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Skoda has announced a major new sponsorship deal with the Tour of Britain, now taking ownership of the King of the Mountains Jersey, as well as becoming the Tour’s Official Car Partner.
Three ‘Skoda King of the Mountain’ sprints will take place on each stage of the race, with begins in Scotland on Sunday September 11th and finishes in central London on Sunday September 18th.
The Tour will feature 16 teams of six riders, covering a total distance of around 767 miles (1,235 km).
"We’re very proud of ŠKODA’s long history in cycling and our partnership with the Tour of Britain gives us the exciting opportunity to help deliver the UK’s leading professional bike race,” enthused Skoda UK’s head of press and PR Catherine Sleigh.
“The gruelling 767 mile course should offer the perfect chance to demonstrate the high standards to which our vehicles are designed and engineered. “It’s also an honour to be sponsoring the iconic King of the Mountains jersey and I hope that cycling fans across the UK will be drawn to each of the ‘ŠKODA King of the Mountain sprints’ to witness the action first hand.”
SweetSpot Group organises the tour of Britain. Its chief exec Hugh Roberts added: “This is excellent news for The Tour of Britain and we look forward to ŠKODA becoming synonymous with the King of the Mountains at this year’s event.
“The 2011 Tour will be the last major cycling event in Britain before the London Olympics and will give British cycling fans the opportunity to see the best professional riders in the world competing on our roads. We’re delighted to have ŠKODA on board for what promises to be another fantastic event and true celebration of cycling talent.”
Skoda’s long association with cycling stems from its beginnings as a bicycle manufacturer in the 1890s. More recently the car brand is an official partner of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Tour de Suisse. In the UK it is associated with two UK teams – Rapha Condor Sharp and Team Raleigh.
Research performed after last year’s Tour of Britain found it had injected local economies with cash to the tune of £5 million.
