They're colorful, distinctive, and carry a message of brotherhood: the new Ursus wheels will mark the French team's return to training and competitive activity. Their goal? The Tour!
Ursus and the Total Direct Energie team: the beginning of the collaboration
Italians and French: the pairing is often associated with historical as well as sporting rivalries. This story, however, tells a different story. Since the beginning of the year, for the first time in its history, the Italian brand Ursus has become a supporter of a French professional team.
"With the Total Direct Energie team," says Enrico Stragliotto, sales manager at Ursus , "our relationship was born immediately under the banner of great technical collaboration. In the pre-season and during the pre-virus period, we received several confirmations from the riders regarding the quality of our wheels. Among other things," continues Stragliotto, "we had the opportunity to test some new models on the Paris-Roubaix route , a very convincing test that has already yielded excellent results."
A "boom" first half of the season for Ursus, enhanced by two seasonal victories from Italian Niccolò Bonifazio (a stage win at the Saudi Tour, followed by a win in stage 5 of the Paris-Nice race) and thwarted by the suspension of competition following the spread of Covid-19. At least until May 5th, when the UCI set new dates for the main World Tour events.
Recovery, new wheels and a hidden message
To celebrate the restart, Ursus and the Total Direct Energie team have decided to focus on style: in the coming days, team members will be provided with some sets of wheels with a new sticker celebrating the "rebirth" of cycling after the Coronavirus emergency.
The new graphics available to the riders feature a chromatic synthesis of the Italian and French tricolors, conveying a renewed sense of brotherhood. Once in motion, the colors will blend together, creating a unique, dynamic gradient. The graphics also feature the phrase , "Together as a team, we build up our own Renaissance." The lyrics pay homage to the Italian and French Renaissances, but also to the idea of team spirit that lockdown had pushed from our minds in the name of social distancing.
In short, the initiative aims to send a message of optimism to the cycling world, which, like all areas of our lives, has been affected by this terrible pandemic. We hope this optimism will lead us all to once again compete for the goals we have set for ourselves in life, business, and sport.
Conclusion
Team Total Direct Energie will equip its racing bikes with these new special wheels when the preparation phase resumes and throughout the rest of the season, thus sending out its message of rebirth. The next stop will be at the end of August, when the Tour de France takes place, the premier race on the world cycling scene and the primary visibility objective for the Ursus brand.
