Design, Performance and the Tour de France: Inside hansgrohe’s Cycling Partnership
What does a bathroom brand have to do with one of the world’s leading professional cycling teams?
Much more than simply placing a logo on a jersey!
The connection is rooted in shared values: performance, precision, innovation, teamwork and recovery. In 2026, hansgrohe celebrated ten years of supporting professional cycling, reflecting a long-term commitment to helping the team develop and compete at the highest level.
Design Insider’s Editorial Director, Alys Bryan, was invited to Paris by hansgrohe for the final weekend of the Tour de France. From the moment she arrived, the welcome from the hansgrohe team and event organisers was exceptionally warm. Every detail had been planned with precision and genuine care, creating a weekend that felt both exciting and effortless for every guest.
The programme brought together the worlds of hansgrohe and AXOR, professional cycling, Parisian culture and the extraordinary finale of the Tour de France.
A decade of shared ambition
The relationship was never just a logo on a jersey; itwas always a shared ambition to grow, compete and succeed together.
Since hansgrohe joined the team, the partnership has accompanied its rise through major victories, Grand Tour success and the creation of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
2017 – hansgrohe joined as a sponsor as the team entered the WorldTour under the name BORA – hansgrohe. Peter Sagan also joined the team and became World Champion for the third consecutive year.
2018 – Peter Sagan won Paris–Roubaix, one of cycling’s five prestigious Monuments, and claimed the green jersey at the Tour de France as winner of the points classification.
2019 – Pascal Ackermann topped the points classification at the Giro d’Italia, while Peter Sagan secured the Tour de France green jersey for a record seventh time.
2020 and 2021 – Max Schachmann won the prestigious Paris–Nice stage race in 2020 and repeated the achievement the following year.
2022 – Jai Hindley won the Giro d’Italia, delivering the first Grand Tour victory in BORA – hansgrohe’s history.
2023 – Jordi Meeus won the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, a celebrated sprint often referred to as the sprinters’ world championship.
2024 – The launch of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe marked another major step in the team’s development. That same year, Primož Roglič won the Vuelta a España, adding another Grand Tour title to the team’s growing record.
2025 – Florian Lipowitz finished third in the Tour de France general classification and won the white jersey, delivering the team’s strongest overall Tour result at that point.
2026 – Remco Evenepoel joined Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, adding one of cycling’s biggest talents to the team and reinforcing its ambition to compete for Grand Tour victories. He went on to finish second overall at the 2026 Tour de France, giving the team its best Tour result to date.
Together, these milestones tell the story of a partnership that has grown alongside the team, from entering the WorldTour to winning Grand Tours and challenging for cycling’s greatest prizes.
Discovering hansgrohe and AXOR
Our weekend began with a presentation introducing the two brands at the heart of the Hansgrohe Group.
Although hansgrohe and AXOR share a commitment to quality, innovation, thoughtful design and exceptional experiences with water, each has its own distinct identity.
hansgrohe focuses on premium bathroom and kitchen products that bring together intelligent functionality, lasting quality, user comfort and responsible water consumption.
AXOR is the group’s luxury design brand, known for distinctive collections, individual expression and collaborations with internationally respected designers.
The presentation allowed us to explore the parallels between the two brands while appreciating the different audiences, aesthetics and experiences they serve.
hansgrohe product highlights
The Activera range was presented as a flexible shower collection with an easy, rounded design that can work across a wide variety of bathroom schemes. Available in Chrome or Matt Black, it spans everything from compact hand showers to a generous 240mm overhead shower and complete showerpipe combinations. The feature that caught our attention was WaterBoost, which allows users to temporarily increase the flow when a little extra power is needed—simple, intuitive and exactly the kind of everyday functionality hansgrohe does so well.
The LavaPura Element was presented as hansgrohe’s take on turning an everyday bathroom essential into a far more considered wellbeing experience. Behind its clean, understated design sits a long list of comfort and hygiene features, from heated seating and warm-air drying to odour extraction and personalised wash settings. The detail that really stood out to us was the UV disinfection of the stainless-steel spray wand after every use.
AXOR product highlights
The first AXOR design we explored was AXOR Archivio, created with Barber Osgerby. The collection looks back to familiar, almost classical bathroom forms, then softens and refines them for contemporary interiors. What stood out most was the bloom-like cross handle: tactile, distinctive and just decorative enough to give the collection character without tipping into nostalgia. It is a lovely example of AXOR making something feel both recognisable and completely new.
AXOR Signature showed us just how far bathroom personalisation can go. Rather than asking designers to work around a standard product, the service can adapt almost any AXOR piece through bespoke finishes, engraving, component combinations, altered dimensions or even entirely new project-specific developments. The element that really caught our imagination was the ability to add custom 3D surface structures, turning a fitting into something tactile, highly individual and truly unique to its setting.
That evening, we were immersed in Parisian culture.
A wonderfully entertaining little “train” carried us through Montmartre and the neighbouring Pigalle district, home to the Moulin Rouge, before we enjoyed French cuisine close to the Sacré-Cœur.
The evening continued with a magic show, a dancing duet, and a traditional singer, which led to raucous laughter and created a joyful, memorable end to our first day.
Experiencing Paris by bike
The following morning began with professional bike fittings and full Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe kit.
Looking the part was one thing. Riding the route was quite another.
You could choose whether to cycle 45km, 65km or 85km. Alys chose the 45km distance, taking us around the Arc de Triomphe, and then on from the Eiffel Tower to Palace of Versailles before looping home.
The ride was expertly escorted, with traffic held to give us the rare opportunity to experience Paris and its surroundings from a completely different perspective.
There were some demanding climbs, exhilarating descents, a water stop and a very welcome coffee stop.
Passing pedestrians waved, applauded and cheered as our group rode by in team kit. Their encouragement added to an already wonderful atmosphere.
Within the group, there was a genuine spirit of camaraderie. Riders encouraged one another on the climbs, shared the excitement of the descents and laughed together throughout the journey.
That evening, we celebrated everyone’s achievements over dinner at Les Ombres, above the Musée du Quai Branly. With its exceptional view of the Eiffel Tower, it would be difficult to imagine a more spectacular place to reflect on the day.
At the finish of the Tour de France
Sunday brought the moment we had all been waiting for: the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées.
Before setting off we heard from Allan Peiper, 35-time stage winner and Strategic Advisor for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe pro cycling team. It was fascinating to hear his insights on the riders and teams he worked with throughout his career.
Then, we joined fellow sponsors, including the brilliant BORA colleagues, beside one of the most famous finishing stretches in world sport.
The hospitality area was full of energy and anticipation. Flags were waving, songs were being sung and every cyclist was cheered as they approached the end of three extraordinary weeks of racing.
Our BORA colleagues deserve a special mention. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and their singing and cheering kept the atmosphere alive throughout the race and long into the celebrations afterwards.
Watching the cyclists complete the final lap on the Champs-Élysées was extraordinary.
One of the most memorable moments came after the race, when the riders and staff from Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe crossed over to meet and celebrate with us.
We then witnessed the trophy ceremony as Remco Evenepoel was confirmed in second place overall, securing the best Tour de France result in the team’s history.
Having spent the weekend learning about the partnership, riding together and supporting the team, seeing everyone at the finish felt incredibly special.
And then came the after-party.
Celebrating with the riders, team staff, sponsors and guests was an extraordinary conclusion to the weekend. The full team joined the party, bringing together the people whose commitment, preparation and teamwork had made the result possible.
It was exuberant, emotional and completely unforgettable.
A weekend we will never forget
This was an opportunity to discover the identities and innovations behind hansgrohe and AXOR, experience Paris from the saddle and stand on the Champs-Élysées as one of the world’s greatest sporting events reached its conclusion. The generosity shown by hansgrohe to every guest was exceptional!
From the welcome packs and full cycling kit to the carefully selected venues, seamless organisation and personal attention throughout, every part of the weekend made us feel genuinely valued. For us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
For hansgrohe, however, the weekend represented something established and ongoing: ten years of supporting professional cycling and a lasting commitment to the continued development of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
Second place overall made 2026 the team’s most successful Tour de France to date and represented another major milestone in a decade already filled with landmark achievements.
After experiencing the ambition, energy and team spirit behind that success, there is only one question left to ask:
What will next year bring?