Tour de France 2006 - Continental has special equipment for its teams tackling the tough conditions in the high mountains

Hanover, July 2006. "The Ventoux has killed Ferdi" - It is 1955 and with his last ounce of strength Swiss rider Ferdi Kübler, the winner of the 1950 Tour de France, has hauled himself up the 21 kilometre long ascent to the finishing line just under the Mont Ventoux. This stage through bare 'moonscape' is one of the most arduous climbs in the annual three-week torture tour. The Swiss rider had already virtually collapsed on the way up to the top of the 'bare-headed' mountain in Provence and the following day he made the historic statement "The Ventoux has killed Ferdi", and announced he was retiring.

Here you can download the press release as a doc-file (61 KB).

The Ventoux, at the foot of which the English rider Tom Simpson died in 1967, is just one of the locations to play a role in the many myths, dramas and fables that surround the arrival of the peloton at the often dizzy heights of the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Massif central. This year too, on the occasion of the 93rd Tour de France - the 'Great Loop' - will see new horror stories emerge on the mountain stages when the riders cross the Izoard, the Galibier, the Croix de Fer or go right up into the 'crow's nest' - the winter sports centre of Alpe d'Huez.

Alpe d'Huez, the destination of the 15th stage which starts in Gap, is positively steeped in Tour legends. Approximately half a million people lined the roadside during the individual time-trials of 2004, where the final ascent covered 13.8 kilometres round 21 bends, each of which is named after the kings of Alpe d'Huez, i.e. the winners of this stage that finishes at a height of 1850 metres. The first rider to conquer the gruelling ascent from Bourg d'Oisans up on to the plateau was the Italian Fausto Coppi. That was in 1952, when l'Alpe was ridden for the first time. That same year Coppi entered the legendary list of Tour champions in Paris as overall winner, a feat that has otherwise only been achieved by the seven times victorious Lance Armstrong back in 2001.

Alpe d'Huez is the most treacherous piece of madness that the powers that be behind the Tour could ever have dreamed up. When the sun has been beating down relentlessly on the cycling fanatics, who have been waiting for hours - sometimes for days - , when they are already on the verge of collapse and barely leave the riders a bicycle width to cycle through as they heave themselves laboriously upwards, that is when the climb becomes the calvary of cycling.

In 1999, Telekom rider Giuseppe Guerini was the first to espy the finishing line; as he was turning off into the final all-important left-hand bend on the plateau, an over-enthusiastic amateur photographer knocked him to the ground. Beppe, still stunned, clambered back on to his bike, lurching unsteadily, and ultimately managed to cross the finishing line as the winner of that stage.

There is only one thing worse than this excruciating physical agony and that is the psychological torment. Especially when the 'Tourminator' Lance Armstrong is part of the action. In 2003, Armstrong and Jan Ullrich were bringing up the rear of a breakaway group on the climb, fighting it out to decide who is going to be 'king'. The strain was telling on both of them, with Armstrong a few metres ahead. Then something incredible happened. The American turned round, looked straight at the German and shouted: "Just watch this!" and then slipped into that breakneck staccato pace that not only left Ullrich doubting his own strength, but also consumed the last bit of morale remaining in his battered body.

When the leaders of the breakaway group in this gruelling major stage arrive in the picturesque village of Bourg d'Oisans, they already have the second 'giant' under their belt. By then the Col d'Izoard - 2,360 metres high, 14.5 kilometres long, on average a 7% gradient - has already taken its toll on many of the riders.

The following day the torture continues. On the 'ceiling' of the Tour, the 2,645 metre high Col du Galibier. Deceptive and dazzling. Down below, in La Grave, at a height of 1,480 metres, the steep climb starts just after a little bridge over a cheery brook, directly behind the local chemist's shop. Cut back to the year 2000 - it is 28 degrees, stifling and oppressive. The peloton has long since gone through when Axel Merckx, son of the famous Eddy Merckx, sets off alone on the climb up the rock face shortly before the final support vehicle. Exhausted, full of cold already days before. The torture begins. It starts getting colder, dark clouds are gathering, then after the ordeal has gone on for almost an hour, just before the summit, hail and sleet. More than 20 degrees colder than down below. We are travelling right alongside the Belgian rider in our press vehicle. Merckx wobbles, is sick over his bike, starts coughing. In the biting wind, saliva is mixed in with the undigested remains of his muesli energy bar, gets smeared across his grazed face. Then the shivers. That's it, over. His whole body trembling, blubbering like a baby, he tumbles into the ditch. The rest is up to the 'service médical'.

Continental has developed tyres specifically designed to handle these extreme weather and road conditions for four teams - T-Mobile, Crédit Agricole, Saunier Duval and Phonak. The Continental Competition Allround Pro Ltd used by the T-Mobile team is a suitable tyre for any road anywhere in the world. However, thanks to the special tyres Conti has supplied the mechanics with for these extreme conditions, they could not have been better prepared and equipped. There is for example a rain tyre with a special wet grip compound, as well as a specially reinforced tyre for poor road conditions. These high-tech products, hand-made in Korbach in the German federal state of Hesse, are the ideal fitment for the pedigree racing bikes and the best answer to the repugnant 'evil eye' of the alpine giants.

Continental's bicycle tyre business unit is based in Korbach, Hesse, and has an extensive range of touring, trekking, mountain bike and racing tyres. In addition to tyres offering high mileage performance, low rolling resistance and comfort, Continental also manufactures studded winter tyres for bicycles. Continental racing tyres are used by leading teams in many cycling events such as the Tour de France and the Olympic Games. Continental is the only manufacturer of bicycle tyres to produce in Germany.

The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of tyres, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2005 the corporation realised sales of EUR13.8 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of approximately 80,600

The tyre business unit is an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany^TM and an Official Sponsor of UEFA EURO 2008^TM. For further information visit the websites www.ContiSoccerWorld.de, www.ContiFanWorld.com and www.conti-online.com.