Culture

Oatly and EF Pro Cycling join forces to give cycling culture a fierce rebrand

Bikers supporting bikers

July 21, 2025

When Oatly, the world’s original and largest oat drink company, became the “Official Performance Partner” of EF Pro Cycling in 2024, the aim was always to showcase the power of oats for fueling and nourishing athletes.

Working closely with the EF Pro Cycling team, oats are in the spotlights ahead of the biggest races in the cycling calendar from La Vuelta in Spain, the Amstel Gold Race in The Netherlands, and the Tour de France.

Fortified oat drinks like Oatly are a great choice for cyclists during training, pre-competition, or recovery periods. Not only are they an excellent source of hydration, but they contain the additional benefits of a good balance of macronutrients including starchy carbohydrates, fiber, protein and unsaturated fats; Oatly drinks are fortified with essential minerals and vitamins (like calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12) which are essential for bone health muscle function and energy.

FROM CYCLISTS TO BIKERS

To bring the partnership to life, Oatly’s team of in-house creatives – known as Oatly’s Department of Mind Control, dug deep into cycling fan culture before arriving at a unique positioning for what has been one of the company’s most significant sports sponsorship to date.

Oskar Pernefeldt, Oatly Creative Director, says, “The cycling world knows that these professional riders are some of the toughest endurance athletes on the planet, but it's not always understood in broader sports culture. If you think about it, with their tattooed sleeves, riding in packs, wearing uniforms to show allegiance to their crew and having lots of unspoken rules and rituals, cyclists are total bikers. So, we developed a campaign that finally treats bikers as...bikers."

ENTER EF PRO BIKERS

Powered by plants and dressed in denim vests, cycling’s newest, toughest biker gang, EF Pro Bikers, combines the power of EF Pro Cycling stars like Alison Jackson, Alastair MacKellar, Babette van der Wolf, Henrietta Christie, and Jardi van der Lee with the iconic attitude and look of motorcycling culture.

EF Pro Bikers have been at major races across Europe, serving oat-based refreshments to fans, pre- and post-race, from mobile clubhouses, showing just how easy it is to incorporate a plant-based approach to performance nutrition.

Jonathan Vaughters, EF Pro Cycling Founder and CEO, says, “From the very beginning, the team and Oatly wanted to make sure that we activated the larger cycling community and turn it into a win-win-win where the fans hopefully feel like they also are getting something out of the partnership, including some great tasting pre- and post-ride drinks made with Oatly products by EF Pro Cycling’s own chef Chris Woodward.”

To further deliver on their promise of fan-first biker activity, Oatly, are activating a series of Community Coffee Rides. The rides are geared up to offer the global cycling community a chance to meet up, ride together, get their hands on some biker swag and experience the power of plant-based nutrition with Oatly drinks pre-and post-ride. And the fun hasn’t stopped in Europe. Across the USA, from May through July, Oatly partnered with Rapha, co-sponsor of EF Pro Cycling, to host a series of six rides from Rapha’s clubhouses in New York, LA, San Francisco, Miami, Boulder and Bentonville. Each Rapha Ride saw over 100 participants, with Oatly all geared up offering cyclists custom plant-based refreshments, a “Patch Station” where riders could create their very own denim vests, and a whole bunch of EF Pro Biker swag.

Sarah Sutton, Oatly Global Media Director, says, “The aim of this unique partnership was to create something special with Oatly and EF Pro Cycling, not only for the existing community but also for those who have just discovered the wonderful world of cycling. We wanted our collaboration to come from the perspective of the fans, and soon-to-be fans, delivering unique refreshments and fun spectator moments that show just how easily dairy-free products can be integrated into a healthy diet, in the most fun, tongue-very-firmly-in-oat-drink-filled-cheek way possible.”

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