It is man against man on two wheels

Hanover, 9 July 2007. They are the fearless warriors of the cycling world with nerves of steel, impressively skilled at edging past one another at breakneck speed in an all-out battle for the finish line: The first few days of every Tour de France belong to the sprinters – proven experts in their field but only a very small number (thanks to their lead-out men who set up the final charge) are likely to come out on top. Every Tour de France begins with the flat stages; an innocuous name for something that is, in reality, a race steeped in danger – a ‘high-speed express on two wheels’, especially the final race to the finish line. It is not unusual to see many cuts and bruises, even a few broken bones and clothing that is ripped to shreds. Following a crash, you see wheels so warped you could be mistaken for thinking Uri Geller had been there. This is what typifies the sprint.

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Almost every one of the 21 teams participating in this year’s Tour de France has one or two expert sprinters amongst their ranks. The powerful Norwegian, Thor Hushovd, for instance, winner of the 2006 Prologue and one of the world’s best sprinters, is a member of one of the teams using Continental tyres this year. His chances are already looking good: during the first stage on Sunday, a stretch of over 203 kilometres from London to Canterbury, the burly ‘Viking’ was just pipped at the post in the bunch sprint by Australian Robby McEwen (riding for Predictor-Lotto).

This year’s T-Mobile team, which is also optimally fitted out with Continental racing tyres, is peppered with many promising young riders. In the sprint, the team is pinning all its hopes on a young Austrian, Bernhard Eisel. Bernhard took eleventh place in the first stage, but for the time being at least it looks like he is set to follow in the footsteps of former captain Erik Zabel, who has twelve Tour de France stage wins under his belt. However, Marcus Burghardt, winner of Ghent-Wevelgem, also proved, by taking eighth position, that he can also be counted on to come up trumps in the final dash for the finish line if he gets the right break.

The Caisse d’Épargne team, which is also racing with Continental tyres, tragically lost its best sprinter, Isaac Galvez, in winter in a track cycling crash. After this tragic loss, the team’s sprint hopes rest on several shoulders, although the team’s focus is less on major successes in the flat stages and more on its two all-rounders Alejandro Valverde and Oscar Pereiro. It is a similar story for Continental-equipped team Astana, whose hopes in the General Classification are mainly pinned on Alexander Vinokourov and Andreas Klöden.

Alongside McEwen, other riders wishing to make a name for themselves in the flat stages include Belgian Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Robert Förster (Gerolsteiner). And of course former champion Erik Zabel (Milram) believes he may still be in the running for at least one more win.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of tyres, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realized sales of EUR 14.9 billion. At present, it has a worldwide workforce of around 87,000.

Continental has been manufacturing cycle tyres in the town of Korbach, Hessen, since 1882 and is the only manufacturer of cycle tyres still operating in Germany today. In addition to its hand-made racing tyres, Continental produces cycle tyres for a broad range of uses. With its own development team, the Bicycle Tyres division ensures that its products remain at the cutting edge of the industry.

Continental’s tyre divisions are official sponsor of UEFA Euro 2008™, to be co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland in June 2008. Further information on this is available atwww.ContiSoccerWorld.de, www.contifanworld.com and www.conti-online.com.