It seemed to be a big blow for Visma-Lease a Bike and Wout van Aert. The bankruptcy of Gravaa, the company behind the innovative tire pressure system, suddenly caused uncertainty among the yellow shirts.
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Visma-Lease a Bike sows a lot of mystery: “You’ll see”
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The court in East Brabant declared Gravaa bankrupt last week, which suddenly puts the future of the system in doubt. That news also casts a shadow over Team Visma-Lease a Bike and leader Wout van Aert, who used the system intensively, mainly in Paris-Roubaix.
Although the technology was promising, it proved commercially unsuccessful. Sales lagged, and that lack of revenue ultimately proved fatal for the company. But what would this mean for Visma-Lease a Bike?
Use still possible
The company itself provides an answer to Sporza. At Gravaa they try to calm the unrest. The company says that the teams can continue to use the system for the time being: “The teams can continue to use our technology. Visma-Lease a Bike has purchased sufficient wheel sets. Everything is up to date and our app also remains up and running,” it said.
Although there is one more point of attention. According to the rules, technology used by professional teams must also be available to private individuals. But Gravaa does not see this as an insurmountable problem either.
“Everything must indeed be on the market, but with a webshop or a shop around the corner you already meet that condition. So it does not have to be large-scale.” The system does not seem to have to disappear immediately, although it remains to be seen whether Visma will actually opt for this.
