Team Giant–Alpecin
 |
|
| UCI code | SUN |
|---|---|
| Registered | Netherlands (2005–2014) Germany (2015–) |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Discipline | Road |
| Status |
UCI Professional Continental (2005–2012) UCI WorldTeam (2013–) |
| Bicycles |
Colnago (2005) Koga (2006–2011) Felt (2012) Giant (2013–) |
| Components | Shimano |
| Website | Team home page |
| General manager | Iwan Spekenbrink |
| 2005 2006–2011 2012 2012–2013 2014 2015–2016 2017– |
Shimano–Memory Corp Skil Shimano Project 1t4i Argos–Shimano Giant–Shimano Team Giant–Alpecin Team Sunweb |
Team Sunweb (UCI team code: SUN) is a professional German cycling team that participates in UCI World Tour events and, when selected, in UCI Continental Circuits races. The team is managed by Iwan Spekenbrink and uses Giant bicycles.
The team has existed since 2005 but Skil previously sponsored a French cycling team, Skil-Sem, from 1984 to 1985, with a similar jersey. Thanks to aggressive strategies during Paris–Nice in 2008 and 2009, the team was awarded a wildcard for the 2009 Tour de France, making it their first appearance in a Grand Tour.
After losing its sponsors at the end of 2011, the team adopted the name "Project 1T4i", standing for "team spirit, inspiration, integrity, improvement and innovation", until a new sponsor was secured. Ahead of the Tour of Flanders on 1 April 2012, the team became Argos-Shimano following the announcement of a three-year naming rights contract with the Argos North Sea Group, an independent oil company based in the Netherlands.
In 2012, the team received their second wildcard invitation to the 2012 Tour de France, along with three French-registered teams: Cofidis, Team Europcar and Saur–Sojasun.
In December 2012 it was announced that the team would compete at the World Tour level for the 2013 season.
In September 2014 German shampoo manufacturer Alpecin announced that they would co-sponsor the team alongside Giant for the 2015 season. In December 2014 Sunweb (a Dutch owned international tour operator) was announced as a new major sponsor of the team, signing a 2-year deal. Sunweb also sponsor the cyclocross focussed UCI Continental team – Sunweb-Napoleon Games.
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