With the Tour de France finally underway and in a move to encourage it’s youthful customers develop a healthy lifestyle trough cycling, Citroën announced, along with AG2R La Mondiale (a French multinational insurance firm headquartered in Paris) a new sports project, AG2R CITROËN TEAM. The commitment will extend to 2025.
Beginning in 2021, the team; Oliver Naesen, Benoît Cosnefroy, Greg Van Avermaet and Bob Jungels, will support very high-level sporting ambition athletes in Peleton (the first home-exercise bike to feature a large touch screen monitor that streams live high-energy pedaling classes from the Peloton studio in Chelsea, NYC), as well as traditional cycling events. AG2R Citroën Team will support their training and retraining. Emphasis will also be placed on performance management and technological aspects.
The new team will be called AG2R CITROËN TEAM, which is a name that was not chosen at random!
Its acronym ACT appropriately spells out the word “act” in English, claiming they will ACT to:
- Share great ambitions in terms of performance;
- Support young hopefuls through the training program;
- Help develop the culture of “clean cycling” for healthy and responsible performance. The partnership advocates the practice of cycling in line with ethical rules and in particular those of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), of which the AG2R LA MONDIALE cycling team has been a founding member since 2007.
The AG2R CITROËN TEAM will carry the new UCI code: ACT.
Vincent Lavenu, General Manager of the cycling team:
“We are proud to begin writing a new chapter in the history of our team called the AG2R CITROËN TEAM. We worked hand in hand with our title partner AG2R LA MONDIALE to find a co-partner of excellence. CITROËN has proven to be the ideal teammate for the team’s rise to power. We can’t wait to start this collaboration rich in sharing.”
Vincent Cobée, General Manager Citroën:
“We are very happy to start this magnificent adventure alongside AG2R LA MONDIALE and the Vincent Lavenu team. CITROËN is and always has been a popular brand that belongs to pop culture. Cycling is a popular sport that fascinates people of all origins, nationalities, ages and backgrounds. So it was very natural for us to get involved in this sport. New CITROËN customers acquired over the past 5 years are extremely sensitive to the environment and its well-being, rather than to traditional automotive performance. The year 2020 also marks a turning point in the electrification of the Citroën range with the launch of 6 models that are either 100% electric or hybrids (Ami – 100% ëlectric, ë-C4 – 100% ëlectric, ë-SpaceTourer – 100 % ëlectric, ë-Jumpy – 100% ëlectric, ë-Jumper – 100% ëlectric, C5 Aircross Hybrid). The partnership with Vincent Lavenu’s cycling team underlines the importance of sustainable mobility for CITROËN. “
André Renaudin, Managing Director of AG2R La Monidale:
“AG2R LA MONDIALE is very happy to extend its commitment with the cycling team led by Vincent Lavenu until 2025. We are proud that CITROËN, an iconic and popular brand, is joining us to share the emotions that we have been experiencing with the team for more than 20 years.
We are driven by the same human values, performance and boldness, and we look forward to writing new pages of this beautiful story together.”
