With the Tour de France once again shining a light on both the beauty and benefits of cycling, combined with the impact of Netflix documentaries bringing new fans to the sport, excitement is building ahead of this year’s Tour of Britain.
Crowds line the route during the 2022 Tour of Britain (SWpix.com)
Famous cities, unmistakable British landmarks and some of the UK’s most loved climbs will all feature along the route of this year’s race (Sunday 3 – Sunday 10 September), which starts in Greater Manchester.
In addition to a sizeable worldwide TV audience, an estimated 1.5m spectators will line the route of this year’s Tour, creating an unrivalled marketing opportunity for brands. With a little under two months until the race begins, exclusive partnership opportunities – including event naming rights – for the UK’s biggest annual sporting event remain available for the 2023 race and future editions.
Offering 3,200 seconds of ITV4 broadcast inventory, branding of the leader’s jersey, and prime activation opportunities are part of the title sponsorship package for September’s event. A market-leading brand can align its priorities – be it brand awareness, product sampling, B2B, customer rewards or acquisition strategies – with our prime assets. AJ Bell’s sponsorship of the 2021 and 2022 editions generated over 1,500 hours of brand exposure, 94% brand recognition among racegoers, and a total sponsorship value of £41.4m.
The naming rights package available extends across future editions of the men’s Tour of Britain and its sister race, the award-winning Women’s Tour, which will return from 4 to 9 June 2024.
Riders battle it out in Scotland during the 2022 Tour of Britain (SWpix.com)
Wales will host the opening stages of next year’s Women’s Tour, and then the men’s Tour of Britain in 2026, with major cities and popular cycling regions already confirmed to be welcoming the two events across the 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions. Further details of the next three editions of the two Tours will be announced in September around this year’s Tour of Britain.
There are two further opportunities for potential partners to get their brand on the shoulders of the world’s best riders at the Tour of Britain this year with two of the race’s other jersey competitions.
Partnering with the iconic King of the Mountains jersey for this year’s Tour offers a focal point of the race’s broadcast and digital coverage across the eight days of competition. Riders will battle for points at the top of the steepest fan-lined climbs across each day’s stage, making these locations perfect for sampling and activation.
Brands keen on supporting the future generation of stars can partner with the Best Young Rider classification, which features Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas and Olympic gold medallist Tom Pidcock among an illustrious list of previous winners. This year will mark the first time this competition has been awarded as a jersey, giving a chance for a brand to own and activate this.
Awarded daily to the most attacking rider in the Tour, the race’s combativity award is being revamped in 2023 to connect it more with fans. The brand partnering with it will benefit from a data capture and engagement opportunity, as well as playing an integral role in enlivening the action during what promises to be an unforgettable edition of the race.
With origins dating back to the end of World War II, the modern Tour of Britain was revived in 2004 and is now the longest-running incarnation of the event. Since 2016, the race has generated £27.6m of yearly net economic benefit for the UK economy, according to research by Frontline. Two-time world champion Julian Alahpillipe (2018), Dutch fan favourite Mathieu van der Poel (2019), and Belgian star Wout Van Aert (2021) have all won the race, while British sporting hero Mark Cavendish holds the record for most stage victories.
For more information and to discuss opportunities in 2023 and beyond please contact James Robinson (JamesR@thetour.co.uk / +44 7860 367 798) or Hugh Roberts (RobertsH@thetour.co.uk / +44 7801 580 090) or click here.
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