A Touch of Glass

As official sponsor of the Tour de France for the past 12 years, ŠKODA has supplied vehicles and support while also paying homage to its own cycling roots. It was, after all, a bicycle design that started off the whole ŠKODA business over a century ago. Now the design team has left its stamp on the trophies held aloft by the winners of the world’s most challenging cycle tour.

The trophies are made of lead crystal glass, whose main properties are high refraction and gloss. This makes them naturally dazzling, but the dazzle doesn’t stop there. ŠKODA’s designers teamed up with renowned Czech glassmakers Preciosa to enhance the trophies. Thousands of tiny diamond-ground crystals have been placed, by hand, onto the surface of the glass, which catches the light in a unique way. They call the crystal application Stardust. What better way to reflect the cyclists’ outstanding performance?

ŠKODA Head of Design Jozef Kabaň cited his inspiration for the new trophies as the race itself. “Cycling at the highest level requires passion, skill, endurance and perfection down to the smallest detail. This is something that can inspire us not only in our work, but also in our everyday lives.”

The glittering “stardust” on the trophy has led the team to consider its application in other ways, and in particular on some special edition ŠKODA cars. Read this to find out more.