Who’s riding what: 2022 WorldTour bikes and kit checklist
Who's riding what: 2022 WorldTour bikes and kit checklist
With a new year comes new kit, bikes, and sponsors for the world’s top teams. While 2021 saw a raft of teams switch bike suppliers, in 2022 it’s the turn of the kit suppliers to play a game of musical chairs. It’s time to take a look at all the kit and equipment movers and shakers in the WorldTour peloton.
Here’s what pro cycling teams are riding and wearing in 2022. We’ll update this list as new kit designs are released.
AG2R Citroën
This time last year, it was all change at AG2R-Citroën. New additions included BMC, Campagnolo, Pirelli, Wahoo, and of course Citroën, plus a raft of new riders. With such recent and widespread change, it’s hardly surprising to see the team stick with the same formula for 2022. Expect to see a few new faces, perhaps even a new paint job on the bikes. Expect also to see the brown shorts remain for yet another year. I make that 14 years and counting.
Astana Qazaqstan Team
A slight alteration to the name is as new as it gets over at Astana. It’s almost back to the past for the Kazakh team with the return of Vincenzo Nibali and Miguel Ángel López. Pro riders are creatures of habit, so the decision to stick with the same bikes, wheels, and kit will be welcomed by most.
Bahrain Victorious
Another team sticking to what it knows is Bahrain Victorious. The squad has relied upon Merida frames, FSA, Vision, Prologo and Shimano components since the Gulf nation began funding the team in 2017. Presumably, the objective was to stick with a winning formula, given the team has just had its most successful season to date. The only notable change from January 2021 is Ale coming in to replace Nalini as clothing sponsor. However, even that is old news – the team made the switch mid-2021 season.
Bora-Hansgrohe
Here is a team with a vastly different roster but yet remarkably similar equipment. Despite the additional investment in the new-look Team Total Energies, Specialized and Roval have stuck with the German WorldTour squad. Bora is the first team to find a sponsor-supplied seat in the 2022 game of professional cycling musical chairs. British brand Le Col has replaced Sportful as clothing sponsor, so we can expect/hope to see an entirely new kit design.
Cofidis
Cofidis also grabbed themselves a chair. Decathlon’s in-house brand Van Rysel will supply the French team’s outfits for 2022. Expect the new kit to be red. Very red. But for now, all we’ve seen is the training kit. Which is very yellow.
De Rosa, Campagnolo, and Fulcrum all stick around for another year with one of the longest-standing teams in professional cycling.
EF Education-Nippo
EF will ride Cannondale bikes again in 2022. Expect the setups to remain very similar. FSA and Vision supply the components and wheels, while Prologo should be on board again with saddles and perhaps bar tape. Expect to see the team on 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2, and Rapha will again supply the kit, which hasn’t yet been released.
It’s that kit we are all most excited to see. EF had Rapha’s most compliant kit ever for 2021 and a special Giro kit. We look forward to seeing what Rapha’s designers come up with for 2022.
Groupama-FDJ
Wholesale change at FDJ? Nope, not now, not ever. The FDJ squad is the WorldTour equivalent of the iPhone S: small updates rather than entirely new releases. This year, the only notable FDJ update is the inclusion of Lapierre’s new Xelius SL3. In Shimano and Ale, both the kit and component suppliers remain the same as 2021. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Ineos Grenadiers
From a distance, the recipe for an Ineos Grenadier appears unchanged. Pinarello bikes, Shimano components, and mostly navy kit. However, there is more change than first meets the eye. Pinarello has already replaced its original 2021 F12 with the new Dogma F. Add to that a dollop of a new Crossista CX bike for chef Tom Pidcock. Finally, Bioracer has added a hint of Belgium and a splash of red to the Grenadiers kit. Only time will tell if the new recipe is an instant classic.
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
Things remain largely unchanged over at Intermarche. The team will race Cube bikes and Newman wheels in 2022. A raft of new riders will be looking to the current crop of talent for advice on equipment setup. We are awaiting a decision from the video assistant referee as to which clothing seat Intermarche landed on. Expect the team to be on Shimano components again.
Israel Start-Up Nation
It’s “as you were” over at Israel Start-Up Nation. The team will have the Factor Ostro Vam for road stages. The bike builds remain almost identical to last year with Black Inc wheels and handlebars, Selle Italia saddles, 4iiii power meters, and Shimano components.
Lotto Soudal
Just when you thought things were getting a little boring, Lotto Soudal stepped in with a host of changes. Gone is the long-standing partnership with Campagnolo. For 2022 the Belgian squad will rely on Shimano components for the first time since 2002. DT Swiss has stepped in as wheel sponsor, with Vittoria still providing the rubber. Vermarc sticks with Lotto Soudal as clothing sponsor
Movistar
Much like Lotto this year, the Movistar and Campagnolo split made the headlines two years ago. SRAM and Zipp have adorned the team’s Canyon bikes ever since, and those partnerships will continue in 2022.
Both men’s and women’s Movistar squads got invitations to the clothing musical chairs party. Having parted with Italian brand Ale, Movistar switches to another Italian brand, La Passione, for 2022.
Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl
Hunting in packs, Patrick Lefevere’s men found themselves a new clothing chair for 2022. Belgian brand Vermarc only had one chair in the game for 2022, and Lotto Soudal refused to give it up. Luckily for QuickStep, the Castelli seat vacated by Ineos had QuickStep’s name on it.
The bikes are still Specialized, wheels are Roval, components are from Shimano.
Team BikeExchange Jayco
A slight name change and another bike change look almost certain for the sole Australian squad in the men’s and women’s World Tour. Now at the end of a single-year deal with Bianchi bikes, reports suggest BikeExchange will welcome Giant bikes back to the WorldTour.
The clothing music stopped for GreenEdge on November 3 when it grabbed the Ale seat left vacant by Movistar. This partnership will see both men’s and women’s teams ride Ale kit for 2022 and 2023. GreenEdge will be hoping to tie down a bike sponsor for a similar period, if not longer.
Team DSM
If you have kept track of those clothing-sponsor chairs, you might spot Nalini was the only clothing brand with a team in 2021 (or part of) still unconfirmed for 2022. That was until Team DSM partnered with the Italian brand. The team develops its own clothing range, which was produced by Bioracer in 2021. Nalini will produce the garments for 2022 and notably claims a spot on the jersey. Something Bioracer, perhaps more notably, had not done in 2021.
It’s as you were on the equipment front for both men’s and women’s teams. The team will continue with Scott bikes, Shimano groupsets and wheels, and Pro components. Vittoria looks set to continue as well.
Jumbo-Visma
On the men’s side, the Jumbo-Visma squad has developed into one of the leading teams in the past several years. Jumbo-Visma’s women’s team has officially stepped up to WorldTour for 2022. That said, the team’s performances, results, equipment, and kit were already WorldTour level.
Having switched to Cervelo bikes just 12 months ago, it’s no surprise to see the team opt for a repeat of the same setup: Cervelo frames, Shimano components and wheels, and Fizik saddles. Dutch brand AGU remains in place as clothing sponsor for 2022.
Trek-Segafredo
Unsurprisingly Trek Segafredo will ride Trek bikes with Bontrager equipment in 2022. The team has retained partnerships with SRAM and Pirelli also, meaning familiar setups for the returning 2021 male and female riders.
Santini provides the team kit for the Trek team and will continue in 2022. At the same time, Wahoo continues its partnership formed with the team at the beginning of 2021, supplying head units for the bikes.
UAE-Team Emirates
(@uae_team_emirates)Presumably, brands are lining up to partner with Tadej Pogačar’s team. The double Tour champion shows no signs of slowing down, and his team has ramped up his support squad. There is seemingly no room at the inn, though. Colnago remains as frame sponsor and is joined by Campagnolo, SRM, Vittoria, Deda, Prologo, and Look to complete the team bikes.
Spanish clothing brand Gobik joined the team for 2021 and remains in place for 2022.
The same brands now support the newly formed Women’s WorldTour squad, Team UAE. Despite acquiring the Ale-BTC Ljubljana team license and nine of its riders, the new Team UAE will bear little resemblance to the squad it replaces. Gone are the Cipollini bikes, replaced with Colnago. Gobik replaces Ale clothing. The Campagnolo presence ensures a tiny semblance of continuity.
Canyon-SRAM
Rapha has provided the stunning Canyon-SRAM kit designs over the past few years. However, the Canyon-SRAM/Rapha partnership is coming to an end. Canyon will provide the team kit in 2022. Does that mean the end of the best kit designs in the peloton? Likely. Will Canyon’s designers create something equally as brilliant? Unlikely, as that is, after all, an almost impossible task. All good things do have to come to an end.
Otherwise, things should be very much as they were. Canyon bikes, SRAM equipment, Zipp wheels.
FDJ Nouvelle – Aquitaine Futuroscope
On paper, the 2022 FDJ squad should look almost identical to the 2021 squad. Lapierre will supply the bikes, Shimano the groupsets and wheels, and Gobik the team kit. Kit design is the only place to see a change.
Liv Racing Xstra
Liv Racing has a new sponsor and shareholder in Xstra, a digital storage company. We will have to wait to see if the team opts for a similar kit design. We hope it does. One thing is for certain: Liv racing will race on Liv bikes. SRAM should be onboard again with groupsets, while Cadex provides the wheels and build kit.
Team SD Worx
SD Worx will stick with a winning package for 2022. Specialized provides the frames, saddles, and tyres. Zipp is onboard with wheels and build kit while SRAM will provide groupsets, including Quarq power meters.
The team has already unveiled its new kit design, although it is unclear who manufactures the clothing.
Human Powered Health
Rally Cycling becomes Human Powered Health for 2022 and makes the step up to WorldTour for the next two seasons. While the name has changed the team kit is expected to remain largely unchanged.
Felt has confirmed the team will ride its bikes in 2022. SRAM is expected to stay on as component supplier along with Time, FSA, and Vision. The team raced with Kenda tyres and Quarq tyres in 2021. Pactimo supplied the team kit in 2021, and although unconfirmed, the partnership is expected to continue.
Roland Cogeas Edelweiss
Little is known of the Swiss team’s setup for 2022. We did find two photos of the new team kit on the team page of the Cogeas Cycling website. The photos seem to confirm Look will remain as bike sponsor for 2022. Swiss clothing brand Q36.5 will join as clothing supplier. We will bring you more news on the team as we get it.
EF Education-Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
Another of the teams stepping up to WorldTour in 2022, Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank will continue with Cannondale bikes in 2022. The team will ride with Shimano groupsets, Vision wheels and components, and presumably Vittoria tyres.
Rapha replaces Voler as clothing sponsor, with POC also joining the revamped team to supply helmets and glasses.
Uno-X Pro Cycling
In Uno-X we have another team about which very little is known. A new team for 2022, the squad will jump straight into the highest level in the Women’s WorldTour. So far all we have from the team is a raft of signings and a single photo of the new jersey on the team’s Twitter feed.
Interestingly the Dare bikes logo does not appear on the jersey, but the Norweigan direct-to-consumer bike brand is expected to supply the team for 2022. Again, we will bring more news on this as we get it.
#WWT @UCI_WWT
— Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (@UnoXteam) December 9, 2021
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