Continental tyres part of the action in the Tour de France

Hanover, July 2004. This year's top teams competing in the Tour de France will once again be relying on tyres made in Korbach, in the German federal state of Hesse. This is where the racing tyres for the world's toughest cycle race are hand-made. Apart from their tyre know-how, the specialists at Continental have a few other tricks up their sleeve when it comes to making the racing machines ridden by Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile team) and Tyler Hamilton (Phonak Hearing Systems team) go faster - a special tuning liquid, which is applied to the tyres and reduces rolling resistance by around 15%.

Caption: Conti's Competition tyre is used by top teams in the Tour de France. The hand-sewn racing tyre is made in Korbach, Hesse. The casing and tube are firmly bonded together; the teams can use different tyre compounds for wet and dry roads.

What makes the Tour de France so thrilling is the mixture of team and solo battles, maximum sporting performance and the extreme routes followed. To ensure the athletes gain a place, everything is thrown at the Tour in terms of equipment, with the very latest technology being used. That includes the racing tyres - the compound, the structure and the tread pattern are all designed to achieve the lowest rolling resistance and good riding characteristics, and to be as puncture-resistant as possible.

Commenting on the betting options in terms of tyres, Wolf vorm Walde, Product manager for bicycle tyres at Continental explains: "Just like in Formula One, riders using our racing tyres can choose the right tyre for each race - either the exceptionally light Tempo tyres, the Competition all-round tyres with puncture protection or the Competition-WetCompound tyres which are all-rounders with wet grip compound and puncture protection. The fitness level of the rider on the day often decides the position he achieves, but the choice of tyres also determines whether this fitness can be turned into a good ranking." This year the T-Mobile, Phonak, Crédit Agricole and Lotto-Domo teams will be setting off on size 27x1.22mm Continental Competition racing tyres for the toughest cycle race on earth.

As Germany's leading tyre manufacturer, Continental is traditionally one of the main suppliers of racing tyres for the Tour de France. Top riders rely on the racing tyres hand-made in Korbach, Hesse, the only bicycle tyre factory still operating in Germany today. In addition to picking racing tyres with particularly low rolling resistance for their teams, captains Jan Ullrich and Tyler Hamilton also rely on Continental's special tuning liquid. Applied to the tyres, this reduces the rolling resistance on the extremely light tubulars by a further 15%. Thanks to this fine-tuning, the rivals reckon they have a particularly good chance in the timed stage after Alpe d'Huez on July 21st. "The combination of tyres and tuning liquid can make a difference of around 30 seconds" explains Wolf vorm Walde, and this edge can mean the difference between winning and losing when the cyclists ride the home stretch in Paris.

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.

Continental AG is a leading supplier of tyres, braking systems, suspension components and technical elastomers. In 2003 the company achieved a turnover of 11.5 billion euros and employed some 69,000 staff worldwide.