Lidl, the German supermarket chain, has increased its visibility across professional road cycling by securing a wide-ranging sponsorship deal with Unipublic, organizer of the La Vuelta Grand Tour and other Spanish races.
The multi-year deal, which starts in 2027, covers five major cycling races in Spain, including the men’s La Vuelta, women’s Vuelta Femenina, the Tour of the Basque Country, the Tour of Catalonia, and the Clásica San Sebastian, and will see Lidl become the official fresh food partner of all five races.
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Lidl has also taken over several prominent sponsorship roles as part of the new partnership, including as the title sponsor of the La Vuelta and partner of the red leader’s jersey, a position held by French supermarket Carrefour for the past 14 years.
Lidl has also been named as the main sponsor of the Vuelta Femenina and will take over Carrefour’s title sponsorship of the race, becoming La Vuelta Femenina by Lidl from 2027, as well as the sponsor of the red jersey.
For the Tour of the Basque Country, Lidl becomes the main sponsor of the race and of the leader’s jersey, while it will also serve as the main sponsor of the Clasica San Sebastian and Tour of Catalonia.
Vuelta race director Javier Guillén said: “We are pleased with this new partnership with Lidl, a company that has already amply demonstrated its commitment to cycling.
“We share the ambition to further develop our events, improve the experience for fans and bring cycling closer to families and a new audience.”
The major partnership with Unipublic builds on Lidl’s strong presence within road cycling, having title-sponsored Lidl-Trek, one of the WorldTour teams competing in both men’s and women’s categories, since 2023.
The German supermarket also served as a top-tier partner of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023.
Jens Thiemer, Lidl's commercial director, said: “Cycling is part of everyday life and brings together much of what Lidl stands for: conscious nutrition, an active lifestyle and true team spirit.
“That is why our involvement deliberately goes beyond traditional brand visibility. We want to use our strengths as a company to further develop cycling together with our partners and inspire as many people as possible to become active."
The new deal comes as Amaury Sport Organisation, the parent company of Unipublic and organizer of the Tour de France, continues to boost its commercial activity, having most recently secured a two-year media rights extension with the European Broadcasting Union covering the Tour de France, La Vuelta, and a portfolio of other races until 2032.
The extension comes shortly after the partners announced their agreement for 2026-30. It is intended to give audiences long-term certainty and keep the races widely accessible through public service media.
Ahead of the 2026 La Vuelta, ASO signed up Spanish meats brand Noel Alimentaria, car rental business Sixt, eyewear brand 4KAAD, and Mango de España as new commercial partners, as well as Komoot as the Spanish event's official route planner.
The 2026 edition of the iconic road cycling race took place over 21 stages in Monaco, France, and Spain between August 22 and September 13.
