From January 2025, Team Cofidis will equip its LOOK bikes with Campagnolo components, including the Super Record Wireless groupset and Bora ULTRA WTO wheels. This follows a year when no WorldTour team was sponsored by the famous Italian brand, founded by Tulio Campagnolo.
The partnership marks Campagnolo’s return to the WorldTour. Starting in 2025, both the men’s and women’s Cofidis teams will ride bikes outfitted with Campagnolo parts under a four-year agreement. The decision followed detailed testing by Cofidis mechanics and technicians in collaboration with LOOK and Campagnolo.
Cofidis and Campy
The bikes will use the Super Record Wireless groupset. Cofidis cyclists will also have access to the MyCampy 3.0 app for personalized settings.
The setup includes Bora ULTRA WTO wheels, chosen for their stiffness and aerodynamic design. Riders can select 45mm or 60mm rim heights depending on race conditions. For time trials, the bikes will feature Bora Ultra WTO TT disc wheels.
Tulio Campagnolo founded his company in 1933 in Vicenza, inspired by his experiences as a cyclist in 1920s Italy. While racing, he conceived innovations like the quick release and derailleurs.
The history of the QR
The quick release was invented in 1927 by Italian cyclist Tulio Campagnolo after a frustrating race experience, the story goes. At the time, gear changes required stopping to flip the rear wheel, which had a cog on each side. In cold weather, his numb hands couldn’t loosen the wingnuts securing the wheel, costing him valuable time and prompting him to create a faster solution. Thus explaining the iconic logo of a wing on a quick release.
The long list of victories
Campagnolo has been on the bikes of 43 Tour de France winners, 30 Giro d’Italia titles. A total of 30 rainbow jerseys have used campy as well. Although other companies such as Simplex and Huret–now defunct–won races like the Tour, it wasn’t until 1999 that Shimano won a Tour de France, under Lance Armstrong.
Of course, as we all know those titles were stripped. So technically the first winner with Shimano was steak aficionado, Alberto Contador. However, the Japanese parts-maker has definitely taken over the market, with the majority of teams using Shimano. At the 2017 Tour de France, for example, every single stage and jersey was won by them for the first time.
Il ritorno di Campagnolo
Still, after a year of no Campy, lovers of the Italian brand will be thrilled to see the return to the…
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