New bike brand coming from Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso

Ex-pros Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso have been teasing the cycling industry with a new bike brand.

Currently hiding under the pseudonym 'A bikes', it looks like there's four more characters to be unveiled before we'll know the full title.

The tag line seems to be 'passion, emotion, dedication', and if reports shared by Triatlon Noticias, originally via la Gazzetta dello Sport, are to be believed then riders on the Alberto Contador Foundation development teams will be racing the bikes in the 2020 season.

The foundation includes the continental outfit Kometa-Xstra Cycling Team, which Basso is sports director of, as well as Under 23 and Junior squads.

Both two time Giro d'Italia winners - Basso in 2006 and 2010 and Contador in 2008 and 2015 - the pair have worked together on several projects since retiring.

Posting before Friday's big reveal, Contador teased the bike in an Instagram message on January 1, writing: "January 1st and I can open the gift, what will it be? Of course it's a bike, but which one? It is a very special one, for the moment we will call it A."

He added that the creation was "a year and a half" in the making, and that it was "the best bike" he's ridden.

If Contador is switching to the new brand for his own steed, it will mark the end of a long relationship with Trek.

>> Pro bike: Alberto Contador’s Trek Émonda SLR 

Contador won the 2007 Tour de France aboard a Trek, and completed his career with the same brand in 2017 - continuing as an international ambassador once he'd hung up his racing boots.

Aside from promises of passion, dedication and emotion - plus a very jazzy paint job closely impersonating a zebra, there are just a few details we can glean about the bike at the moment.

Clearly it's a disc brake bike with a leaning towards climbing potential. The wheels and finishing kit fitted are from Lightweight, and the front end is very clean and tidy - but not integrated as per an aero bike and the tubing appears to be traditionally round.

In response to one guess at the weight - 6.5kg - Contador responded "menossss" - or "lessssss", in English.

In an already busy market, 'A bikes' will certainly need to pull out all the stops to stand out. However, with 16.5k Instagram fans already, it looks like the brand has got off to a good start.