Van Rysel
Van Rysel is making a deliberate move into the future of triathlon. The French performance cycling brand has announced the launch of its Rising Squad, a development program designed to support young international athletes at a critical stage in their progression from junior racing to the highest professional level.
Framed around long-term Olympic ambition, the initiative targets athletes aged 14 to 18, with a clear objective already in place: to see at least two triathletes from the Van Rysel program compete at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
The timing is notable. As the WTCS prepares to open its 2026 season in Samarkand, the brand is reinforcing its presence at the elite level while investing in what comes next. Its roster reflects that balance, led by Léonie Périault, who arrives second in the WTCS standings, alongside Max Stapley in 22nd and Chase McQueen in 28th.
The Rising Squad extends beyond traditional sponsorship models. Van Rysel is positioning itself as an integrated performance partner, combining equipment, mentorship, and technical education. Athletes will receive the same high-performance package used by professional teams, including Van Rysel’s top performance bikes, the RCR R Pro and RCR F Pro, alongside apparel, helmets and footwear.
Mentorship sits at the centre of the program. Périault, Stapley, and McQueen will lead the cohort, which includes Oscar Delecroix, Léni Remer-Mancini, Lucas Gorrill, Jázmin Kropkó, Eliot Delecroix, and Antonin Mathieu. The team is supported by structured education sessions that cover mechanics, nutrition, and the increasingly essential domain of athlete branding and media presence.
Equally significant is the academic and professional support. Recognizing the fragility of early career pathways in endurance sport, Van Rysel is providing access to internships and internal mentorship networks, with exposure to careers in engineering and sports design. It is a model that acknowledges performance alone is not sufficient to sustain long term athlete development.
Nicolas Pierron, Van Rysel Leader, framed the initiative as a shift in how support is delivered: “With the Van Rysel Rising Squad, we want to give young athletes the means to match their ambitions. We are not just giving them a bike, we are offering them a full performance ecosystem, from cutting edge technology to guidance from Olympic level mentors, so their only focus is the finish line.”
For a sport that continues to grapple with gaps in funding and athlete support, particularly in the transition years, the significance is clear. Development programs of this scale do more than elevate individual athletes. They help build a more resilient pathway for emerging triathletes.
Van Rysel, a brand rooted in the performance culture of northern France and Flanders, is now extending that philosophy into triathlon. Not only at the front of the race, but at the very beginning of the journey.
