A New Era for VAN RYSEL: High-Level Performance Takes On Mountain Biking

VAN RYSEL officially enters mountain biking with the RCR-XC, a data-driven 32-inch race bike developed in-house, and a new partnership with the DECATHLON FORD team from 2027.

(8th October - Fréjus, France) VAN RYSEL, the high-performance cycling brand born in Lille, today announces a major turning point in its history at Roc d'Azur. Renowned for its excellence on road, gravel and triathlon, VAN RYSEL takes a new step towards its goal of becoming the world's number one cycling brand by officially entering the mountain bike market, unveiling its race bike: the RCR-XC.

RCR-XC - Photo credit: VAN RYSEL

Behind-the-scenes work and intensive in-house development

This official launch is the culmination of a long process. For several months now, VAN RYSEL has been building an MTB structure, bringing in recognised top talent from the discipline, including an R&D team based in the French Alps. Away from the spotlight, the brand's engineers and product managers have mobilised all their expertise to develop entirely new products and shape their own interpretation of high performance in mountain biking. With a single goal in mind: to develop the ultimate machine to win the biggest XC races.

The RCR-XC: a data-driven technological breakthrough

The RCR-XC was designed according to the strict methodology VAN RYSEL developed on the road: detailed analysis of race scenarios, wind tunnel sessions, collaboration with the best industry partners (such as ZIPP, RockShox and VITTORIA) and co-design with professional riders.

Since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games race, engineers first meticulously analysed all the data from the World Cup circuit. From the vast amount of data collected, VAN RYSEL focused on the three most important variables in determining the foundations of the brand's first mountain bike: speed, power and time.

"Wherever the athlete spends the most time in the race is where there is the most time to be gained through design," explains Luis Moro, VAN RYSEL MTB Product Manager.

This led VAN RYSEL to develop its first competition MTB, in the burgeoning 32" standard, that VAN RYSEL believes offers real world performance advantages!

And that's not all: we wanted to push the boundaries even further, with the same rigour that has driven our success on the road.

Despite this new wheel diameter, the carbon frame - whose stiffness was fine-tuned through several days of field testing with DECATHLON FORD riders - is actually lighter than the 29-inch platform currently used by the team: -230g (on a size M frame).

Aerodynamics was also placed at the heart of development. Wind tunnel testing helped shape a bike that delivers a significant saving of 15.5 watts at 35 km/h compared with the 2026 mountain bike used by the team.

"We didn't set out to build just another mountain bike, but one of the fastest in the world: the RCR-XC is designed to win the biggest races. To fuel that ambition, we applied V|R's successful scientific method, based on data and wind tunnel testing, to off-road riding, with no compromise. This frame is the result of co-design: the dynamics of a 32-inch at a lower weight than a 29-inch, validated by the best riders in the world." - explains Luis Moro, VAN RYSEL MTB Product Manager.

VAN RYSEL partners with the DECATHLON FORD team

To prove the value of this machine at the highest level, VAN RYSEL is partnering with the DECATHLON FORD team (managed by Samuel Roces). From 2027, VAN RYSEL will be the team's official bike and apparel supplier, with the RCR-XC ridden by world-class names including Luca Martin (UCI world number 1), Samara Maxwell (2 World Cup wins) and Savilia Blunk.

"Developing the fastest machine in the world only makes sense if it's ridden by the best athletes on the planet. Today, it is an honour and an immense source of pride for me to announce: VAN RYSEL becomes the official bike and apparel supplier for the DECATHLON FORD team from the 2027 season!" said Nicolas Pierron, CEO of VAN RYSEL.

Availability of VAN RYSEL MTB products

VAN RYSEL's arrival in mountain biking will begin with a first range of apparel, available in Europe from 2027, with other markets, including the United States, to follow.

The RCR-XC will first be used by DECATHLON FORD's professional riders, so their feedback can be incorporated under the most demanding World Cup conditions. It will go on sale at a date to be announced later.

Our products will reflect the same commitment as in our other areas of our business: enabling every cyclist to access the best equipment on the market at the fairest possible price.

For more information, visit vanrysel.com or contact mathilde@fusion-media.co.uk