[In the picture] Decathlon bike brand gets its own shop in London

Van Rysel, a Decathlon cycle brand, opened a shop-in-shop of its own in London for the first time. The shop is set to become a destination for road cyclists from across the UK.

‘Flandrien’ tradition

Within the Decathlon store at Surrey Quays in London, Van Rysel now has its own store environment. Although the bike brand is owned by Decathlon, it still wants to position itself independently and extend its reach as a premium label for racing bikes.

“We wanted the shop to be a tribute to Rysel, which in Flemish means Lille; the city where ‘Van Rysel’ has its headquarters and bike factory,” says founder Nicolas Pierron, who thus also wants to root the brand in the ‘Flandrien’ tradition. Admittedly, the young brand was only founded in 2018 by Decathlon.

The brand’s range includes the recently introduced RCR Pro Replica team bikes – based on the bikes used in this year’s World Tour by Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. In addition to bikes and accessories, customers will find guidance (advice and personalised bike configurations) and bike fitting services at the London shop.

Nods to origins

The shop-in-shop should not only become “an integral part of the vibrant local cycling community”, but also a destination for road cyclists from across the UK. “We have chosen a distinctive and eye-catching layout, with a centralised podium on which the Van Rysel bikes are displayed. Behind it is the welcome desk, made of a material inspired by the famous showers of the Roubaix Velodrome,” Marc-Antoine Aubert, Lead Designer at Decathlon, told Endurance Biz.

The video on the screen above the welcome desk reflects on the mirrored ‘water surface’ of the stage in homage to the Villa Cavrois and the Museum La Piscine, two architectural landmarks of the Roubaix area. In turn, the central structure of steel grids refers to the wind tunnel where Van Rysel develops its bicycles.