Škoda, loyal major partner of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, is celebrating twenty years of presence on the Tour, 10 years of sponsorship of the prestigious green jersey that rewards the best sprinter in the Tour de France (since 2015) and will continue its commitment until 2028.
Beyond the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, Škoda has confirmed its wider involvement in cycling by committing to the Spanish races La Vuelta and La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, as well as in Germany with Eschborn-Frankfurt and the Deutschland Tour.
The Czech carmaker sees its future in cycling as an opportunity to promote both women’s and men’s cycling, as well as providing solutions for carbon footprint reduction.
Škoda is supporting A.S.O on 19 international cycling races and 3 cyclo-sportive.
It is worth a look in the rearview mirror: twenty years ago, the red Škoda’s Superbs made their appearance on the Tour de France to help supervise the pack, iniciating an adventure that witnessed the Czech carmaker switch from official supplier and White Jersey partner from its arrival on the race in 2004 to a different colour in 2015, namely the Green Jersey for the points classification.
This collaboration built on loyalty has constantly been nurtured by new perspectives and the next five seasons, for which Skoda has signed up will again, see it continue this culture of challenge. The partnership involves sponsoring the Green Jersey on the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, but also La Vuelta, La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es, and provides overall support for all women’s races, namely Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, La Flèche Wallonne Femmes and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.
Looking ahead to 2028 also makes it possible to imagine and develop new carbon footprint reduction plans.
Already, the organiser’s entire fleet of light vehicles is made up of cars with hybrid engines and three fully electric Škoda Enyaq iV cars will be joining the fleet this year for several stages.
In total, 17 races organised by A.S.O., in France and abroad, will benefit from the professionalism of Škoda’s teams and the quality of their vehicles.
Yann Le Moënner, CEO of A.S.O.:
“I am very proud of Škoda’s commitment to us in several ways: in addition to its involvement in promoting both men’s and women’s cycling throughout the world, Škoda is a major player in the ecological transition of our races thanks to the alternatively powered vehicles that the brand is making more widespread on all the events. Its digital activations based on “we love cycling” or official mobile applications for our races also contribute to increasing the fans’ involvement and promoting the discipline to young people. This partnership is the perfect expression of our shared commitment to developing cycling in all its forms, both in France and abroad”.
Christian Prudhomme, Tour de France director:
“I am delighted to see that the future of the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will take place with Škoda. Since 2004, Škoda’s commitment has never wavered. First with the White Jersey and then with the Green Jersey, Škoda has seen its brand share top billing with prestigious names such as Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Thibaut Pinot, Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish, Jasper Philipsen or Lotte Kopecky. Škoda’s adventure is unquestionably linked to the history of the Tour de France and its elite women and men riders”.
Klaus Zellmer, CEO of Škoda Auto
“Supporting the cycling mission of the world’s preeminent race organiser A.S.O. is an honour and privilege for us at Škoda Auto. After all, we started as a bicycle company almost 130 years ago, and cycling today is a passion for many of the everyday explorers who are our customers. We have been the main partner and car supplier of the Tour de France for the past 20 years, so it is only logical to now extend our relationship and support a growing portfolio of events – for men and women, professionals and amateurs. We want to help A.S.O. and the cycling community inspire people to pursue their highest personal standards of individual performance, teamwork and fairness”.
Martin Jahn, Škoda Auto Board Member for Sales and Marketing
“By continuing our trustful partnership with A.S.O. and the Tour de France, Škoda Auto reaffirms its strong connection to cycling and its fans worldwide. The Tour de France is the world’s most-watched cycling race. In 2023, it attracted nearly 150 million viewers in Europe alone. This exceptional visibility greatly benefits our products, offering us the opportunity to reinforce Škoda’s position as a key supporter of cycling and to celebrate the heritage of our brand”.
The 17 races organised with the support of Škoda:
- Paris-Nice (march, 3-10)
- Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift (april 6)
- Paris-Roubaix (april 7)
- La Flèche Wallonne men and women (april 17)
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège men and women (april 21)
- Eschborn-Frankfurt (may 1)
- La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es (may 1-7)
- Tro Bro Leon (may 5)
- Critérium du Dauphiné (june 2-9)
- Tour de France (june 29 – july 21)
- L’Etape du Tour de France (july 7)
- Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (august 12-18)
- Deutschland Tour (august 21-25)
- La Vuelta (august 17-september 8)
- Paris-Tours (october 6)
www.letour.fr
