Yesterday afternoon, our friends at Continental Tyres announced that they are to become an official partner of Le Tour de France as of 2018.
The sponsorship agreement was officially confirmed by Christian Prudhomme, General Director Tour de France, and Nikolai Setzer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG responsible for Corporate Purchasing and head of the Tyre division.
As the exclusive UK importer for all of Continental’s 2-wheel product, we already had an inkling that a deal was going down – and now for the next five years, all official support cars, vans and motorcycles will be fitted with Continental rubber for the duration of Le Tour.
“For Continental becoming an official partner is the logical next step in our commitment to the development and production of high-tech tires for racing bikes – tires that are also used in the Tour de France,” underlined Setzer at the ceremony in Paris. “Through this move we are demonstrating our great tire manufacturing expertise in a unique environment of worldwide significance – a cycle race that not only demands the ultimate in safety but also calls for benchmark standards in terms of rolling resistance and weight.”
General Director Tour de France Christian Prudhomme added: “It is an honor to welcome Continental to the Tour de France – a company of international status, with over 145 years of know-how at the top of its sector. It is a great symbol for cycling that Continental wishes to be associated with the world’s biggest bicycle race. The commitment of A.S.O. in terms of safety at bicycle races, combined with Continental’s research to develop ever more efficient tires, confirms the values and logic behind this partnership. The tire is the only point of contact between a bike and the road; it is therefore a key element in the practice of this sport.”
Last year alone, nine teams competing in the Tour de France ran on Continental tyres, including Tour winner Chris Froome.
Although Froome’s latest win was taken on Continental’s exclusive Competition Pro Ltd tubulars, his first win on the brand two years earlier was taken on rubber sourced by Team Sky direct from Cambrian Tyres – the publicly available Competition Tubular, which can be purchased through many cycle dealers in the UK.
No announcement has yet been made as to which Continental product the various official motorcycles will use, but tyres like the test topping ContiRoadAttack 3 offer class leading performance in a range of conditions, perfect for an event with it’s many famous mountain stages and changeable weather.
Find out more about Continental’s 2-wheel range:
- Motorcycle – www.conti-bike.co.uk
- Cycle – www.conti-tyres.co.uk
