Continental Supports Sustainable Mobility at this Year's Tour de France

A highlight of this year's Tour is the return of legendary climbs such as Mont Ventoux and Col de la Loze. These demanding mountain stages place the highest demands on man and material. 

"The Tour de France provides us with an excellent platform to showcase the performance and sustainability of our products to an international audience," said Egemen Atış, Head of Strategy, Analytics & Marketing at Continental Tires EMEA. "This year, not only seven top cycling teams are using our tires, but we are also equipping more than 70 official support vehicles with the UltraContact NXT, our most sustainable car tire. In this way, we are making an important contribution to ensuring the Tour is both safe and environmentally friendly."

The UltraContact NXT which was already successfully used last year, has a share of up to 65 percent renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS mass balance certified materials. It combines a high proportion of sustainable components with maximum safety and performance: all available sizes of the UltraContact NXT have received the EU tire label's highest rating in the categories of rolling resistance, wet grip and external noise.

In addition to the support vehicles, seven of the 22 participating teams rely on Continental's cutting-edge technology and trust in the company's tires. Teams racing on Continental bicycle tires include: INEOS Grenadiers, Movistar Team, Team Bahrain Victorious, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Groupama-FDJ, Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, and Uno-X Mobility.

The continuous development of bicycle tires plays a decisive role in the increasing average speeds in professional cycling.  With its high-performance tires, Continental has made a significant contribution to fact that the average speed at the Tour de France continues to increase every year. This is especially true in the modern era, where speeds have increased by an unprecedented 6% since 2000.

A key factor in this development is the optimization of tire compounds and constructions. Continental's bicycle tires, including the flagship Grand Prix 5000 S TR, the all-weather Grand Prix 5000 AS TR for severe weather conditions, and the ultra-fast Grand Prix 5000 TT TR for time trials, enable riders to achieve maximum performance with optimum grip and puncture protection.

Continental’s innovative Lazer Grip shoulder design is of particular importance, providing outstanding stability when cornering. The tires forgo a conventional tread pattern in favor of the Grand Prix’s iconic design, offereing a large surface area for maximum power transfer. The combination of our precisely tuned Black Chilli compound and innovative design gives riders the perfect balance of speed, control, and safety.

Support motorcycles have been a familiar sight at the Tour de France for decades. For the 30 Kawasaki Versys 1100 motorbikes that will travel through France with the Tour and whose riders will distribute water to the athletes or pass on important information from the Tour management, organizer A.S.O. is relying on the tried-and-tested ContiRoadAttack 4 and is therefore using the German premium manufacturer for all vehicles for the first time. Two sets per motorcycle are available in the sizes 120/70 R 17 and 180/55 R 17. 

The ContiRoadAttack 4 is particularly suitable for the support motorcycles of the world's most famous road bicycle race due to its fast warm-up time and excellent grip both in single-digit temperatures in Alpe d'Huez and in the heat of Provence. In all conditions, the hyper-touring tire always offers a high degree of safety and control – important for precise riding in the peloton on the narrowest mountain roads. In addition, it performs well on all road surfaces with intuitive handling and a high level of comfort, making it ideal for riding on long stages.