As part of its serious commitment to cycling in Britain, Gatorade has joined forces with Team Sky to become the team's official sports drink until December 2013.

The partnership was unveiled at the same time as similar deals with British Cycling and the Great Britain Cycling Team, and the PepsiCo brand will also be fuelling the Sky Ride events which are aiming to get one million more people on their bikes by 2013.

This major move into cycling will position the Gatorade brand from the grassroots of the sport through to the professional level at a time when interest in cycling is growing.

Team Sky's team principal Dave Brailsford has always set the highest benchmark for excellence and Gatorade has been selected as a partner for Team Sky and British Cycling in the quest for even greater performances.

The sports drink will provide scientific support from their team at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) to British Cycling, both at the grassroots and through to its podium programme, whilst also directly supporting Team Sky.

Brailsford, who also holds the position as British Cycling's performance director, said: "I very much look forward to working with the team at Gatorade. We strive to work with only best in class partners as we know it's the marginal gains that they provide versus others that win medals.

"Gatorade is the most researched sports drink in the world, so it's only natural we would pick them to be our partners as we work towards 2012".

Sky group brand marketing director Robert Tansey agreed. He said: "At Sky, sport has always been at the heart of what we do and we're committed to getting more people participating in cycling at every level. We're pleased to welcome Gatorade on board as a partner across our activities from Sky Ride events to Team Sky."

PepsiCo UK's marketing director Amanda Thomson added: "Gatorade rehydrates, replenishes and refuels the body when it needs it most; this is the same for world class athletes, keen amateurs or those simply enjoying occasional sport. This is why we are delighted to be working with cycling at so many levels in the UK when it's at such an exciting time for the sport in this country."