heading for the exit in both the groupset and wheelset departments. Shimano steps in on the groupset front, supplying its new Dura-Ace groupset, while DT-Swiss will provide its ARC and ERCź¦¬ 1100 wheels.
The š teams bikes will remain the sameā, though, with the partnership with Ridley extended until 2026. Vermarc will continue to supply the team's clothing.
The only change at Movistar is the deal signed with La Passione to supply the team's kit, replacing Aléā;. Everything else remains the same, meaning the continued use of Canyon's bikes, SRAM's wireless Red eTap AXS groupsets and Zipp wheels, with saddles courtesy of Fizik and computers supplied by Garmin.
Two ļ·½chanį¦ges are in effect at the QuickStep camp. The first comes in the form of the team's clothing, with Castelli being brought on board to replace Vermarc, after Castelli's previous deal with Ineos Grenadiers came to a close. The second change comes in form of the GPS computers. The brand has used Wahoo for the past two seasons after a single-year deal with Bryton in 2019, but from 2022 onwards, will make the switch to Garmin.
There's plenty to discuss at BikeExchange, with Brent Copelandš's men and women being given a totally new bike, wheels, clothing and more, and the team getting a new title sponsor too.
The team's one-year deal with Bianchi has come to an end, leaving the door open forź§ Giant Bicycles to return to the WorldTour after its first year absent since the late '90s. Giant's sister brand Cadex also comes on board, supplying the wheels and saddles, while Giant will also supply the team's helmets, replacing Giro.
Italian kit manufactušrer, Al&eaš²cute; Cycling, replaces Giordana to supply the team's kit, while Australian motorhome dealer Jayco joins the team as a title sponsor.
Almost everything remains the same at ā±Team DSM. The only thing worthy of note is the brand's slightly unusual clothing partnership, and the change in the technical partner involved. Technically, the team's kit is an in-house brand that's not yet available to the public. Last year, that in-house kit was created with help from Bioracer, but since they agreed a deal with Ineos Grenadiers, Nalini has stepped in to fill the void at Team DSM.
That aside though, the team will ride Scott bikes, complete with Shimano groupsets š¦¹and wheels, while navigation will be provided by Wahoo.
The total amount of change at Trek Segafredo adds up to zero. All the equipment that helped Jasper Stuyven to an impressive Milan-San Remo win and Lizzie Deignan to the first ever Women's Paris-Roubaix victory will continue to support the teamš in 2022.
That means the team will continue on Trek's range of road bikes,ā SRAM groupsets, Bontrager components, Wahoo computers and clothing from Santini, who will officially also supply the Tour de France leaders' jerseys in 2022.
Finally, UAE Team Emirates and their 168ę¾³ę“²5ęę°å¼å„ē»ę:Tour de France winning talisman, Tadej Pogačar, will start 2022 exactly how they finished 2021, with their Colnago bikes equipped with Campagnolo Super Record EPS groupsets and Campagnolo wheels. Clothing will continue to be supplied by Spanish brand Gobik, while data will be fed from their SRM power meters to their SRM cycling computers. Finishing kit will come from Deda Elementi, while Prologo will provide the comfort.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro ź¦peloton. He has been withį£ us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but hāe found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
