Performance cycling apparel company,ASSOS of Switzerland, and BMC Racing Team have announced a three-year partnership for technical apparel, effective January 1, 2017. ASSOS will outfit BMC Racing Team and BMC Development Team for all training and racing apparel needs. The partnership will be dedicated to the scientific and technical advancement of cycling apparel and equipment that will elevate team performance at the most elite level.
 
"At BMC Racing Team we are always looking to improve and innovate, particularly when it comes to technical apparel. ASSOS of Switzerland are specialists in engineering and aerodynamics, and have mastered the creation of racing apparel suitable for all weather conditions and elements. With their Swiss quality and technical achievements, they were a natural fit as our technical apparel partners," BMC Racing Team General Manager, Jim Ochowicz explained.
 
BMC Racing Team will become an extension of the ASSOS R&D roadLab. "We recognize that by working with some of the top riders in the world at BMC Racing Team, we have a focused channel to create, experiment and develop new advancements unknown today. It pushes us to go further than just developing products for commercial use, and of course is an ideal tool to test new technology before it's made available in our collection," ASSOS Chairman and CEO, Phil Duff said.
 
Rooted in competitive cycling, ASSOS was the first manufacturer to bring time trial skin suits to competition in 1978.  Fast forward to 2016 when an ASSOS skin suit was ridden to gold in the time trial at the Rio Olympics. BMC Racing Team has a strong pedigree in both team and individual time trialing and ASSOS will gather and compile data from the team to continue to push the limits of cycling apparel.

Throughout the late 70's and early 80's, a significant percentage of the professional peloton rode in ASSOS shorts, some officially, many unofficially. "These riders knew ASSOS had a superior product, after all, we invented the first Lycra cycling shorts," said Roche Maier, Creator, Brand and Product Chief at ASSOS of Switzerland. ""Although ASSOS retired from the UCI WorldTour peloton over two decades ago, competitive cycling is in our DNA and we've continued to nourish it. Now, 25 years later, we are reconnecting with our roots and officially heading back into the professional peloton by entering into partnership with BMC Racing Team. Not because we needed to, but because our hearts wanted to. The entire R&D crew here at ASSOS is very excited about this."
 
ASSOS will produce both authentic and replica BMC Racing Team apparel kits. There will also be a non-team version of the ASSOS SpeedFire skin suit. All of these will be available soon.