ŠKODA is an official sponsor of the Tour de France for the 11th consecutive year- New for 2014, ŠKODA has become an event partner for the official UK Tour de France Fan Parks
- ŠKODA sponsors the Tour de France coverage on ITV
Milton Keynes, 25 June 2014 – ŠKODA UK has extended its sponsorship of this year’s Tour de France by becoming an official event partner for the UK Fan Parks. The new partnership coincides with the manufacturer’s 11th consecutive year sponsoring the race. This year’s Tour de France, the world’s largest annual sporting event, returns to the UK for the fourth time in its 101 year history. The race will run from Saturday 5th July – Sunday 27th July across England, Belgium and France.
In addition to its global sponsorship, this year, ŠKODA UK has increased its involvement to become an event partner of the official Tour de France UK Fan Parks. Other activities run by the brand during the event include the chance to win a VIP hospitality trip to the final stage of this year’s race and a nationwide Fantasy Tour de France competition.
Tour de France Sponsorship
ŠKODA is bringing the world’s premier bicycle race into UK homes throughout the three weeks in July as the official sponsor of the Tour de France on ITV. The sponsorship will run on ITV4 as well as across mobile and online platforms.
As the official vehicle sponsor of the gruelling 3,664 kilometre race, ŠKODA will once again supply a fleet of cars, supporting cyclists at every stage of the tour. ŠKODA will provide more than 250 cars, which will travel 2.8 million kilometres during the world famous cycling event. A range of vehicles including ŠKODA Octavia Estates and ŠKODA Superb Estates, designed to offer class-leading space, will transport engineers, medical staff and essential maintenance equipment during the race.
UK Fan Parks
Fan Parks in Harrogate (3rd – 6th July), Green Park (5th – 7th July) and Trafalgar Square (5th – 7th July) will offer spectators a variety of onsite activities and competitions, in addition to providing giant screens to watch the racing action unfold during Stages one to three of the Tour. As part of ŠKODA’s presence, cars and bicycles will be on display, including the Tour de France Special Edition models, which launched in retailers in June. The Special Editions of the latest ŠKODA Octavia, Superb and Yeti models feature cycling specific options as standard including: an internal or external bike carrier, waterproof seat covers, branded wheel bags and a reversible boot floor.
Activities in the Harrogate (5th July) and Green Park (7th July) Fan Parks will include static bike competitions, photo opportunities in the famous red Lead Car, caricaturists, cycle jersey biscuit decorating and face painting. Avid cycling fans will also have the chance to participate in live Q & A masterclasses with professional cyclists such as former National Road Race Champion, Kristian House; World Champion Cyclocross Bronze Medallist, Helen Wyman; and Team Manager of Matrix Vulpine, Stef Wyman. ŠKODA is also offering fans the chance to win a VIP hospitality trip to the final stage of this year’s race on Paris’ Champs Elysées.
Fantasy Tour de France: www.skodayourteam.co.uk
For cycling fans who can’t attend a stage of the race locally, ŠKODA UK has teamed up with road.cc to launch a nationwide Fantasy Tour de France competition. Players will have the chance to create their own prize-winning team and interact with ŠKODA online throughout the Tour. Just like a Fantasy Football team, fans can select their favourite cyclists to create a dream team and will win points depending on their progress throughout the three week race. The ultimate winner will be rewarded with a ŠKODA bike and a VIP trip to next year’s Tour de France.
ŠKODA Fan Tour
To further celebrate the UK leg of the race, the ŠKODA Fan Tour will be travelling over from France to participate in the promotional caravan that travels along the route in front of the race. We will be bringing some of the iconic fans that line the route of the Tour onto our festive vehicle along with some lucky cycling fans here in the UK. ŠKODA’s dedicated team will also be on hand to ramp up support, distribute merchandise and help supporters cheer on their cycling heroes as they race past.
Emily Burns, Communications Manager for ŠKODA UK, comments: “We are proud to extend our sponsorship of this fantastic sporting event. Being a partner for the UK Fan Parks is the perfect opportunity to bring our passion for cycling to the British public, who we hope will come along and support the cyclists at the first three stages of the race.
“This is only the fourth time in its 101 year history that the Tour de France has come to the UK, and to celebrate this momentous occasion ŠKODA has really ramped up its involvement to ensure webring fans closer to the action.”
ŠKODA is the brand of choice for many professional and amateur cyclists across the UK, thanks to the practicality and reliability of its range. For example, the ŠKODA Superb Estate, priced from £19,810, offers impressive load capacity with a massive 1,865 litres of boot space (seats folded) which is even enough to accommodate an internal bike rack, providing additional security and peace of mind for cyclists on the move.
For more information about ŠKODA and its cycling heritage, please visit www.skoda.co.uk/cycling. Keep up-to-date with ŠKODA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/skodauk, or follow ŠKODA cycling on Twitter @skodaukcycling
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