This marks the end of a 22-year partnership. Lapierre, a renowned manufacturer of racing bicycles, announced on Friday that it will end its collaboration with Groupama-FDJ at the end of this season.
Both parties have built an outstanding history together, securing prestigious jerseys in all three Grand Tours, including the coveted yellow jersey in the 2003 Tour de France, and accumulating 13 stage wins in the Tour.
Even more notably, Thibaut Pinot donned the King of the Mountains jersey in this year’s Giro. The list of achievements includes a victory in Il Lombardia in 2018 and another in Milan-San Remo in 2016. In total, this partnership has amassed 300 victories.
Lapierre will remain involved in women’s cycling in the World Tour circuit, particularly with the FDJ-Suez women’s team. The reasons for this separation are still unknown, although it appears to have been initiated by the bicycle manufacturer.