Bianchi returns to WorldTour as Team Sponsor of Arkéa-Samsic

Bianchi will return to the WorldTour for 2023 as team sponsor of Arkéa-Samsic to supply the bike style of the Oltre RC, Specialissima and Aquila. The new style bike Oltre RC published on October has the Air Deflector wings around the head tube as channel to airflow. The Aquila for time trials and, for cyclocross riders, the Zolder Pro. Bianchi will also support the team’s development and women’s squads. Before that, the Arkéa-Samsic team's vehicle sponsor brand was Canyon.

In recent years, Bianchi has sponsored the Dutch Jumbo-Wismar team in 2020, as well as the Australian bicycle trading team, and Roglic won the Tour West in 2020 with Bianchi. but no team using Bianchi on the World Tour in 2022.

Fabrizo Scalzotto, CEO of the Bianchi brand, said that the new partnership with Arkéa-Samsic on 2023 will ensure a good exposure of the Bianchi brand on the World Tour.

However the new Bianchi Oltre RC featured with the Air Deflector wings on around the head tube is not discrepancy with the UCI technical regulations prohibits article 1.2.034 “protective screens, fuselages, fairings or any other device that is added or blended into the structure, and that is destined or [has] the effect of reducing resistance to air penetration.” and “Aerodynamic assemblies and protuberances on the head tube or elsewhere are prohibited.”

So the Air Deflector wings have been removed in order to comply with UCI regulations.