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It seemed that French bike manufacturer, Look, was set to receive a good dose of publicity in July 2018… but it’s out of the Tour de France before the race begins.
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June is often a month of surprises in the pro cycling game and recently a new spin on things unfolded less than two weeks before the start of the 2018 Tour de France. Look has been the bike supplier of the wildcard team, Fortuneo-Samsic, for several years but in a shock announcement overnight that relationship has come to an end.
The statements are thin on detail but there were two issued: one from Look, one from the team.
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Statement from Look Cycles
After a passionate and fruitful partnership for more than four years among the French manufacturer and the Britany team, Look Cycle and the Fortuneo-Samsic cycling team announce the end of their partnership, effective immediately.
“It has been a fruitful collaboration, grounded on a shared vision and passion to support and promote the best of French pro-cycling and of French manufacturing, Fortuneo-Samsic and Look Cycle both share ambitions for growth. We both wish each other good luck, starting from the upcoming Tour de France,” says Federico Musi, President of Look Cycle and Emmanuel Hubert Manager of Fortuneo-Samsic.
“Look enjoys a very loyal and experienced community of cyclists all over the world, who appreciate the unique craftmanship and design of its products, built in its own factories. We will continue to engage with our fans and bring our products and brand closer to them in new, modern and more effective ways,” says Federico Musi.
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The news was announced in statements from both the bike supplier and team at 1.00am Australian team, 26 June.
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This news means that the blurb about the 795 RS Light featured on p.99 of the Official Tour de France Guide (Australian edition) is now redundant.
RIDE Media contacted the Australian agent for Look, Groupe Sportif, for comment. They are seeking clarification on the situation but a company representative admitted, “It’s news to us”.
Fortuneo-Samsic is the team that boasts last year’s King of the Mountains, Warren Barguil, who transferred from Sunweb at the end of the 2017 season.
It is one of only two teams that was to use SRAM components in the Tour, which begins on 7 July, but there are no details on whether the relationship with the groupset maker is also over.
Over the years, there have been numerous changes in advance of the Tour: team names changing, sponsors arriving… even riders transferring mid-season. But the end of a bicycle supply partnership is rare, if not unprecedented – certainly in relation to a team that’s due to make an appearance at the Tour de France in less than a fortnight.
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