After the addition of a German title sponsor for 2015, Team Giant-Alpecin will continue this coming season under a German licence.
The change is part of the continuous widening of the team’s international orientation. France is and remains strategically important, while at the same time the team is reaching out to Asia and the US. The core of the team is Dutch, with the Office & Warehouse in The Netherlands. The German heart of Team Giant-Alpecin is part of its commitment to help take responsibility for the development of German cycling, and the team will become the first German licensed team in the WorldTour since 2010.
“We are continuing to build the team by feeding in international talent and providing these riders with all the opportunities to progress and develop into world class riders,” explained Team Giant-Shimano general manager Iwan Spekenbrink (NED). “As part of this we will also have a focus on the development of German talent to give them the opportunity to find their way to the highest level of the sport.
“Our sponsors have international interests and part of their involvement in the team is to have a global marketing platform to help grow their ambitions across the world, which fits very well with the international set-up that we have aimed to build from the very start. But in addition to this, they also see the importance of and are committed to bringing cycling back to the people in Germany, a goal that aligns itself with what we have started to work towards over the past years. Meanwhile, cycling in Germany is already getting back on track in a better way than people expect.”
Team Giant-Shimano will be called Team Giant-Alpecin from 1st January 2015. Team Giant-Shimano Women’s Team will become Team Liv-Plantur, named after the women's brands of Giant (Liv) and Alpecin (Plantur), and will race under a Dutch licence.