Martin Jahn, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Sales and Marketing, emphasises: “Our company’s long history is inextricably linked with cycling. For this reason, ŠKODA AUTO is committed to being a strong long-term partner of international elite and amateur cycling. Supporting the Tour de France has been one of the cornerstones of our activities in sports sponsorship since 2004. It offers us the opportunity to visibly and sustainably position our brand and products in an appropriate setting, as well as to share our enthusiasm for this great sport with the international cycling community. I am particularly pleased that the ENYAQ iV, our first all-electric SUV, will be used as the lead vehicle in the Tour de France.”
The 108th Tour de France begins on 26 June with the Grand Départ in Brest. The Tour de France covers 21 stages over a total distance of more than 3,300 kilometres, including six mountain stages. The peloton will reach the finish line on the Champs-Élysées, Paris, on 18 July.
This year, ŠKODA AUTO is the official main and vehicle partner of the world’s largest cycling event for the 18th time. The company is deploying around 250 vehicles. The fleet, comprising the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV, ŠKODA OCTAVIA and OCTAVIA iV models, as well as the ŠKODA SUPERB iV, will be providing mobility to the organisers and race management and will be out along the route as service vehicles. ŠKODA AUTO will also be providing VIP transport to the annual competition winners, who will again have the opportunity to experience the Tour de France up close.
This year, the peloton will once again be led by a ŠKODA ENYAQ iV: The director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, will be using the all-electric SUV as a mobile command centre. He waves the yellow flag through the sunroof at the start of each stage and then directs the race from the vehicle with the aid of sophisticated communication technology. For example, he can give safety instructions wherever necessary. On some stages, Christian Prudhomme will also be using the ŠKODA SUPERB iV with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the ‘Red Car’.
During the race, the ŠKODA AUTO logo will be featured on the Green Jersey for the leader of the points classification, which the car manufacturer has been sponsoring since 2015. The winner of the world’s largest cycling race will be raising a crystal trophy on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées for the eleventh time; ŠKODA Design and Peter Olah, Head of Interior Design at ŠKODA AUTO, are once again responsible for creating the winner’s trophy.
ŠKODA AUTO campaign ‘The beautiful circus: You have to love it. We do.’
To coincide with the Tour de France, ŠKODA is launching the campaign ‘The beautiful circus: You have to love it. We do’. It emphasises the fact that it takes passion to compete in such a demanding race. ŠKODA is promoting the campaign in television commercials, on its social media channels and on the company’s dedicated website https://www.welovecycling.com/. On this site, cycling enthusiasts will find interesting information about the world’s most famous bike race and a competition with exclusive prizes.
As the partner of the official Tour de France app, ŠKODA ensures that cycling fans can keep an eye on what is happening along the route. In addition to the current rankings and a live ticker, the app also offers real-time GPS tracking, rider profiles and much more. The app is free to download and is available for Android and iOS.
ŠKODA’s corporate history began with the bicycle
ŠKODA’s passion for cycling is rooted in the very beginning of the company’s history: in 1895, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement founded a bicycle workshop in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia, laying the foundation for today’s ŠKODA AUTO.
As the ‘engine of cycling’, the car manufacturer promotes cycling at various levels. In addition to the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain (‘Vuelta’), ŠKODA AUTO sponsors numerous other international cycling races as well as national and international grassroots sports events. Bikes and cycling accessories are an integral part of the brand’s extended product range.
