Team Giant-Alpecin was presented to the media and guests today at the Italian Embassy in Berlin. Team Giant-Alpecin chose the capital of Germany, where the team’s WorldTour license is registered, as the location of the Team Launch for the second year in a row.

The Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Pietro Benassi, officially opened the presentation in a setting offering a strong association with the history of cycling. Italy has brought the world legendary riders and monumental races such as the Giro d’Italia and Milan–San Remo, as well as the passion of the tifosi and a commitment to extending that passion for cycling to new areas all over the world.

The 2016 lineup was presented to the audience, along with the full roster of partners. Title partners Giant and Alpecin and current partner Sunweb have been joined by Renson, the trendsetting Belgian manufacturer of ventilation systems, sun shading systems and terrace covers, as a new key partner for 2016 and beyond.

Team Giant-Alpecin CEO Iwan Spekenbrink (NED) said: “This year we are continuing to work with a young group of riders who will further develop within our unique elite sports environment based on the ‘Keep Challenging’ approach and principles. Alongside this we will have an enhanced focus on promoting the regrowth of cycling in Germany through grassroots development aimed at both German youth and young talents in the sport. So today is also an important day for German cycling.”

In addition, the team announced the preparation of its development program, which will begin in 2017 in line with the UCI WorldTour reforms and which has the clear objective of becoming the leading and most innovative program in talent development. The program will enable the team to provide a complete grassroots-to-WorldTour structure, offering opportunities for the world’s biggest talents and also ensuring that the best German talents can develop into WorldTour riders. 

Spekenbrink continued: “We must thank everyone present here today in Berlin for helping make this a special day in a perfect location, the Italian Embassy in Berlin. It is a great way to kick off our 2016 campaign, and we are once again hugely excited about the coming racing season.”