24 hours in Roubaix: tales from a top secret cycling launch

It's a chilly Friday night in Roubaix. A hundred or so journalists, influencers and Van Rysel staff have gathered at the Roubaix La Piscine for a 'top secret' Van Rysel event. Rumours have been spreading since we disembarked the Eurostar in Lille earlier that day. 

Some suggest it's the launch of the top secret but not secret RCR-F aero bike that first appeared at the Tour de France last year. Others pose the idea that it's an aquabike, given the location... but in reality, neither group were correct. We were there for the launch of the 2025 Van Rysel Roubaix UCI Continental team, and perhaps more relevantly for road.cc, the team bike. 

Chic formal

For full disclosure, I was originally briefed to write some coverage of the launch in a paid-for article (you can find that here) but thought it'd be fun to delve a bit more behind-the-scenes in this supporting blog, Anyway... I was given notice of the trip a few days prior, with very little information provided. As I've gotten older, I need fewer details to be enticed onto a trip. 24 hours in France with the promise of food and cocktails? Sign me up. Oh, and the bike thing, too. 

The PR firm tasked with getting all the UK media and influencers there did the best with the information they were given, and allowed to give out. Eventually we managed to crack them open a little and were given a dress code for the 'party'. It was cocktail with a black and pink theme. And then it was chic formal, and maybe a hint of pink if you can. By this point I'd decided whatever was in the wardrobe would have to do, and ended up horrendously overdressed. 

Top secret

Even the location was top secret. We arrived at the hotel in Lille, and were told to be ready by 6PM for our travel to Van Rysel HQ. From there, we would be transported to the top secret location (which by now we'd all deciphered was La Piscine, given the promotional imagery). 

I have to hand it to the team, the venue was rather impressive. Outside, there was a team bus and some fancy light projection onto the side of the venue. Inside, however, lay a table of Van Rysel Roubaix team bidons - all filled with a specially made cocktail for the event. As a consummate professional, I had to try the local delicacy, and am pleased to report it went down well. 

Pool presentation

After a short museum tour, which gave us all a background on La Piscine's heritage and importance to the Roubaix community, we gathered around the Olympic length swimming pool for the team presentation. 

For the uncultured among us, there were headsets provided with English translation. Given my French barely goes beyond 'une croissant, s'il vous plait', I was grateful. After the head of Van Rysel graced the stage with his freshly dyed pink hair (incredible commitment to the bit, sir), the riders were presented and the bike was unveiled. 

Then, as the food was served, the journalists got to work. I spoke to Jeremie Debeuf, Van Rysel Product Manager, who gave me a bit more insight into the design of the RCR, the kit the riders will be using this year, and of course, whether this paint job will be available to customers.

"To have a beautiful and fast bike is the perfect combination we are looking at"

The Van Rysel RCR has had a stellar first year in the cycling world - professional and commercially. And for 2025, the design team were tasked with creating a bold new colourway for the Roubaix team, that Debeuf says was to "mainly fit with the art deco spirit" within the Roubaix La Piscine. 

"There was quite a lot of research by the design team," he continued. "We ended up with a few possibilities, and this one was chosen. When we saw the reaction of the guys riding the bike, we knew it was the right decision. Still, that to have a fast bike is one thing, but to have a beautiful and fast bike is the perfect combo we are looking at."

Van Rysel also designed the team kit for 2025 - although they are not the kit sponsor. Debeuf said the team worked to match the kit and the bike alongside the "history" they wanted to showcase. 

The kit is pretty technical, too. With aerodynamics at the forefront of the jersey design, you can see the sleeves have been worked to avoid as much turbulent air as possible, particularly at high speed. 

Secondly, the back is largely mesh, as that's the biggest sweat point of a pro cyclist. The shorts offer compression which Debeuf says "removes all the small vibration you get while you ride."

Van Rysel Roubaix accessories

The team will be using Van Rysel accessories for the 2025 season, too. From the XCR helmet, which will be used in "mainly the Classics and very fast races above 40kph", to the RCR which is more "lightweight and offers more ventilation" for races with a lot more climbing. 

The PERF 900 sunglasses, designed in conjunction with the AG2R team, will provide Roubaix's riders with "a better view in the peloton."

But perhaps the question on everyone's lips has nothing to do with shoes, sunglasses or helmets. It has to do with - where can I get my hands on this bike? And thankfully, it sounds like Van Rysel has already thought about this. 

"We are working to make it available as part of the global range"

"This, is our challenge," Debeuf told me. "We talked about customisation, and how unique the paint scheme is. Our main challenge now is to make sure we can make it available, probably in a limited quantity, but at least we know that at some point, the customer will ask for it. So we are working on it to make it available on the side of the global range, where we have already many colours.

"2024 was kind of year one for the RCR. 2025 is the acceleration year, with many more colours. And we will work hard to make this one available with limited quantities."

When asked if he could give us an indication on price, he shook his head.

"No, not for now, because we are still working on it. But of course, it will be an iconic bike with a lot of work and human work on it, so probably a bit more expensive than the current colours, I would say."

And asked whether they had a spec in mind, Debeuf played coy.

"Still a work in progress, but one of the ideas is a frame kit, where you can build your dream bike around the frame kit. And we have several other options to work on.

"But, for sure, it will be unique and special, very special for the happy customer that will trust us with this kind of bike."

Back to Blighty

After the cocktails were consumed, the local Flemish delicacies devoured, we went back to the hotel to absorb all the information thrown at us that evening. And the next morning, a trip back to England was on the cards. 

So was it a worthwhile trip? I'd say yes. Not only did we get to see the Van Rysel Roubaix team bike in person - and no, they didn't fall for my "just let me ride it round the pool, I promise I'll give it back" ploy, but we got to meet the hive mind behind the design and one of 2024's stand out road bikes. 

Will we ever get confirmation of the RCR-F? Our sources suggest yes. But not just yet. I'll pack another bag though, just in case.

vanryselcycling.com