Giant And Liv Will Continue Pro Road Team Partnerships As Sunweb Steps Up To Become Title Sponsor
Announcement of Sunweb as new title sponsor of Team Giant-Alpecin/Team Liv-Plantur allows Giant and Liv to expand their roles as official Technical Partners
July 11th 2016 - Giant announced today that it will continue its close partnership with Team Giant-Alpecin next year as the team evolves with the addition of Sunweb as a title sponsor. The added team support starting in 2017 means that Giant will be able to expand its role as official Technical Partner of the team in the future. The same partnership will be in place with the organization’s women’s squad, Team Liv-Plantur. An official team name for 2017 will be announced in the near future.
Giant and Liv have been partners of the Team Giant-Alpecin/Team Liv-Plantur men’s and women’s professional road racing programs for the past three race seasons. The goal from the start was to be the technical partner, but when a title sponsor was needed in 2014, Giant stepped up to provide vital support and stability for the program to succeed. The team began as Team Giant-Shimano in 2013, and evolved last year to become Team Giant-Alpecin (men) and Team Liv-Plantur (women).
The partnership has been hugely successful over the past three seasons, resulting in stage wins at the three grand tours—the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España—as well as major one-day classics including Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo. Riders have also have brought home national titles and victories at the women’s WorldTour level.
Team Giant-Alpecin and Team Liv-Plantur have been intricately involved in product development for Giant and Liv. Riders and team technical personnel have worked with product developers to create and refine innovative new bikes including the Giant TCR Advanced SL and Trinity Advanced Pro TT men’s bikes and the Liv Envie Advanced Pro women’s bike. These riders have also played key roles in the development of gear and apparel, leading to the introduction of cutting-edge products such as the recently introduced Pursuit road racing helmet.
“Our partnerships with Team Giant-Alpecin and Team Liv-Plantur have been extremely successful, both at the races and with the advancement of cycling technology that benefits all riders,” said Giant VP of Global Marketing James Hu. “It has been our goal for the past few years to attract new sponsors from outside the cycling industry, so we are happy to see this come to reality. With the added support of Sunweb, Giant can now focus more on product innovations that will give the team a winning edge, which also helps us create better bikes and gear for riders all around the world.”
As Technical Partners, Giant and Liv will apply an advanced product development process with the team to create cutting edge products in nearly every category of cycling. Starting next year, in addition to frames and helmets, the company will expand into more product categories, developing and supplying gear including cockpit components, saddles and apparel. The partnership will also enable Giant and Liv to collaborate closely with the riders and bring innovations to additional categories in the near future.
Giant and Liv will remain as title sponsors throughout the rest of the 2016 season. You can follow the teams all season long at www.teamgiantalpecin.com.
Giant Tom Dumoulin:
Tom Dumoulin won the 2016 Dutch time trial national title riding his Giant Trinity Advanced Pro TT bike and wearing the Giant Rivet TT helmet, two products that were developed based on feedback from the team.
Giant helmet and kit:
Giant introduced the new Pursuit road helmet and Team Giant-Alpecin Special Collection apparel before the start of the 2016 Tour de France. Working with team helps Giant deliver pro-level technologies and products to riders all around the world. Photo by Wouter Roosenboom.
Liv Plantur:
Leah Kirchmann of the Liv-Plantur women’s squad won the prologue stage of the Giro Rosa in early July. Liv will expand its role as technical partner with the team next year.
About Giant
Giant is the world’s leading brand of high quality bicycles and cycling gear. Since 1972, Giant has combined craftsmanship, technology and innovative design to create the ultimate cycling experience for all riders, casual to competitive. Through its products, people and retail partners, Giant inspires passion for cycling all around the world. For more information, go to giant-bicycles.com.
About Liv
Liv is a new cycling brand solely committed to the female cyclist. Our core passion is making cycling more approachable and appealing so that it can become a mainstream sport and fitness activity among women. We offer the only comprehensive product collection designed specifically for female cyclists, ranging from beautiful apparel to premium bicycles. No matter your riding style, Liv provides the best products to help you discover new possibilities through cycling. Learn more about Liv at liv-cycling.com
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