SKODA UK will own the Mountains Classification in Britain’s biggest men and women’s professional cycle races from 2017, with news that the car manufacturer, whose heritage was founded in cycling, have extended their partnership with The Tour of Britain.
The multi-year extension will also see SKODA become the lead sponsor of The Women’s Tour’s Queen of the Mountains Classification. The announcement comes in the same month that SKODA UK launched their new Driven By Something Different campaign featuring Sir Bradley Wiggins.
SKODA were one of the first partners to commit to The Women’s Tour ahead of its creation in 2014 as the Official Car Partner, but 2017 will mark their first year as sponsors of the Queen of the Mountains competition in the UCI Women’s WorldTour event.
Kirsten Stagg, Head of Marketing for SKODA UK said; “SKODA started life as a bicycle company in 1895 and being the official partner of the King and now Queen of the Mountains helps us to continually honour that heritage. It also provides the perfect platform for bringing our cycling season to life alongside our new Brand Ambassador, Sir Bradley Wiggins.”
SKODA will also continue as the Official Car Partner to the ten round Tour Series, which is televised on ITV4, where Britain’s top male and female professional teams will race at town and city venues across the country during May.
Commenting on the announcement, Mick Bennett, Race Director for both The Tour of Britain and The Women’s Tour said;
“We are thrilled at SKODA’s decision not just to recommit to The Tour of Britain but also to extend their involvement in The Women’s Tour. Having SKODA backing the Mountains classification in both races is excellent news for cycling fans, who will be well used to the support which SKODA’s have given to the Mountains classification in the men’s race.
“We are again looking forward to showcasing their wide range of models throughout all of our events in 2017.”
SKODA have supported the Tour of Britain’s King of the Mountains competition since 2011, with the sponsorship providing them with three, fully-branded climb locations on each of the stages of British Cycling’s premier road cycling event that is shown live on ITV4.
The extended partnership with The Women’s Tour will see two designated SKODA Queen of the Mountains climbs on each of the road stages of the 2017 Tour, which takes place between Wednesday 7 and Sunday 11 June 2017, finishing with a circuit race on an iconic route in central London.
The Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step, taking place between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September 2017. The route for The Tour of Britain will be announced in the Spring.
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Editors’ notes:
SKODA AUTO
› is one of the longest-established vehicle production companies in the world. Since 1895, the Czech headquarters in Mladá Boleslav has seen the production firstly of bicycles and then motorbikes and cars.
› currently has seven passenger car models: Citigo, Fabia, Rapid, Octavia, Yeti, Superb and Kodiaq.
› delivered over one million vehicles to customers worldwide in 2016.
› has belonged to Volkswagen since 1991. The VW Group is one of the most successful automotive groups in the world. SKODA, in association with the Group, independently manufactures and develops vehicles, as well as components, engines and gear transmissions.
› operates at three locations in the Czech Republic, produces in China, Russia, Slovakia and India mainly through Group partnerships, as well as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan through local partners.
› employs over 25,800 people globally and is active in more than 100 markets.
www.skodamedia.com
About The Tour of Britain
The 2017 Tour of Britain will take place from Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 September.
Re-launched in 2004 after a five year absence from the calendar, the Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep. The Tour of Britain is the UK’s highest ranked professional stage race and the country’s largest free-to-watch sporting event, organised annually by SweetSpot Group.
Ranked at the 2.HC level by the UCI, the Tour of Britain attracts the world’s top cyclists, including Olympic and World Champions and Tour de France stage winners, to compete on British roads each September, with three-hours of live coverage a day on ITV4.
About The Women’s Tour
Stage 1 – Wednesday 7 June – Daventry to Kettering
Stage 2 – Thursday 8 June – Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire
Stage 3 – Friday 9 June – Atherstone to Royal Leamington Spa
Stage 4 – Saturday 10 June – Chesterfield and Derbyshire
Stage 5 – Sunday 11 June – The London Stage
Created by SweetSpot Group in 2014, The Women’s Tour is the UK’s first ever international stage-race for women, bringing the world’s top riders to compete over five days in Great Britain as a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
SweetSpot are an event organiser and sports marketing company behind the organisation of the Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional cycle race and the country’s largest free-to-watch sporting event, and the creation of the unique Tour Series town and city centre televised races.
The three editions to date, won by Marianne Vos in 2014, Lisa Brennauer in 2015 and Lizzie Armitstead in 2016, have seen hundreds of thousands of spectators turn out at the roadside with many more around the UK watching the ITV4 highlights every evening.
For further media information on all events please visit www.thetour.co.uk/press.
