Cycling is a sport full of strange sponsorships, as teams attempt to make money out of every bit of real estate on their jerseys, advertising everything from beer to Burger King in the case of Italian second tier team Eolo-Kometa.
The best at this is also one of the most successful teams, Soudal Quick-Step. Over its 20-year existence in its current incarnation, the Belgian squad has had a smorgasbord of interesting partners. However, there has always been one that I’ve been particularly fascinated by, thanks to the photos that the deal means every year.
At the team’s December training camp, since at least 2015, the riders embark not just on a casual showing off of Latexco’s pillows and mattresses, but in a full blown pillow fight in order to add a bit of fun into the situation. It was very exciting to see this tradition continue into 2023, as Quick-Step posted the annual mattress and pillow image on their Instagram this week.
Bad news, then, this Friday morning, as Cycling Weekly can reveal that Quick-Step’s iconic pillow fight photoshoots are likely to be no more after this year, thanks to the sponsors, Latexco, being bought out.
"This year is a bit different, because Latexco got taken over by a bigger company, owned by Luc Tack," Katrien Dendievel, the company’s PR director said. "Latexco will keep on sponsoring the team, because the contract was already signed before the takeover.
"I think they will continue the sponsorship, but it will continue under another name. It will […]
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