Editor responsible under press law: Continental/Divison Tires Alexander Bahlmann Head of Media & Public Relations PLT Buettnerstraße 25 | 30165 Hanover ContiTireNews Phone: +49 511 938-2615 E-Mail: [email protected] Author: Klaus Engelhart For the online version please click here: #6/August 2013 u English version u German version Minimum rolling resistance, maximum performance: Continental tires – the choice of professional cyclists qqTop-end technology for top-end athletes qqRidden to victory in the Tour de France qqOlympic champions – and a new supposed monster Nearly 200 riders, 5,000 helpers and millions of spectators along the route. From 29th June until 21st July, France once again lived in a bubble. And the whole world watched as Chris Froome won the stages to Ax 3 Domaines, Mont Ventoux and the individual time trial in Chorges, then defended his yellow jersey all the way to the finish in Paris. This year has already seen the British rider win two big stage races, the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland and the Critérium du Dau- phiné in France. His impressive athletic performance over the Tour’s 3,400 kilometre (2,110 mile) route in July saw him win his first Tour de France ahead of Colombia’s Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas and Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver of Spain. To celebrate the 100th edition of the Tour de France, this year’s Grande Boucle started with three stages in Corsica – the first time the Tour has ever visited the Mediterranean island. In another bold step, the race didn’t start with its normal prologue this year. Instead, the 100th Tour de France started with a ” full-on” road stage. Instead of a short prologue to get things going, the riders faced 213 hard kilometres (132 miles) from Porto Vecchio to Bastia. 1.5 million fans and spectators lined the streets and hairpin bends at this years Tour de France ContiTireNews 2 #6/2013 André Greipel, the leader of the Belgian Lotto-Belisol team, notched up his first stage win, using Continental tires And the Tour maintained its reputation as the world’s toughest For 100 years, the world’s toughest bike race has pushed tires, as did the Orica GreenEdge team (Australia) that was bike race over every one of the remaining 3,191 kilometres both riders and their equipment to the very limits. And that set up around sprint specialist Stuart O’Grady at the start of (1,978 miles). The hardest test of all came on the 18th stage, includes the bike’s tires. Whether the riders are streaking the 2012 season, and Lampre Merida (Italy), led by the expe- when for the first time in the Tour de France’s history the riders downhill on wet, rain-soaked roads, sprinting out of each rienced Damiano Cunego. had to climb the legendary Alpe d’Huez twice in one day, with hairpin bend, or climbing towards a mountain-top finish in their only rest coming in the form of a breakneck descent down searing heat, high above the tree line, tires play a crucial role From Continental’s perspective, Orica GreenEdge had a parti- a narrow, twisting mountain road with a notoriously poor road in the race for the yellow jersey. A puncture in a time trial is cularly successful Tour, with Simon Gerrans winning the stage surface. An incredible 1.5 million spectators lined the cycling every bit as serious as a crash in a bunch sprint at the end of to Calvi and their victory in the team time trial in Nice, which world’s most famous 21 hairpin bends - proof, if any were a long flat stage. So for many years, several top teams have put Gerrans into the race leader’s yellow jersey. André Greipel needed, that even after 100 editions, the ”Tour of Suffering” (as placed their trust in the expertise of Continental’s tire specia- also picked up a stage win in Montpellier. French journalist Albert Londres called it back in 1924) has lost lists – including the winner of the 2011 Tour de France, Cadel none of its allure. Quite the opposite. More than 700 journa- Evans. With an exceptionally demanding course this year, The teams generally ride Continental’s tried-and-tested 22 mm lists covered the race this year, filing reports to virtually every his BMC Racing team (USA) once again selected Continental Competition tires, or a combination of 22 mm Grand Prix country in the world, stories of winners and losers, giddying tires, continuing a long-established and proven relationship. Attack Comp on the front and 24 mm Force Comp on the rear. descents, tragic crashes and all the dramas, big and small, that And Evans was in good company. Lotto Belisol (Belgium), led The result of a collaboration between Continental and ProTour the 198 riders who started at the beginning were involved in. by German sprinter André Greipel, also chose Continental cycling teams, this is a completely new type of tire concept. ContiTireNews 3 #6/2013 With every fraction of a second counting, the team time trial is an event where extremely light, highly resistant and rolling resistance optimized tires count 24 years old Tejay van Garderen grew ever further into a leadership role with BMC The first ”Tyre Positioning System” (TPS) tubular, it features cycling team, tire decisions have become as important as they And at the 2012 Olympic Games, riders using Continental Continental’s innovative BlackChili Compound. The ultra-light are in Formula 1. And research into materials for bikes and tires were successful in a wide range of cycling disciplines. race tires are handmade at Continental’s German tire factory in components relies on the expertise of engineers and chemists. The quality of Continental’s premium tires was demonstrated Korbach. Unlike other bike tires, these consist of an uncoated Advances in bike technology explain the increase in the average by a medal haul that included four golds, two silver and two tube, the top of which features a fine ribbed profile. These tires speed, from 25 km/h (15 mph) when the Tour first started back bronze medals in the road races, triathlon, on the track and in have a very narrow contact surface for low rolling resistance, in 1903 to almost 40 km/h (25 mph) today. And the stage profi- mountain biking. yet also offer agility, precise handling and excellent braking les have been getting harder! when descending at speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph). These Even in branches of cycling that enjoy slightly less media high-performance race tires have to be able to withstand inter- The Tour de France has been with us for 110 years. And coverage, the top riders still choose Continental tires. For nal pressures of up to 15 bar. These high pressures reduce the Continental can actually look back over 120 years of manufac- example, Britain’s Rachel Atherton won the Downhill title in last rolling resistance, which benefits the riders on long stages and turing race tires for bikes. The company developed and produ- year’s UCI World Cup series riding Continental Mud King tires. on steep climbs in particular. And then there is a very special ced their first bike tires in 1892. No wonder that Continental’s And France’s Julie Bresset is the current Cross Country world design feature: Because these tubular tires are glued directly premium race tires are in high demand away from the Tour de champion. Her tires? Conti Race King. To make sure we stay onto the rim, they can’t come off if a rider punctures. Just like France, too. In recent years, for example, the World Road Race ahead of the pack, Continental’s engineers spent two years a motor racing team, the cycling teams take careful decisions championships have seen Mark Cavendish, Matthew Goss and working together with some of the best mountain bikers in the about which tires to use to best suit the weather conditions André Greipel on the podium, all of them riding Continental world developing our new flagship ‘Project Kaiser 2.4’ product and each day’s stage profile. Then there are training tires, and tires. Tony Martin won the World Time Trial championships line. As Richie Schley, pioneer of the Free Ride movement and specialist tires for use on steeply banked velodromes. For a using high-performance Continental tires made in Germany. all-round legend put it: ”You created a monster!”.