AG2R Citroën and BMC to part ways after three-year partnership

2023 marks last season on BMC bikes for French WorldTour squad with Van Rysel expected as replacement

11:58, Monday 20th November 2023

Alex Hunt

Junior Tech Writer

Share

AG2R Citröen will not be riding on BMC bikes next year

BMC announced on Monday that their partnership with men's WorldTour team AG2R Citröen will be coming to a close at the end of the year. The Swiss bike manufacturer began its involvement with the team in 2021.

The news had been rumoured for some time, since as early as the spring, but was officially confirmed by BMC on Monday morning.

In the three seasons BMC have worked with the French team, they have achieved 32 wins and 106 podiums aboard the Swiss bikes. This included the breakthrough performance from Australian Ben O’Connor at the 2021 Tour de France where he finished in fourth place.

“We would like to thank BMC for these three years of collaboration, during which time the team has been able to ride very high-level bikes which has given great satisfaction to the riders and technicians," AG2R Citroën general manager Vincent Lavenu said in a press release confirming the news.

The team was influential in some of the latest bikes that have been released from BMC with both the Speedmachine and the Teammachine R based on input from riders. The concept of 'rider feel' is something BMC and Red Bull Advanced Technologies have been exploring in conjunction with pro riders including those on AG2R Citröen.

CEO of BMC David Zurcher said: “Working with AG2R provided us with direct and continuous which were fundamental to serve rider needs at the highest level of competition, and provide them with bikes to enable them to win.”

Also within the press release, it was mentioned that Greg Van Avermaet, who retired at the end of the 2023 season, will continue his own personal partnership with BMC. The Belgian has ridden BMC bikes for most of his career, first linking up with the Swiss brand at the then BMC Racing Team in 2011, before they were reunited at AG2R Citröen in 2021 after a brief two-year hiatus.

It is expected that the team will be moving on to Van Rysel bikes for 2024, a brand owned by the French sports retail chain Decathlon, though no official announcement has yet been made.

As it stands, BMC will not feature in the men's WorldTour in 2024 for the first time in over a decade, after once being the sole title sponsor of an entire team.