There will be an extra British presence in the pro peloton next year with the news that Giant-Alpecin’s team cars will be supplied by MINI – the iconic marquee based in the Oxford suburb of Cowley.
The team, now registered in Germany, has partnered with MINI Netherlands for the forthcoming season, with riders such as John Degenkolb and Tom Dumoulin supported by MINI Clubman vehicles.
MINI Netherlands brand manager Hidde-Jan Haven said: “The new MINI Clubman offers plenty of space, making it the ideal team car.
“MINI and Team Giant-Alpecin both have a strong focus on innovation and technology. With this partnership we are supporting a successful team with lots of potential.”
Iwan Spekenbrink, CEO of the team which raced under a Dutch licence until the start of the 2015 season, commented: “Our mission is to inspire cyclists around the world and to encourage sporting excellence. A top brand like MINI will certainly contribute to this.”
He added: “In cycling, much is asked of a team car. The MINI Clubman is the perfect reinforcement for our team.
“This partnership fits perfectly with our ‘Keep Challenging’ philosophy based on innovation, cooperation and continuous improvement.”
Giant-Alpecin may not be the only WorldTour team to switch vehicles for the forthcoming season - as we reported earlier this month, there are rumours that Team Sky's partnership with Jaguar is coming to an end, but no replacement has yet been announced.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.