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Michelin and Cofidis Solutions Crédits have signed a two-year technical partnership agreement that will run from 2018.
The deal marks the French tyre firm’s return to road racing after an absence of several years. Cédric Vasseur will be supplied with Michelin tyres and inner tubes, while Michelin will use the programme to develop innovations that will ultimately benefit its bicycle road tyres.
Cofidis Solutions Crédits is one of 22 teams invited to take part in July’s Tour de France and, along with its new technical partner Michelin, has high hopes not only for the 105th running of the French classic but also for other top international fixtures. The Lille-based squad’s bicycles will compete on Michelin Power tyres.
The partnership will permit Michelin and Cofidis Solutions Crédits to work on co-development projects within the framework of road racing. Michelin will notably benefit from the skills of the team’s riders to test its tyres across a broad spectrum of conditions, while the firm’s engineers will be able to work in close collaboration with staff at Cofidis, Solutions Crédits to provide the team with advanced solutions.
“Using bicycle racing in this way – in association with a partner that is capable of fighting at the very top – will help Michelin to accelerate the introduction of new high-performance tyres,” said Ulrike Ristau-Hutter, manager, Michelin bicycle tyre division Ulrike Ristau-Hutter.
“To be able to put our innovations through their paces in such exacting conditions while benefiting from the experience of these outstanding athletes is a considerable asset for the Michelin Group’s bicycle tyre division.”
"We are delighted with this partnership,” added Cofidis Solutions Crédits sporting director Cédric Vasseur. “Michelin is much more than a tyre supplier to Cofidis Solutions Crédits. It is also a partner with a long history of innovation and bicycle racing experience. Thanks to its knowhow, our riders will benefit from the finest tyres for all types of conditions. Together, I am sure that we will succeed in shining on the world stage.”
