From Florence to Nice – Tour de France 2024 Relies on Continental's Technological Expertise
- New UltraContact NXT tires for official Tour support vehicles
- Seven out of the 22 cycling teams rely on the top technology from Continental
- White paper tells fascinating stories on and off the track
Hanover, Germany, June 5, 2024. On Saturday, June 29, this year's Tour de France will kick off in Florence, Italy. As in previous years, the official support and service vehicles of the Tour organization will be running on Continental tires. "The organizers have 100 percent confidence in our tires, because Continental is known for always and above all focusing on safety when developing new products," says Thomas Wanka, Senior Development Engineer for summer tires for the EMEA region at Continental.
The UltraContact NXT, Continental's most sustainable series passenger car tire to date, will be used for the first time at the Tour. With up to 65 percent renewable, recycled and ISCC Plus mass balance certified materials, it combines a remarkably high share of sustainable materials with the maximum safety and performance typical of Continental – all available sizes have the best rating of the EU tire label rating ("A") in the areas of rolling resistance, wet braking and external noise. "The Tour de France is of course a great showcase for us to present the performance of our products," explains Thomas Wanka. "Together with our bicycle tires, the UltraContact NXT will be in the spotlight for weeks and will make an important contribution to a safe and sustainable Tour de France".
Numerous Top Teams Rely on the Technological Expertise of Continental Developers
A total of seven UCI WorldTeams – Bahrain Victorious, Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, Groupama-FDJ, INEOS Grenadiers, Intermarché-Wanty, Movistar and UAE Team Emirates – will be racing on Continental bicycle tires this year.
Three different products will be used: The Grand Prix 5000 S TR is Continental's improved all-round road bike tire, which has been used at the Tour for some time. Two specialty tires are new to the portfolio for the Tour de France: The Grand Prix 5000 AS TR, a more robust tire with significantly more wet grip, and the Grand Prix 5000 TT TR, an ultra-light and fast tire designed specifically for time trials.
So teams always have a choice. All three high-tech road bike tires have the abbreviation TR, which stands for Tubeless Ready, meaning they can be ridden without an inner tube. One of the differences between these specialists and conventional bicycle tires is that they have no tread, but instead have a continuous central strip that provides a large contact area. Grip is provided by a tread compound optimized for the intended use, combined with the appropriate inflation pressure. The Lazer Grip shoulder design, reminiscent of a checkered flag, provides additional grip when cornering. Finally, the evolution of tire technology has contributed to the fact that the average hourly speed has increased from 25 km/h to more than 41 km/h since the start of the world's first stage bike race – and this with an increasingly difficult route profile.
The Tour de France is not only the biggest annual sporting event in the world. It also tells fascinating stories – not only about the race itself, but also about things that happen in the background and off the track. These include the following topics, which Continental presents in the white paper "Bonjour Tour – the Magic and Mystique of the World's Biggest Annual Sporting Event":
- Le Tour Magnifique – Looking ahead with excitement to the Tour de France
- "Everyone Goes Crazy" – When work takes you to the edge of the action
- Tour de Fun – A dream come true
- A Winning Look – Seven teams start the Tour de France on Continental Tires
- Hitting the Heights – on PET Bottles – Continental is supplying all the support vehicles
- Freedom! – Cycling is on-trend
- Tour de Space Hopper – The craziest things to ride on a stage of the Tour de France
Read here how Continental is involved in the world's biggest cycling race.
