Hanover, 30th July 2007. Three top ten rankings in the overall standings. Outstanding performance up there with the best in the 'Sprint Royal' with another stage victory and excellent places. And moreover an exceptional achievement in the time-trial stage on the last but one day: the riders in the three ProTour racing teams T-Mobile, Crédit Agricole and Caisse d'Epargne demonstrated clearly - not just on the 20 tough stages that make up the more than 3,500 kilometres of the Tour de France, but also on the two spectacular final days of the overall 94 - why they rely on components hand-made by Continental, the only cycle tyre manufacturer producing in Germany. In all categories the top athletes in the three teams mentioned above were amongst the absolute extreme performers. Time and time again throughout the Tour de France they were able to rely unconditionally on the high-tech precision work of the Continental engineers.

The Caisse d'Epargne team provided the best example of the exceptionally high quality of Continental tyres during the second individual time-trial stage of 55.5 kilometres (34 miles) on the Saturday. 'Well-armed' with racing tyres specifically designed for the battle against the clock, the cycling team from Navarra came up to be second in the overall standings, which meant they had successfully seen off the Danish CSC team that had previously held this position - and they thereby added an impressive further 10,000 euros to the team's funds.

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Luxembourg's new cycling hero Kim Kirchen defended his impressive seventh overall position with full commitment in the tough individual test. Never before had a cyclist from the Grand Duchy been in a better position than in this tour. No wonder that 'Kiki' also spoke in such glowing terms of the Continental tyres that had carried him and his team colleagues from T-Mobile so successfully through England, Belgium, France and Spain. "We really had super equipment for all our requirements. This gives every rider the reassurance needed, so that he can focus fully on his performance." The same applied not just to his team colleague Linus Gerdemann (seventh in the overall standing for the best young professionals) in his stage victory in Le Grand-Bornand, but also to Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne). The 'black gold' from Korbach had taken the Spaniard safely right up to sixth position in the 'Classement général'. And a third 'Conti rider' - Oscar Pereiro (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne), who was ranked second last year - managed to come in as No. 10 in the 'Top Ten'.

Once more Thor Hushovd, the 'racing Northern light', demonstrated the same formidable performance as last year, when he won the prologue and final stage. The beefy Scandinavian in the French Crédit Agricole racing team again achieved an individual day win in the peloton of death-defying 'hara-kiri flyers' in the flat stages. The Norwegian 'man in green' (team colours of Crédit Agricole) confirmed his undisputed world class by also coming in fourth on Continental tyres in the overall standings for the best sprinters. Team T-Mobile's Austrian rider Bernhard Eisel, who was twelfth in the group of 131 ranked professionals, also proved a 'master of the final metres' on Continental products.

As in previous years, 2007 has once again shown that it is only meticulous, filigree preparatory work in Continental's laboratories and production facilities that leads to top class achievements by the 'heroes of the country roads' on the track. Only perfect co-operation between supplier, athlete, team and technicians ensures this success year in, year out.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of tyres, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation posted consolidated sales of EUR14.9 billion. It currently has a worldwide workforce of around 85,000 employees.

Continental has been carrying bicycle tires since 1882 and is today Germany’s sole manufacturer of bicycle tires, which it produces in Korbach, in the German state of Hessen. In addition to hand-sewn racing tires, bicycle tires for nearly all purposes are also manufactured. With its own development team, the bicycle tire business unit sees to it that the products are consistently state-of-the-art.

Continental’s tire divisions are official sponsor of UEFA Euro 2008™, which will take place in Austria and Switzerland in June 2008. Detailed information on this is available at www.ContiSoccerWorld.de, www.contifanworld.com and www.conti-online.com.