Lotto Dstny are swapping their Ridleys for Orbeas in 2024, the Belgian squad announced on Thursday afternoon.
The news was reported last August by Belgian media, with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws saying that the switch from Ridley was due to riders having to compete on an "old" time trial bike for "several years" due to delays in delivery of a new iteration, and financial motivations.
The partnership was officially announced by the Basque brand and team on Thursday, described as a "union stemming from the deep convictions of both the brand and the team and materialised in an ambition to reach new goals in both sport and business".
Very little is known about the new bike; in a YouTube video published by Orbea, the bikes featured are black Orca Aeros, with Shimano Dura-Ace and FSA components, and with wheels from Oquo, another Basque brand. Orbea also make the Orca, a lightweight climbing bike, and the Ordu, a time trial bike, listed on its website as a triathlon model.
The bike company also supplies the men's ProTeam Euskaltel-Euskadi and women's Continental team Ceratizit-WNT. Both of these used FSA cranksets with their Orbea bikes last year, as seems to be the case on the new Lotto models.
The press release from the Belgian team presses home the history in cycling both brands have: 38 years in the Peloton for Lotto, and 183 years of making bicycles for Orbea.
"Like Lotto Dstny, we are a brand with a strong global presence," Ander Olariaga, Orbea's brand and communications director, said. "Through this collaboration, we aspire to broaden our impact and strengthen our recognition worldwide."
"Lotto Dstny finds in Orbea an ideal ally to continue improving the performance of our entire structure," Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Dstny, said. "The adaptation to the new bikes has been quick and the willingness to continue working on their development is always there. Together, I am certain we can achieve great things."
Lotto Dstny were sponsored by Ridley since 2012, with the equipment delivering big wins for the likes of André Greipel and Caleb Ewan over the years.
However, it was reported that there were issues with delays to the new time trial bike, the Dean, with riders forced to use the "old" version for longer than planned.
Following this, Ridley's CEO, Jochim Aerts, released a statement accusing Lotto-Dstny of "reputational damage".
Aerts said that the breakdown in the relationship between Ridley and Lotto was not due to the performance of the bikes, but due to Lotto wanting more of a financial boost from their deal with the bike brand.
Arnaud De Lie, Thomas De Gendt and Victor Campenaerts will be among the riders now riding Orbeas throughout the 2024 season.
