Tom Boonen is one of Flanders’ most legendary road racing cyclists, having won one race after the other in his heyday. Today, he is one of the shareholders of Classified Cycling, a cycling start-up that spent seven years engineering an innovative new technology that could change the face of cycling as we know it. After its launch in the summer of 2020, the company is now eager to conquer the market. CEO Mathias Plouvier is confident that their technology will give market leader Shimano a run for its money:

Classified Cycling's system is a kind of virtual gearbox that is incorporated into the hub of the rear wheel. It’s an ingenious combination of gears and rings that is controlled wirelessly by electronic switches on the handlebars. The technology was already being used in city bikes but Classified Cycling finetuned it for professional racers. The company supplies its technology to bicycle manufacturers – like Flanders-based Ridley – who integrate it into their bikes.

To finance Classified Cycling’s rapid growth, Mathias Plouvier recently raised EUR 5 million. It’s their second big capital round, after collecting almost EUR 3 million from LRM and Tom Boonen, among others. The new investor is UK-based Bridford Investments, which also invested in Northvolt, a producer of batteries for electric cars. The fresh money will be used to scale up production and expand research. Even a move to electric bicycles is in the pipeline.