Today, Specialized announced that it will sponsor the FDJ-Suez team in 2025, consistent with both the team's 25th anniversary and the signature of Dutch superstar rider Demi Vollering. 

This will end the long-standing partnership with Lapierre of the French team and follow the same path as the FDJ men's team (though not connected except to share title sponsors), which will be replaced by Willier from Lapierre for the 2024 season.

In a short statement provided to the press, Scott Jackson, Head of S-Racing at Specialized said:

"FDJ-SUEZ will soon be a dynamic international approach to racing, a bold vision for the future Together, we look forward to sharing our passion to enhance the future of women's sports, promote innovation and advance the planet.""

This is not the first time a bike sponsor has moved a team with a key rider, and it's not uncommon for a bike sponsor to agree to pay a star rider's wage and be part of a signed contract for a rider. Cyclingnews was not a party to the contract negotiations in this case. He was a key player in the team this year, but was placed on the disabled list at the end of the season and announced his retirement after the season.  Specialized is taking on a new team with FDJ-SUEZ, but will continue to partner with SD Worx-Protime in the near future, with a contract signed until the end of the 2028 season. Given that SD Worx-Protime still has the current road racing world champion Lotte Kopecky in the book, I don't think we'd like to ask for an early exit of some sort.

Specialized is certainly a big name in terms of bike sponsorship for the FDJ-SUEZ team, but with fresh equipment and a new star rider as well. We are strengthening our roster with the likes of French road race champion Juliette Labous and providing Vollering with the best possible support. Stephen Delcourt, General Manager, said of the partnership:

"We are very proud to be part of this collaboration with Specialized, an undisputed leader in the cycling world. This partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for our team to reach new heights by combining our strengths and expertise to achieve ambitious goals."

The likes of AG Insurance-Soudal and SD Worx-Protime-FDJ-SUEZ per other professional sponsor teams are covered by the brand for a full package of frames, wheels and finishing kits. In the pictures we've seen, the group set is provided by Shimano (top spec Dura-Ace, naturally), with the departure of Vollering, who raced with SRAM components in the SD Worx-Protime

Perhaps the most interesting is the tires, and the pictures show the team building a Continental version in 2025. GP5000S shows you to race on a TR set. In the photos, these are set with inner tubes, but the team expects to use tubeless for racing, not photography. Professional sponsor teams like SD Works, like Soudal-QuickStep in the Men's Peloton, also tend to race on specialized tires using turbo cotton, while S-Works Mondo in cobblestone races also tend to race.