The Tour de France’s 21 stages cover more than 3,519 kilometres and 28 climbs through ‘La Grande Nation’. The winners’ presentation takes place on 24th July on the Champs-Élysées – as well as the overall winner in the yellow jersey, the winner of the points classification in green, the best young rider in white as well as the best climber in the polka-dot jersey are also given the opportunity to celebrate in front of millions of cycling fans and can proudly raise their winner’s trophies into the Parisian sky. ŠKODA CEO Bernhard Maier will take part in the ceremony.
The exclusive sculptures – designed by ŠKODA and made in the Czech Republic – were manufactured by the prestigious Czech company Lasvit. The 60-centimetre-high trophies, each weighing four kilograms, impress with their emotive shape that skilfully captures the shape of a wheel. In doing so, the designers pay homage to the beginnings of the ŠKODA brand: in 1895, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement founded a bicycle factory in the Bohemian town of Mladá Boleslav, the headquarters of the brand. Just ten years later, the ‘Voiturette A’ was the first automobile to roll out of the young company’s workshop.
Just as in 2015, the trophy for the winner of the green jersey (points classification) is crafted from green glass. Background: ŠKODA once again takes centre stage as the partner of the green jersey for this year’s Tour de France. Furthermore, the company is the official partner and vehicle partner of the Tour de France for the 13th time.
The awarding of trophies to this year’s Tour winners is the culmination of ŠKODA’s continued close involvement with the Tour de France. One highlight is the new ŠKODA SUPERB which again serves as the official ‘Red Car’ at the front of the race. The brand’s formidable presence at the Tour de France is further enhanced by a large ŠKODA vehicle fleet. ŠKODA provides around 250 cars as escort vehicles – mainly the ŠKODA OCTAVIA COMBI and ŠKODA SUPERB.
Cycling is a key pillar of ŠKODA’s sponsorship strategy. As well as the Tour de France and the Spanish cycling tour (‘La Vuelta’), the car manufacturer supports other international cycling races, as well as numerous national and international events in grass-roots cycling. The brand’s cycling presence underlines the special relationship it has with bicycles. The car manufacturer’s founding fathers, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, started the company’s 121-year-long success story by building bicycles.
