Brit bike ace backs Skoda to shine in Tour de France

Three-time Olympic medal winning cyclist Rob Hayles is backing Skoda to shine as the official support vehicle supplier to the 2007 Tour de France.

Hayles, who also won a brace of Commonwealth Games medals last year, is certain too that the Grand Depart in London on the 7th of July will help boost cycling’s profile in the UK. “The coverage it’s going to get will be astounding – if you’re anywhere near it you won’t hear about anything else! The people of the capital aren’t going to know what’s hit them,” said the 34-year-old.

But the success of the Tour - and of the individual cyclists – is dependent largely on the abilities of the cars that support them, says Rob. “Back-up vehicles are hugely important because they are the safety net for the riders. If they pick up a puncture or have a crash the support cars need to be there ASAP with all the relevant equipment. They also play a big part in feeding the cyclists and supplying them with water. They generally make life a lot easier.”

He continued: “The Skodas will do really well in this role. They can hold lots of bikes, other bits of kit and several occupants. The Roomster in particular is the ideal shape and size – it’ll be perfect.”

Around 300 Skodas will accompany the riders on their 2,200-mile, 20-stage marathon slog. Most of these are neutral support vehicles, but Skoda also supplies nine professional teams, including Credit Agricole (France), Discovey Channel (Belgium) and Milram (Italy).

Skoda has been an official partner of the Tour de France since 2004. It is one of the world’s largest international sporting events, with more than 15 million spectators turning out at street level alone to cheer on the competitors. Each year there are also over 2,000 hours of live TV broadcasting in more than 200 countries around the globe.

Each of the support vehicles is expected to cover a gruelling 6,200 miles during the course of the event – no problem when you’ve topped nearly every reliability and satisfaction survey in the UK. But just in case, Skoda also supplies a highly-skilled servicing team.

According to Hayles it may not just be Skoda that shines during July’s monster sporting event. The pro rider also reckons that, if selected, the Brits involved have a genuine shot at glory: “Both Bradley Wiggins and David Millar have got a really good chance this year. Millar has won the prologue before in 2000. However, there could be as many as five UK cyclists in the Tour. It would be great to have a Brit in the yellow jersey here in London!”

Even though Rob isn’t actually taking part in the Tour himself, he will be watching intently and is still a very busy guy. Hayles is in training for 2008 where he’ll be looking to add to his already impressive Olympic medal haul in China. “The main focus for 2008 has to be on the Olympics in Beijing. I’ll be competing in the Individual Pursuit, Team Pursuit and 50km Madison. I want medals in all three… preferably gold!”