Union Cycliste International Strikes Five-Year Deal With Vittoria

Vittoria has announced a five-year partnership with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) starting in 2021.

Vittoria will support the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup as an Official Partner as well as the activities of the UCI World Cycling Centre and the UCI Solidarity programme until 2025.

The partnership with the UCI is another important step for the establishment of Vittoria’s brand and products on the MTB scene. Vittoria is the chosen tire partner of Team Absolute Absalon-BMC and Santa Cruz FSA MTB Pro Team. Last September in Leogang (Austria), Frenchman Jordan Sarrou was crowned mountain bike cross-country Olympic UCI World Champion after racing on Vittoria Barzo tires. Vittoria XC tires are the only ones using 4 different graphene-enhanced compounds in the tread.

The partnership between Vittoria and the UCI also involves a common commitment towards sustainability and climate change. Both partners are integrating sustainability into all internal policies and decision-making processes. Promoting greater environmental responsibility through cycling is the mission both organizations are committed to. Vittoria will soon have a Cycling Innovation Centre at its HQs in Italy only dedicated to product innovation, whose aim will also be to research on how to make bicycle tires production and disposal more sustainable.

Vittoria will collaborate with the UCI to develop and sustain cycling in the world by supporting local cycling associations and programs dedicated to young cyclists in developing countries as part of the UCI Solidarity Programme.

UCI President David Lappartient stated: “I am very pleased about the arrival of Vittoria among our Official Partners for mountain bike, one of our five Olympic disciplines. I also look forward to the support it will bring to the activities of the UCI World Cycling Centre, our training and education centre serving our solidarity programmes. Vittoria is one of cycling’s major historical brands and proposes high-quality products that have been appreciated by amateurs and professionals for decades. Its commitment alongside us for several years bears witness to the strong appeal of our events and at the same time will help us fulfill our mission of developing cycling throughout the world.”

President and CEO of Vittoria Stijn Vriends stated: “Being the Official Partner of the UCI’s mountain bike activities and supporting the UCI World Cycling Centre and the UCI Solidarity programme in the next years represent major milestones for us. This is a great opportunity, not only to speed up our process to become a reference brand in the sport of mountain bike and its industry, but also to unite our efforts and convey the values of solidarity, sustainability and equality that UCI has in its agenda for the next years. I’m sure our fans and customers will be as delighted as we are.”