Bianchi Out, Chinese Carbon In, And So-Long Specialized: Big Changes Coming to Pro Team Bike Sponsorship

Close to a quarter of the Tour de France peloton could be enjoying a “new bike day” this off-season.

One of the most significant shake-ups in the bike sponsorship landscape in years is underway.

Soudal Quick-Step has split with Specialized after an era that spanned 18 years and more than 800 victories.

Bahrain-Victorious has blown off Bianchi after just one year of a multi-year deal. The historic brand and its iconic celeste colorway is out of the WorldTour.

TotalEnergies is disrupting the narrative by betting on Pardus in a landmark three-year deal. The hitherto unknown brand will become the second Chinese bike supplier to bust into the Western-centric sport.

And there could be more to come before the peloton rolls out for 2027.

The financial crisis at Accell Group – the parent company of Lapierre bikes – has forced the embattled Picnic-PostNL team to chase a new equipment partner. And while rumors that NSN Cycling Team might ditch Scott are fading, they haven’t died out altogether.

The men’s peloton hasn’t seen a tech shake-up this consequential in some time.

Here’s what it all means.

End of an era at Quick-Step: Specialized out, Merida in

Long-time cycling fans felt a tug at the heartstrings last month when the long, happy marriage between Quick-Step and Specialized came to an end.

Specialized powered “The Wolfpack” to more than 800 wins over 18 years of loving matrimony. Mark Cavendish, Tom Boonen, Remco Evenepoel, and Tim Merlier all contributed blockbuster victories to what was one of the most iconic, prolific partnerships in pro cycling.

Quick-Step put the Tarmac, Venge, and Shiv into lede photos for decades.

But not anymore.

It’s unclear why the team and brand didn’t renew their seemingly eternal deal.

However, Specialized is no doubt getting plenty of bang for its marketing buck elsewhere. The manufacturing giant boasts a spectacular partnership portfolio that includes Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, FDJ United-Suez, SD Worx Protime, and the Specialized Factory Racing team.

Meanwhile, the Quick-Step team will rebrand as Soudal Safety Jogger next year and ride Merida bikes.

The Taiwanese brand returns to the peloton after a one-year absence.

The long-running Belgian mob will be almost unrecognizable.

And speaking of Merida, that brings us neatly on to….

Bianchi booted from men’s WorldTour: Bahrain to Factor

Bahrain-Victorious dropped a bombshell last week when it split from Bianchi after one year of a multi-season deal and saddled up with Factor Bikes.

Factor will be the Bahraini team’s third bike partner in three years. You gotta feel for the team mechanics.

Bahrain-Victorious traded Merida for a “multi-year deal” with Bianchi at the start of 2026 in what the brand labeled a “new chapter for our legacy.”

One abbreviated chapter later, Bianchi is out of the men’s WorldTour for the first time since 2022.

Bahrain-Victorious did not explain the cause of the early contract termination when it dropped the mic and dropped the bikes last week.

However, the team suffered its worst season since 2020 in its one season atop the black-and-celeste Oltres. That’s not a good look for Bianchi after riders at Arkéa-Samsic blasted the bikes’ build quality during their partnership at the start of this decade.

Bianchi’s loss is Factor’s gain.

The UK brand gave up its foothold at the top of the men’s peloton at the end of 2025 when it stepped away from its deal with the controversy-roiled Israel-Premier Tech team.

One year later, it’s back, and continuing to build a low-key but significant stake in pro cycling. Factor also works with U.S. teams Modern Adventure and Human Powered Health, as well as the French pro team Ma Petite Enterprise.

TotalEnergies brings more Chinese carbon to pro cycling: Pardus in, Cube out

Pardus will become the third Chinese bike brand in the upper echelon of men’s pro cycling in 2027.

TotalEnergies confirmed last month that it will ride the Shandong brand’s SPK Evo, Robin Evo, and Gomera Evo bikes in 2027. The Journeymen French team previously rode Cube.

It’s an intriguing move by TotalEnergies that follows a precedent first set by XDS-Astana.

The Kazakh WorldTour team blew the doors off the conventional Western narrative at the start of 2025 when it took co-title sponsorship and countless X-LAB bikes from the then-unknown Chinese brand, XDS.

Two seasons after its controversial move to Chinese tech, XDS-Astana is farming victories on top of some of the most desirable superbikes on the market. X-LAB is becoming a household name.

The struggling Euskaltel Euskadi team seemingly took note and partnered with Guangdong-based brand Quick-Pro at the start of 2026.

TotalEnergies became the latest team to hop on to the Chinese bike boom last month when it confirmed its landmark three-year deal with Pardus.

The Pardus brand is almost totally new to both the Western peloton and Western consumers.

It’s supplied the Chinese national cycling team for years, but Solution Tech-Vini Fantini is the only European team to have raced them. Pardus opened retail sales in Europe only this summer.

Velo understands that a move into the U.S. market is in the works.

Pardus GM Terry Gong said partnering with TotalEnergies is a key moment for the brand as it targets global expansion.

The long-running French team doesn’t have a WorldTour license. However, its historical status and French identity almost guarantee it wildcard invites to the Tour de France and monument classics.

“As part of the development of Pardus on the European market, we are particularly proud to partner with TotalEnergies,” Gong said. “History, values and territorial anchorage occupy an essential place in our vision, and we are excited to join a structure that has been contributing to the influence of professional cycling for many years.”

Gong added that the connection with TotalEnergies will “sustainably strengthen Pardus’ presence at the heart of European cycling culture.”

XDS and X-LAB entered global consciousness when it partnered with Astana in 2025.

Pardus could be the next Chinese brand to break the Western market.

To be confirmed: Picnic-PostNL leaving Lapierre and NSN leaving Scott?

Picnic-PostNL is scrambling to secure a new bike partner for 2027 after Accell – the parent company of Lapierre and Raleigh – entered insolvency.

The embattled Dutch team has confirmed it’s found a replacement supplier for the new year, but caveated that the contract hasn’t been signed off.

There are no hints as to who the team’s new partner may be, but …. Bianchi needs a new team. Just sayin’.

Lastly, transfer sleuth Daniel Benson sparked a rumor that won’t quit this summer when he wrote that NSN Cycling Team will leave Scott for Cube.

Neither the team nor the brands have suggested that anything is in the works, but it would be a timely move for Cube given it just parted ways with TotalEnergies.