Even before this year’s edition of the Tour de France begins in Copenhagen on July 1, 2022, Continental will extend its long-standing, trusting partnership and sponsorship activities up to and including 2027. As one of the five main partners and the stage winner partner, together with the Tour’s organisation A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation), the tyre manufacturer will continue to actively shape the world’s largest and most important cycling race in the coming years and make a contribution towards a safe and sustainable future for the Tour, including the use of the new ContiRe.Tex recycling technology in the support vehicle tyres.
A strong Tour de France partner since 2017
Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France, is delighted with the continued cooperation: “Continental is one of the most important innovation partners for the Tour de France, with whom we have grown close with in recent years. We are proud to be able to benefit from the know-how of Continental’s experts in tyre technology and sustainability for another five years.
”The cooperation of the premium tyre manufacturer as a sponsor and safety partner of the Tour de France began at the end of 2017, at the time they were already a tyre supplier for the official support vehicles as well as a manufacturer of the champions’ bicycle tyres. Continental has been one of the five main partners since 2019.
“We are looking forward to the successful continuation of our partnership. In particular, the very important topics of road safety and a more sustainable future unites us and forms the basis of our trusting cooperation,” says Ferdinand Hoyos, head of Continental’s tyre replacement business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Continental supports a more sustainable Tour de France
In addition to premium tyre performance for the cycling pros and their support riders, the sustainable mobility of tomorrow also plays an important role for Continental. By 2030, the company aims to become the most advanced tyre manufacturer in the area of sustainability and is also transferring these ambitions to its sponsorship partnership with the Tour de France. “We welcome the Tour de France’s drive for greater sustainability and support this wherever possible. That’s why, for example, we are equipping the official support vehicles in this year’s tour with tyres based on our new ContiRe.Tex technology,” explains Hoyos. “Each of these tyre sets incorporates recycled polyester from reprocessed PET material – with the same high safety standards and absolutely reliable tyre performance.”
Continental will once again be relied upon as a tyre partner by six of the participating professional cycling teams of this tour year: the riders from Ineos Grenadiers, Groupama-FDJ, Bahrain-Victorious, Movistar Team, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux and Team Arkéa-Samsic will be fighting for their place on the podium on GP5000 tyres that have been specially made.
The first tour to start in bicycle-crazy Denmark
The 109th edition of the Tour de France starts on July 1 in Europe’s bicycle capital of Copenhagen and, after around 3,335 kilometres (2,072 miles) and 21 stages, will end on the magnificent Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
