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Saris and Rouvy have announced a new partnership to become the title sponsors for the UCI Continental racing team previously known as Team SKS Sauerland NRW.
The team will now be called the Saris Rouvy Sauerland Team. Founded in 2016, the mission of the team is to offer young talented athletes an environment where they can learn and develop skills that will help them reach the pro level. The focus will be on giving riders ages 18-23, who have had little to no access before, a path towards pro cycling. Saris’ mission is to break down barriers to make cycling more inclusive.
“The goal for the team is to achieve respectable successes in international races in the coming year, to qualify for the Deutschland Tour again and to defend the title of German Team Time Trial Champion, as well as the Lead in the German National Cycling League,” said Heiko Volkert, managing director of the team.
“We are also striving to make the leap from the Continental Team category to the Pro Team. For that, we take a different sustainable approach. We have just finished building our new service course as our investment.
“We also want to achieve sustainable growth with our new and existing sponsors. The quality of our roster improved significantly and will become even more international with our new partners Saris and Rouvy.”
In late January every season, roster selection will partly take place through online races, giving more riders an opportunity to participate. The qualification will happen through an online four-part race series on Rouvy, with final selection happening at the in-person team camp in March in Girona, Spain.
“I am happy to open up a new page in Rouvy’s narrative by providing anyone from anywhere in the world the opportunity to compete for a pro contract, and this is very exciting,” added Petr Samek, CEO of Rouvy. “Additionally, by enabling athletes to ride anywhere from home, we can help find the best talent out there.”
The Saris Rouvy Sauerland Team is currently looking to fill two roster spots. In addition to the expertise of Saris, Rouvy, and the current Sauerland team management, other jury members will include former pro cyclist and sport director of the Deutschland Tour, Fabian Wegmann.
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“We love pro cycling, but we want to participate in a way that is aligned with our vision and core values of inclusivity,” said Frank Schreiner, Saris head of marketing, Europe. “Through this effort we are doing one small part to make pro cycling accessible to individuals who may never have had the chance to participate in the sport.”
