Lapierre to return to the WordTour with Picnic PostNL

Lapierre, one of France’s biggest bike brands, are to make a return to professional cycling’s top level next year to become Picnic PostNL’s new bike partner.

The team, formerly known as dsm-firmenich PostNL, were believed to have a contract with Scott for 2025, but Lapierre are present on the front of the team's new jersey, and the new partnership was announced on Thursda.

Sources had previously said that several staff members at the Dutch team’s base were openly discussing that Lapierre will join the team next year as bike partner.

The squad announced their new name on Thursday, along with a new kit, with that Lapierre logo. Riders will use the brand new Xelius DRS performance bike for all road events, and the Aerostorm DRS for time trials, in a deal that lasts four years.

The switch to Lapierre comes despite the fact that new Scott Addict bikes had arrived at the team’s service course in the Netherlands, with up to 15 bikes said to have then been built for riders like Romain Bardet and Warren Barguil. CW saw images of the new Addict being built, although it is understood that the bikes were not then shipped out to riders ahead of the new season.

It is the first time Scott have not been present on the WorldTour since 2011, with the bike brand partnered with the various GreenEDGE squads between 2012 and 2020. Scott supplied bikes to dsm-firmenich PostNL for the last four seasons.

A spokesperson for the Accell Group, the parent company of Lapierre, did not deny the link to dsm-firmenich PostNL when contacted by Cycling Weekly last month. The firm’s COO Jonas Nillson was also reported to have been in the Netherlands recently for meetings.

On Thursday, Accell's CEO, Tjeerd Jegen, said: "We’re confident that this partnership will lead to extraordinary success both on and off the road, advancing our brand in the competitive world of professional cycling and inspiring cyclists everywhere. This is how we move the company forward and bring great innovation to life. We look forward to achieving new milestones together."

Picnic PostNL's CEO Iwan Spekenbrink: "We are delighted to partner with Accell and Lapierre and are impressed by their recent development to become future proof in what has been a challenging cycling manufacturing industry for the last years.

"We share a mindset regarding our commitments to technology, innovation and performance. Our R&D experts are looking forward to working closely with their engineering and technical specialists to integrate input and feedback in the development of the next generation of our road bikes, which we will already see out on the road mid-next year."

Lapierre never shied away from their desire to make a comeback by partnering with a major team after the brand’s long-standing partnership with Groupama-FDJ ended in 2023. The two French outfits had collaborated for 22 years, although that came to an end when Groupama moved to Willier Triestina in the leadup to the 2024 season. However, this move has seemingly come out of the blue.

According to Wielerflits last month, Lapierre’s move to partner with the Dutch team was in part due to the brand wishing to get rid of surplus stock.