The women's Bigla Katusha team was saved from financial difficulties thanks to French apparel brand Paule Ka becoming its main sponsor until the end of 2024.

In April, Bigla notified the team that it wanted to withdraw 100% of its financial support, and the Katusha apparel brand was temporarily struggling to pay sponsorship fees due to the impact of the COVID-19 craze on its business.

The team then launched a crowdfunding appeal and accessed a UCI bank guarantee to pay riders and staff wages for April. Katusha Sport also announced that it would donate profits from the sale of team kits to the team.

The addition of Paule Ca appears to have secured the team's long-term future.

"We are very excited to welcome Paule Ca as the team's new main partner. This is the first time a fashion house has entered women's cycling and it is a landmark event," team CEO Prisca Doppmann Campana said when announcing the news.

Women's racing has been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 craze and will start in mid-August, with the Giro d'Italia Internazionale Feminale and many of the biggest one-day classics all confirmed by the UCI in the new race calendar.

"It will provide our sport with a platform to showcase the beauty of cycling in a unique and modern way," Campana said.

"With this partnership, the team is opening yet another chapter. We will be able to seek World Tour licenses, develop master class projects, and further develop the potential of the athletes who have gone through our development program.

"Overall, this is a good day not only for our team, but for women's cycling in general, and we are pleased that this venture will open up some new opportunities for our sport."

Paule Ka is a luxury ready-to-wear brand founded in 1987 by designer Serge Kazifinger. The company has 30 stores worldwide and a strong online presence. According to the team, Paule Ka plans to launch a new line called "Mademoiselle by Paule Ka" in early 2021 to expand its reach to a younger demographic.

"We are pleased to support the team and its talented women in their pursuit of athletic achievement, and Paule Ka is a timeless yet modern brand that matches the continuity and dynamism of Équipe as a competitor in the peloton. We are very pleased to be a part of this project." Matthias Thoma, owner of Paule Ka, said in a statement from the team.

Bigla Katusha kicked off its 2020 campaign with a stage win at Setmana Ciclistica Valenciana by Emma Cecilie Norsgaard and Leah Thomas. The team's 13 riders include Swiss rider Elise Chaby. She recently graduated from medical school and worked as a volunteer at the University Hospital of Geneva during the pandemic following the interruption of the cycling season.

"At the start of the 2020 season, the team declared itself a force to be reckoned with in the peloton. In just 10 days of racing, the team won four stages and races combined and finished in the top 10 18 times."

[23 We look forward to not only continuing these formidable results, but also rewarding Paul Ca's trust and enthusiasm by adopting the bold and exciting racing style made famous in the peloton"

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