During the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2025 in Lille, the birthplace of Van Rysel, a unique sponsorship activation came to life: The House of Cycling Dreams. Developed by Van Rysel and Wasserman Benelux, the project celebrated cycling culture, brand innovation, and emotional connection with fans.
Van Rysel, Decathlon’s premium cycling brand, leveraged its partnership with Team Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale to create a multi-experience hub inside a traditional Flemish estaminet. The venue blended local authenticity with high-performance storytelling, featuring immersive experiences such as a mobile repair workshop, a Dream Jersey contest judged by pro riders, and a Performance Showroom.
The House of Cycling Dream became a creative hotspot, an activation hub, hosting press events, podcasts, and content creation. Visitors were encouraged to share their experiences, making the venue naturally shareable and social by design.
Over 20 influencers and journalists produced 354 posts, generating 3.2M impressions, 1.1M Reels plays, and an Earned Media Value of $158,200.
A launch party gathered 150 cycling professionals, while giveaways and internal activations fostered pride among 2,000 Decathlon employees.
Strategically timed and culturally rooted, the activation met all its core objectives:
- 7,100 visitors from 37 nationalities
- Full distribution of giveaways and jerseys achieved in 4 days
- Engagement rates of 2.7% on Instagram and 8.1% on TikTok
A benchmark in modern sponsorship, bold, authentic, and deeply effective, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale’s Tour de France sponsorship moment into a long-lasting brand legacy.
