Fabian Cancellara and Assos rejoin forces: four-time world champion's Tudor Pro Cycling team announces multi-year clothing deal

Assos has entered into a multi-year partnership with the cycling team owned by Fabian Cancellara.

The Swiss clothing brand is now the technical cycling apparel supplier to Tudor Pro Cycling, who began life as the Swiss Racing Academy development squad in 2019, with Cancellara taking over the reins at the end of 2022. The team will race the 2023 season at the second-tier ProTeam level.

Assos, which has a longstanding relationship with the man known as Spartacus, says it will be “working closely alongside the riders to gather technical feedback on the products as they are raced in the most demanding conditions”. 

These riders include Simon Pellaud and Alexander Kamp, both who raced for Trek-Segafredo in 2022 on the WorldTour.

Roche Maier, brand and product chief at Assos and son of founder Toni Maier, was clearly delighted with the partnership. “It is with great joy and excitement for Assos to join Cancellara’s project of a truly Swiss professional team, which envisions to be the pinnacle extension of the Swiss cycling federation,” he said.

Cancellara is just as keen to highlight the synergy between team and brand.

“I was fortunate to spend many years of my career in Assos and know first hand how committed the company is to making apparel function for the racer,” he says. “I see their common values that are also essential to Tudor. Adding another iconic Swiss brand like Assos [Tudor is a Swiss watch brand] was an obvious perfect match.’’

The team kicks off  its 2023 season at the one-day race  Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille La Marseillaise on January 29.

Cancellara, who retired from the professional peloton in 2016 with a palmares that included three Paris-Roubaix, three Tour of Flanders, four world time trial championships, two Olympic golds and 21 Grand Tour stage wins, made headlines at the end of 2022 managing to pry Ricardo Scheidecker away from Quick-Step to serve as Tudor’s sports director. Scheidecker was widely recognised as playing an instrumental part in Remco Evenepoel’s recent successes.