Ridley Ambassadors and Collaborations

Joaquin Rodriguez concluded both the 2010 cycling season and the seasons of 2012 and 2013 as the leader of the UCI rankings. The Catalan cyclist won the Tour of Lombardy twice and the Fleche Wallonne once, triumphed in stages in every Grand Tour, and also graced the podium in the three major Tours. In his first year as a professional, he made a smoking gesture during a training camp, suggesting that the pace was no issue as he passed others. This earned him the nickname 'Purito' (little cigar). Today, Purito is an ambassador for Ridley. He became familiar with the cycling brand during his time with Team Katusha. The former world number 1 cyclist still rides extensively, seamlessly switching between road cycling, gravel, and mountain biking. As a rider, he embodied reliability and success, making him an ideal representative for Ridley.

Triathlete Kenneth Vandendriessche won the Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg during his first period on a Ridley and also has three European duathlon titles to his name. In 2024, a new collaboration began, and Kenneth underscored it with his second victory in the Ironman Lanzarote, achieved on the Dean Fast. This also earned him a ticket to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

Louis Naeyaert won the European title in half distance triathlon in 2023. In Menen, he completed the 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling, and 21 kilometers of running in a time of 3 hours, 45 minutes, and 47 seconds. The 27-year-old military firefighter also supports his colleagues in their preparations for long-distance races.

Jelle Geens is a Belgian triathlete, from Heusden-Zolder a few kilometres from our factory. He is competing in his third Olympic Games this summer. In 2019, he won the WTCS in Montreal and took bronze at the European Championships. Two years later, he also triumphed in Abu Dhabi. With this collaboration, we underline our ambition to support local talent.

Ridley is the bike supplier and sponsor of Zdenek Stybar's one-man team. The Czech rider became world champion twice on Ridley bikes and bid a beautiful farewell to professional cycling at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in his own country. He will eventually take on a number of new challenges.

Fatpigeon is a collective of storytellers on a bike. Founder Nol van Loon reached an audience he didn't know through the images of his adventures. That's why he and his team started searching for even bigger challenges. For Fatpigeon, no gravel challenge is too much: from bikepacking across five Italian islands to an exploration through the mountains of Uganda. Ridley is happy to support these 'pigeons' in their flight towards ultimate freedom.

The Austrian Nora Turner started her blog Unicorn Cycling in 2018. The passionate enthusiast from the Vienna region experiences cycling in her own way. She wrote blog posts about cycling during pregnancy or "mansplaining" in the race. Turner discovered a world she didn't know together with her audience. Every ride counts for Ridley, so in 2023 she could count on the support of the Belgian bicycle brand.

The six-time indoor rowing world champion uses the bike to expand his training. We support the Limburger with a Grifn and have already had the pleasure of welcoming Lemmelijn several times on our social rides.

Valerie Jenaer is a track sprinter, and through the Warsco-Dico Diamond Cycling Alliance, she aims to create a positive impact between the elite sports world and the business landscape in Limburg. She wants to be an inspiration for young female riders. Ridley supports Valerie as a bike supplier and jersey sponsor.

Bavo Mortier is ‘digital creative’ at Sporza, where he works as a graphic designer for the website and social media channels. As a flying reporter, he is present at major events and in between he makes fun videos about well-known and lesser-known sports. For his challenges on the bike, Ridley supports him with the appropriate equipment.

Actor and singer Mathias Vergels announced his intention to participate in the 2024 Ironman 70.3 in Kraichgau, Germany. He approached us, and we provided him with a bright yellow bike. In the end, he completed the Ironman in just over 6 hours.

Through our distributors, we are also suppliers of bicycles for many smaller teams scattered throughout the cycling world. In this way, Kristyna Zemanova is also connected to us. The 20-year-old cyclist from the Czech Republic, representing the Brilon Racing Team MB, won the bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in Hoogerheide and at the European Championships in Pontchâteau. In this way, they continue to maintain our excellent reputation in this field.

As a bicycle manufacturer, we have a collaboration with Belgian Cycling. It is an honor to support the national federation in the challenges of cycling. In this way, our Arena Fast track bikes will be used during the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024.

The cycling federation for recreational and competitive cyclists receives our assistance in supporting its members and in logistics at events such as the Cycling Vlaanderen Classics or training camps for young riders. The 60,000 members of Cycling Vlaanderen also receive a discount on bikes and accessories from Belgian Cycling Factory.