The US-based WorldTour EF Pro Cycling team has begun its search for a new title partner to help its goal of winning the men’s Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes in the next decade.
The team announced it is searching for a new sponsor on Friday (Jan 30), with the future partnership described as an “unprecedented and unique opportunity” covering the men’s WorldTour team EF Education-EasyPost and women’s WorldTour team EF Education-Oatly.
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EF Education First will still own both teams, but “first naming rights” have been put on offer to help the team compete with its richer rivals.
EF said the partnership would help fund both teams’ growth, with the aim to win the Tour de France Femmes within the next year, to build a world-leading development pathway in professional cycling, and win both the men’s and women’s tours in the next decade through riders developed through their system.
Jonathan Vaughters, EF Pro Cycling’s chief executive, said: “It’s rare in professional sport, and nearly unheard of in cycling, for an owner and anchor partner to commit long-term at EF’s current level and still invite an additional title partner to invest purely to make the team stronger.
“We owe a great deal to EF. They recognize the incredible opportunity we have to keep building something truly special.
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By GlobalData"Our sport has changed dramatically over the past two decades. WorldTour budgets have risen at an unprecedented pace, and we see this as an opportunity to partner with a brand that shares our vision of winning at the highest level while staying true to who we are."
The announcement comes after several top teams have increased their budget through high-value sponsorships, including brands such as Lidl, Red Bull, and Decathlon, joining as title sponsors.
The men’s team was founded in 2003 and has participated in the WorldTour since 2009, when it was named Garmin-Slipstream. It has gone through several name changes until international education company EF took over naming rights in 2017.
The Women’s WorldTour team, meanwhile, was founded in 2023.
The current EF team includes current and former Olympic and World Champions, including Richard Carapaz, Kristen Faulkner, Ben Healy, and Magdeleine Vallieres.
