Ridley

Ridley is the largest bicycle manufacturer in Belgium and produces bikes for various cycling disciplines but specialises in aerodynamically-focused road and gravel bikes.

History

Launched in 1997 by frame builder Jochim Aerts, Ridley began life in his father’s garage. Aerts had promise as a rider but it never came to pass and he soon turned his attention to frames and the production processes involved in constructing a bike.

In the space of a few years, Ridley became the largest bike producer in Belgium and an innovative force within the cycling industry. Its first major development was the conical headset, which featured on its 2001 Ridley Damocles bike.

By 2005, the brand was not only present at the Tour de France but also helping to win stages with sponsored team Davitamon-Lotto. This partnership has continued for more than a decade and a half now.

The Bike Valley facility - an innovation centre that contained a wind tunnel and heat chamber - opened next door to the Ridley factory in 2013.

The company’s first gravel bike was launched in 2015, the X-Trail, with another aero-focused gravel bike - the Kanzo Fast - released in 2020.

In the same year, the Bike Valley was incorporated into Ridley and became part of what is now known as the Belgian Cycling Factory conglomerate, with brands such as Eddy Merckx, Corsa, Forza and BCF Cycling Wear also owned by the same firm.

At this point in time, Ridley also returned to its family roots, with Aerts becoming sole owner of the company once again. In early 2023, Ridley’s Grifn all-terrain bike was awarded the Design & Innovation Award.

Did you know?

Current sponsorships: Lotto Dstny, Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal

Highlights:

• Robbie McEwen delivered a hat-trick of stage wins for Davitamon-Lotto at the 2005 Tour de France, Ridley’s first edition with the team. The Australian won complete the same feat at the 2006 editions of the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
• After a handful of years away, Ridley returned to Lotto’s side in 2012, winning big at the Tour de France once more. This time it was André Greipel who delivered a trio of stage victories.
• The German powerhouse had another successful time at the Tour in 2015, winning four stages, and most importantly, the final sprint stage on the Champs-Élysées.
• Lotto-Soudal, through Greipel and Tim Wellens, won three consecutive stages at the 2016 Giro d’Italia - with the German adding a fourth stage to the team’s tally later in the race.
• Tiesj Benoot won a rain-soaked edition of Strade Bianche in 2018, using the Ridley Helium SLX to tackle the wet and treacherous white roads of Tuscany.
• Victor Campenaerts beat Bradley Wiggins’ UCI Hour Record and became the first rider to pass the 55km mark with an effort of 55.089km on his Ridley Arena TT bike - dubbed ‘the Flying Moustache’ for its front-on appearance - in 2019.
• After winning three stages, including stage 21 on the Champs-Élysées, of the 2019 Tour de France, Caleb Ewan took another two wins at the delayed 2020 edition before triumphing at Scheldeprijs.