The uncertainty about the future of Team Giant-Shimano has been brought to an end after the team has announced a four-year agreement with German company Alpecin. The team will be known as Team Giant-Alpecin in the future.

As of January 2015, Alpecin will become a new major sponsor of international professional cycling team, Team Giant-Shimano. After its renaming to Team Giant-Alpecin, a team with a German partner will be present in cycling’s highest tier for the first time in five years. The globally successful producer of caffeine-shampoo plans for a long-term commitment, and with it underlines its international orientation.

“Alpecin has been committed to cycling for more than half a century. With this important step, for us the circle is now complete. For Alpecin unique opportunities to activate new worldwide markets open up, working in cooperation with Giant, the biggest worldwide bike producer," Eduard R. Dörrenberg, executive director and shareholder of family-run Alpecin explains.

The family-run company, based in Bielefeld, has been connected with professional cycling for a long time and is in charge of an equally long tradition of partnerships in sport.

“This partnership with Alpecin sends out a strong message, also for global cycling. Our international team gets a German heart," states Team Giant-Shimano General Manager Iwan Spekenbrink, who currently has five German riders contracted.

The commitment has been made for four years and is part of an international strategy. Title sponsor Giant, worldwide leading bike producer, also sees a valuable alliance in it.

"In partnership with Shimano, we made a strong commitment to the team this year so they could compete at the highest level. We’re happy that the performance and dedication of the riders and staff has led to the addition of Alpecin as a new long-term partner. Our mission to advance the sport of cycling, and to promote this healthy activity worldwide, will continue with Team Giant-Alpecin," said Giant CEO Tony Lo.

Alpecin appreciates the team’s way of working, to help cycling develop a new culture through constant innovation, scientific research, as well as the individual support of its athletes. For years now Spekenbrink has fought for more credibility and transparency in cycling with the help of his “Keep Challenging” philosophy.

Until the end of this year, Alpecin and the team will outline the strategy of their partnership more specifically. They will be supported by former Tagesschau newsreader Marc Bator who has actively been supporting the credibility and transparency of cycling for several years.

For the current most successful sprinter in cycling, Marcel Kittel, who with four stage wins in this year’s Tour de France represents the new successful generation of German cycling, the entry of this new partner means a lot.

“We have all dreamt about this for a long time. Thanks to the commitment of Alpecin, Germany moves further towards the centre of attention in global cycling. This message can boost public interest in Germany even more”, happily says the 26-year-old athlete from Thüringen. ”A current poll of ARD [the consortium of public broadcasters in Germany] shows that by now more than 50 percent of Germans are hoping for a return of the Tour de France to the public service live-broadcast.”

General Manager Iwan Spekenbrink counts on the recent successes in order to be successful in the future as well.

“With our performances both last year and during the current season, we have proved that our way of working is the good one. We also want to continue in this way and will be doing so. With the entry of Alpecin we will try to strengthen ourselves, also with the addition of highly-talented young German riders. We are working on the implementation of many ideas, such as special talent days or
training camps. A cooperation with the German national cycling federation Bund Deutscher Radfahrer could also be a future model to support young German athletes.”

There has been an existing connection between Alpecin and sport for decades. Ethically the company also takes a clear stance.

“To manipulate your body with the goal to cheat, so to use doping, is strictly prohibited for competitive sportspeople. Since our existence, our company also rejects any sort of fraud. We do recognise that the controlling mechanism of the world’s cycling federation, the UCI, is one the most extensive of all international sporting federations. But still sport, which cycling is a part of, will never be 100 percent free of it,” said Eduard R. Dörrenberg.

The sensitive perception in cycling is well acknowledged by the entrepreneur, also when regarding Alpecin’s own commercial slogan “Doping, just for your hair”.

Dörrenberg clears this up: “There is a clear division here between the sponsoring of a professional cycling team on one hand and a metaphor used purely for advertising for a shampoo on the other, one that evidently improves the performance of the hair root. Consumers understand this advertising message, and the German advertising council has approved it. As a consequence of the clear split, the slogan will not be used in connection with our cycling communications.”