Australian-based marketplace, BikeExchange has stepped up its involvement in pro cycling by announcing the naming rights sponsorship with the the newly titled team Orica-BikeExchange, effective immediately. The new kit will be revealed tomorrow and will be worn at the Tour de France onwards. The partnership will extend for a minimum of 12 months.

BikeExchange has supported the team since its inception back in 2011 and has been working its way up the chain of commercial partners ever since. That longterm relationship has proved to be beneficial for both parties in many ways.

Team owner Gerry Ryan has investments in the rapidly expanding BikeExchange business as well as parent company Marketplacer.com, a technology platform for online marketplaces. Ryan is also an investor in the Outdoria business vertical which is a hunting, camping, fishing, outdoors marketplace.

The partnership with GreenEdge is part of the strategy to bring awareness to the global expansion of BikeExchange, which has experienced rapid growth in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and soon to be launching in the UK and Ireland. BikeExchange is an online marketplace for ‘everything bike’ where consumers and retailer members trade their products and services locally.

“Sponsoring a pro team presents an amazing opportunity for an expanding global brand,” BikeExchange co-founder Jason Wyatt said. “We have been involved with the team since the beginning and have seen them grow from the start. This title sponsorship presents a unique opportunity for BikeExchange to reach millions instantly and we are all excited by the opportunity that lays ahead.”

Classics success with Grand Tour ambitions

Orica-GreenEdge has had success in the major Spring Classics since its inception, winning Milan-San Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Paris Roubaix, as well as stage wins in all of the Grand Tours. Going forward however, the team is planning for an assault on the Tour de France general classification win.

Gerry Ryan told AFR, “We’re aiming to win a [Tour] stage or two and we’ve identified several we think we are a chance at. But I think we will be in a position to have a real crack at winning [the overall race] in 2017 and 2018.”

“So we’re getting in the general classification and we are building around them more. It is about having the depth, and the culture. We’ve recruited riders who say we’ve added years to their career because of the training and recovery we do. People are coming to us now, that is the respect we are getting on the circuit.”

See a photo gallery of the new kit here.