The Skoda Fantasy Tour de France game, which went live three weeks before the 2014 race rolls into the Yorkshire Dales for its Grand Depart, offers fans a chance to build their own pro cycling team, tackle stages and try and win real prizes.
Running along similar lines as the more familiar Fantasy Football mass gaming formats, the winners of the car brand’s TdF digital league will scoop a not only a new Skoda road bike but also a VIP trip to the Tour de France 2015
Each contestant chooses nine riders from the current top tier tour teams, players can then ride against all-comers or set up their own personal leagues with friends, colleagues and fellow riders.
Riders can be transferred in and out of teams during the gruelling race in case broken collarbones and punctures send them tumbling down the peloton.
The game launch coincided with the news that Skoda has signed on to sponsor the Tour de France 2014 on broadcaster ITV (in a deal negotiated by ITV Commercial and MediaCom).
Starting on 5 July, the sponsorship spans broadcast content on ITV4 with idents (created by Fallon), as well as a branding presence across mobile and online platforms.
We are very excited to welcome Skoda to ITV in their first sponsorship with the network,’ commented ITV sales director Steve Bignell.
‘The Tour de France is a great platform to reach their target audience, and we look forward to making the partnership a great success.’
Our involvement in cycling continues to grow in the UK and as an official partner of the Tour de France, which this year includes stages in Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and London, the opportunity to sponsor the TV coverage offers a great fit with our plans for 2014,’ explains Skoda UK communications manager Emily Burns.
Early june also saw Skoa announce its 2014 line up of Tour De France Limited Edition Yetis, Octavias and Superbs to celebrate 9and promote) its Le Tour sponsorship.
Customers buying these models will also be entered into an exclusive competition offering them the chance to win a once in a lifetime VIP trip to the 2015 Tour De France.
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Skoda has been a core sponsor of the Tour De France for the last decade and it’s vehicles are used to transport technical engineers, medical staff and essential maintenance kit during the race.
Škoda relationship with the bike world dates back a long way.
When founders Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement first established their company in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, in 1895 they actually first manufactured bicycles.
Motorbikes followed in 1899 and their first car, the Voiturette A, wasn’t built until 1905.
Today the auto brand sponsors a slew of major cycling competitions across Europe in addition to le Tour.
It is the official car partner for the Tour de France, Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour, Prudential RideLondon, Matrix Vulpine, Team Raleigh and Rapha Condor JLT.
In addition to providing the race car fleet, Skoda also sponsors the official Tour Tracker app, which provides race stats, live streaming, stage profiles, and other features.
In 2014 it has even created an on-site bike racing experience via a set of cycling simulators at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed.
Again offering the winners a Tour De France VIP trip, plus a chance to design the 2014 Tour of Britain King of the Mountains jersey too.
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Links
Skoda Website
http://www.skoda.co.uk/about-us/skoda-and-cycling/competition
Skoda Cycling Twitter
https://twitter.com/SkodaUKCycling
Skoda Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Skoda.uk
Le Tour Website
Le Tour Yorkshire Website
