ChainReactionCycles supply Vitus bikes and new name to Sean Kelly team

Kelly made Vitus bikes famous in his pomp and has now teamed up with them commercially

The largest online cycling retailer in the world, www.chainreactioncycles.com has taken over as bike supplier to the Sean Kelly team.

The Northern Ireland headquartered company is also adding its name to the team, with the squad now officially rebranded as An Post-ChainReactionCycles-Sean Kelly.

The move was first suggested by stickybottle last week when we unveiled the team’s new kit. It was confirmed today in a statement by ChainReactionCycles.

The company’s Vitus brand replaces Dolan Bikes as the bike supplier to the team this year, with the riders set to race on the Vitesse frame used with the Sean Kelly LTD edition model.

The 2013 Sean Kelly LTD edition

The team will also ride the Vitus carbon Chrono time-trial machine in races against the clock in the coming season.

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The Vitus carbon Chrono time-trial machine

The news today that ChainReactionCycles is now a title sponsor of the team along with An Post, and that the riders will race on its Vitus brand bikes, comes just one year after ChainReactionCycles joined the Irish-Belgian outfit as a secondary backer.

However, with Sean Kelly having ridden Vitus bikes during his career and now working as a brand ambassador for the company, the replacement by Vitus of Dolan Bikes as the team’s new bike partner comes as no surprise.

Kelly said today: “The team at Chain Reaction Cycles have done a magnificent job of breathing life back into the historic Vitus brand, and this partnership is a natural progression as we aim to deliver An Post-Chain Reaction Cycles-Sean Kelly riders to the top of the podium – exactly where Vitus belongs.”

Marketing manager at ChainReactionCycles, Damien Duggan said it was “such an exciting time” for the company to embark on its first journey into professional road cycling.

“The launch of An Post-Chain Reaction Cycles-Sean Kelly feels like a natural fit, and we can’t wait to see the team racing on our very own Vitus bikes.”

Team manager Kurt Bogaerts said the announcement had already created a buzz in the team’s training camp in Spain, which officially gets underway on Thursday.

“It’s fantastic to have Chain Reaction Cycles and Vitus on board as we head into the 2013 race season. With some fresh faces on the team and new bikes from Vitus I believe that this year can be our most successful yet.”