Performance sunscreen brand Pelotan has successfully completed an investment round backed by athletes and launched in the USA this summer.
The expansion comes off the back of strong reported growth for the brand – nearing 100% year-on-year and the successful close of a £250,000 investment.
Backers in the brand include Olympic and World Champion triathletes Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt alongside the European record holder over 10,000m Eilish McColgan.
Pelotan, founded in 2018, is positioned to fill a gap for a sunscreen brand specifically targeted towards endurance athletes. Its breathable and sweat resistant formula offers broad spectrum SPF30 protection and helps athletes regulate body temperature and maintain peak performance.
Following the signing of a multi-year deal this summer with the Tour de France as an official product partner – Pelotan became the first sunscreen brand to make this step.
Among the early investors are senior figures and investors from leading wellness and performance brands including TALA, WILD, Momentous and AG1, helping the brand drive forward with its expansion into the US market.
“To have the confidence of elite athletes behind the brand marks a big milestone for us,” said Pelotan founder Tom Austen. “It’s been instrumental in our investment and innovation journey, and we’re excited to now bring Pelotan to athletes across the US – a market we already support at the professional level.
“We’ve always believed that sun protection can be a performance advantage, and we’ve spent years proving it at the top of global sport – the Tour de France, IRONMAN World Championships, Western States, Olympics, you name it. Now we’re bringing that mission to the US.”
Products are available in the US via usa.pelotan.cc, as well as from the brand’s official US distributor – The Feed. The suncscreen range has also landed in specialist retailers country wide across the USA. This includes a co-branded Tour de France range, celebrating the race’s iconic leaders’ jersey.
Building on the Tour de France partnership, investment, and US launch this summer, Pelotan has been supporting a packed racing calendar. The brand was used under the jerseys of EF Pro Cycling and CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto and in the packs of some of the best ultra-runners in the world as they took on the iconic UTMB in Chamonix.
