Pirelli has announced its association with the Women’s WorldTeam Fenix-Deceuninck as official partner from January 2025 to 2029. The team, which is led by Philip and Christoph Roodhooft, will be competing in the Milano-Sanremo Donne event this weekend after making its debut on Pirelli tyres in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Strade Bianche.

Puck Pieterse, a multi-time champion and influential personality in contemporary cycling, is one of the team's best athletes. Pieterse, the current MTB XCO World Champion and the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Best Young Rider, is renowned for her ability to switch between cycling disciplines with ease. Pieterse is a valuable asset for Pirelli because of her ability to transition between road, mountain, cyclocross and gravel riding with ease. Pieterse is able to provide Pirelli technicians with insightful feedback that helps the company develop its cycling tyres because of her technical expertise, which she has developed via riding on a variety of terrains, from gravel to rocks and roots, from mud to paved roads, from slippery terrain to compact trails.

Former Dutch professional cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten, who won the Tour, the Giro and the Road World Championships all in the same year (2022), will also join the team as a new Performance Mentor.

From 2018 to 2020, Van Vleuten participated in competitions with Pirelli tyres, significantly influencing the creation of the then-new P ZERO Velo line. Pirelli tyres helped her win some of her biggest races, such as the Women's Time Trial at the 2018 Road World Championships, the 2019 Road World Championships, two Strade Bianche (2019–2020) and two Giro d'Italia Donne (2018–2019). Van Vleuten has frequently trained with male cyclists, and she took part in the men's team's preseason training camps in 2019 and 2020. Her suggestions were crucial in improving the P ZERO Race TLR, Pirelli's first tubeless tyres.

Sharing her experience with Pirelli’s P Zero and Scorpion XC tyres, Pieterse said, “To me a road tyre must have low rolling resistance and adapt well to the terrain. My experience with the Pirelli tyres has been excellent from the start, I always felt confident in corners and fast on descents. The mountain bike tyres I’ve tested were also impressive, offering low rolling resistance and great grip. To me it’s important to move between disciplines. It keeps me mentally fresh and prevents me from focusing on just one thing – Of course, training varies accordingly”.

Felice Cusmai, Pirelli Cycling’s Commercial Director, said, “Our goal is to develop tyres that meet the needs of every kind of cyclist, regardless of their speed, weight, cycling style or sex. In this respect, our partnership with the Fenix-Deceuninck Women’s team is particularly important. This team is made up of world-class, interdisciplinary athletes, whose feedback will be invaluable for the evolution of our cycling tyres. We are also happy to once again work with Annemiek. Her attention to detail and her sensitivity when it comes to technical materials have always been a great asset for Pirelli, ever since the start of our project in the cycling world.”

Bridgestone is planning to cut jobs at two factories in northern Spain in response to a negative shift in the European market and the growth of non-European goods.

According to a Reuters report quoting local union UGT, the business intends to lay off 546 workers at two plants in Cantabria and the Basque Country in northern Spain that produce tyres for tractors, other farm vehicles, buses and trucks. The report adds that UGT and other unions have declared their intention to call for a strike at the two facilities, but they have not given any specifics.

The company's local unit, Bridgestone Hispania, employs 2,800 people at the moment, according to UGT. Bridgestone stated that it has to modify its production capacity in light of the current market conditions, which are marked by inflation, uncertainty and regulatory changes, says the report.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has expanded its FLAME GUARD series of flame-retardant conveyor belts with the launch of the FLAME GUARD ECO, which offers improved energy-saving performance. This is in line with the company’s medium-term management plan for fiscal years 2024–2026 –Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026) – and aims to solidify its leading share in Japan’s conveyor belt market.

FLAME GUARD ECO is aimed at coal transport lines at ports and thermal power plants, which need conveyor belts that are flame-retardant for fire safety. To enhance energy-saving efficiency, Yokohama Rubber created a new rubber compound utilising technology acquired during the development of its ECOTEX conveyor belts, which have reached world-class power-saving performance. As the belt moves over the rollers, this lessens rubber deformation, which is a component in energy loss. Power usage and running resistance are thereby decreased. FLAME GUARD ECO reduces energy expenses and its environmental effect by lowering carbon dioxide emissions while simultaneously improving operational safety by combining flame resistance and energy economy.

With its self-extinguishing safety feature, the FLAME GUARD series provides flame retardancy with improved wear resistance, resistance to heavy oils and resistance to medium and high temperatures, making the belts suitable for a variety of operating requirements. The FLAME GUARD ECO variant also reduces resistance during roller passing for increased efficiency.

Apollo Tyres Ltd has launched the Vredestein Superpasso Pro competition-ready road bicycle tyres. This is the first model in the company’s all-new range of high-performance bicycle tyres scheduled for launch throughout the coming year.

The Superpasso Pro was developed using Apollo Tyres' cutting-edge ‘TriComp’ technology in Europe, which combines several rubber compositions for the tread and sidewall to maximise rolling resistance, puncture prevention and traction in both wet and dry situations. While the tyre's shoulder is composed of a softer composition to improve cornering grip at all speeds, the centre of the tread features a tougher compound to reduce rolling resistance and to prevent penetration. The new Superpasso Pro achieves a 14 percent improvement in rolling resistance, a 23 percent increase in puncture resistance and an eight percent weight reduction when compared to its Vredestein predecessor.

For TLR tyres, the new ‘Active Control’ technology offers a novel design that substitutes a bridging gap for the conventional overlapping centre join. Because of this development, the tyre is lighter and quicker, offering better control, better feedback and unwavering comfort. In order to increase puncture resistance and provide consumers the assurance that they can go farther, the Vredestein tyre also has a reinforced breaker layer. As part of a business collaboration with Apollo Tyres, the Dutch professional cycling team BEAT Cycling Club has put the Superpasso Pro through a rigorous testing process. Three sizes of the new Vredestein tyre are available: 700x25C, 700x28C and 700x32C. Both tubeless-ready (TLR) and tube type choices are available.

Nic Knippers, Division Head – Vredestein Two Wheel Tyres, Apollo Tyres Ltd, said, “The Superpasso Pro represents a significant leap forward in tyre technology, offering cyclists a product that excels in both performance and durability. With its innovative design and advanced materials, it delivers unmatched speed, comfort and reliability for cyclists of all levels.”

Thijs Zonneveld, Sportive Director, BEAT Cycling Club, said, “As a team that consistently pushes the limits of performance, we’ve been thoroughly impressed by the Superpasso Pro. The advancements in rolling efficiency, grip and durability have been evident in both race-day conditions and intense training sessions, and we’re excited to continue using it in competition.”

Bridgestone India has expanded its Flagship Select Store network with the opening of four new Select outlets in Hyderabad. With these new outlets, the company has taken its tally of stores in Hyderabad to 46 with an aim to transform the tyre buying and servicing experience by addressing the evolving needs of Indian consumers.

The Bridgestone Select Stores, which are supported by a robust premium network, offer an engaging and instructive experience that enables consumers to choose tyres with knowledge. To assist consumers get the most out of their tyres, the business also gives demos so they can see the impact that each service offers. At the moment, Bridgestone has a strong dealer network of 3,200, which includes 820 Bridgestone Select stores in India. Bridgestone India operates a few select storefronts in important cities including New Delhi, Ghaziabad, Bangalore, Kolhapur, Chennai and Hyderabad. The Select shops are designed to address a long-standing demand for a more intelligent tyre retail structure.

Hiroshi Yoshizane, Managing Director, Bridgestone India, said, “Hyderabad is an important market for us, and we’re proud to expand this pioneering concept of Select stores in the city. Bridgestone is committed to provide superior products and services to customers in line with its mission of serving society with superior quality. At Bridgestone, we’ve consistently led in enhancing customer experience, and these stores will help customers in Hyderabad to make informed tyre choices tailored to their needs. It also offers our dealers a unique, differentiated format to drive more walk-ins. As tyres are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the road, the store is designed to offer customers premium products, services and an elevated buying experience through its exclusive network.”