Ridley Project Failure: Joris Nieuwenhuis Analysis

Special A year after the Ridley Racing Team was announced with much fanfare, the project of Ridley CEO Jochim Aerts is to merge with the Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw team of Jurgen Mettepenningen. How could those lofty ambitions collapse so quickly?

Becoming the most dominant off-road formation in the world, claiming the number one position in the UCI ranking and founding a ProTeam: there was no shortage of ambitions when the Ridley project was revealed. Aerts brought Joris Nieuwenhuis and Spanish champion Felipe Orts on board as eye-catchers, former world champion Richard Groenendaal became the team leader in the field and Rik Verbrugghe immediately left his position as sporting manager at Israel-Premier Tech to work as ‘general manager’.

Sponsor search
Many big names, but one thing was still missing: a name sponsor. Aerts stated that he was looking for partners who not only wanted to invest money, but also wanted to remain involved in the team’s evolution in the long term. But that’s where the problem lies. The fact that Nieuwenhuis and co started the cross season with the bicycle brand Ridley itself as the most prominent name was of course already a sign of the future. It recently became known that Ridley was now discussing a merger with Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw.

Now that general manager Rik Verbrugghe has also announced his departure, Aerts’ project seems to be dying a quiet death. “I don’t know if you can call it that,” Verbrugghe tells us. “The fact is: no sponsors jumped on our bandwagon who could help the team grow. That big name sponsor was necessary for that. That is of course a shame. Then you have to take your money’s worth.”

Although perhaps the ambitions seemed too big for a starting project anyway? “It was certainly not an easy job. I had to help the Ridley team evolve into more than a cross team, but it was just a very difficult year to find sponsors. Perhaps the most difficult season in years, for that matter. You can see that in the entire market. Ridley is a nice brand, and the innovative idea was not bad either. But they were never able to guarantee a certain continuity.”

Nieuwenhuis and Vanthourenhout will soon become teammates – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos

“We did have discussions with possible partners, but the interest of Ridley and Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw to collaborate naturally says a lot about the course of events,” said the former winner of the Flèche Wallonne. “I now hear that this collaboration with Mettepenningen will happen. Maybe our paths will cross again one day, but at the moment I would be better off elsewhere.” Verbrugghe will now support Remco Evenepoel’s junior team in the coming year.

Clear link
Since the Mettepenningen riders have been riding a Ridley bicycle for more than ten years, the link with Jochim Aerts is not far to seek. In addition to being business partners, the two have also been good friends for some time. Yet discussions about a collaboration only started very recently, the team manager confirmed last weekend. Even team leader Joris Nieuwenhuis knew nothing about it after the cross in Hamme.

The link is also very logical on a sporting level. Now that Mettepenningen, Eli Iserbyt, has lost one of his most important pawns for a long time due to a persistent injury, the pressure is on Michael Vanthourenhout. Mettepenningen has already indicated to our website a few times that he wanted to rebuild against Baloise Glowi Lions and the teams of the Roodhooft brothers: then this is the ideal solution.

“Jochim wants to focus again on the management of his company, while I focus on the cross team on his Ridley bikes,” the East Flemish man said in Het Nieuwsblad, even more clearly than last week. “By the way, it is not just about Joris Nieuwenhuis, but also about Felipe Orts and Daan Soete. Since we become the ‘paying agent’, the ball is now also in the riders’ court. The name of the team will not change, but the jersey will. The broad outlines have been completed, the details have not yet.”

This will result in a favorable ending for both parties, although Nieuwenhuis and co can get out of their contract as a result of the merger. In any case, Mettepenningen will receive reinforcement – on a sporting and financial level – and Aerts still sees his brand prominently displayed. With Michael Vanthourenhout he has the intended number one in the UCI ranking in his team. “I do not view this as a real takeover, but rather as joining forces,” Mettepenningen concludes.