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On the one hand, this is the headquarters of the racing bike manufacturer Van Rysel , but at the same time a research and development centre for the French Sporting goods giant Decathlon. Van Rysel is the Decathlon brand that also equips a professional cycling team, Team Decathlon-AG2R, with racing bikes, helmets and clothing. The B'TWIN Village is located on the outskirts of the French city of Lille. The start of the Tour de France was of course something to look forward to, as Van Rysel literally means "From Lille" in Flemish.
Development of Van Rysel wheels
The building - formerly a cigarette factory - is an impressive one kilometre long and houses not only the development departments for the Van Rysel, Rockrider and B'TWIN bicycle brands, but also the R&D department for all other sports brands as well as clothing and accessories. Many employees use bicycles or scooters to cycle through the long corridors to get around the extensive site quickly. In the foyer, which is almost the size of a football pitch, a huge exhibition of historic racing bikes has been set up in honour of the Tour de France. Sport is alive everywhere here: you can play tennis or climb inside the hall, for example - all for testing purposes, of course.
MTB test track including pump track
There is a prototype workshop for the bike department, and the company is particularly proud of a whole arsenal of different 3D printers that can be used to produce initial test samples directly on site. There is also a large test laboratory with all kinds of test machines - and on the outdoor area there is an MTB test track including a pump track. A Van Rysel shop is also integrated into the building, which serves as a model for the concepts outside, but where everyone can also shop as normal.
A total of 1800 people work in Btwin Village today, 1600 of whom are said to cycle to work every day.
Jens Klötzer
Editor
