The Tour de France 2014 cars: support and strength for the cyclists

The Tour de France is one of the most demanding cycling races on the sporting calendar, and the participants face very tough challenges every day. Many kilometres covered with nothing but their own legs, and that alone says a lot. But to support the cyclists, a complete fleet of cars is needed to carry everything required to help them.

The cars that follow the riders are equipped with everything needed to keep the bicycles running, from spare chains and tyres to complete tool sets and auxiliary equipment, so that nothing goes wrong without the means to fix it.

The fleet of cars accompanying the cyclists of the 2014 Tour de France also has special roof racks, capable of carrying up to eight bicycles with ease. Everything is prepared so that each of the 250 cars making up the support convoy meets all the needs of the athletes.

Inside, they are equipped so that the technicians of each of the 22 teams travel comfortably and can face the long stages without problems. Obviously, they sit far more comfortably than the cyclists, but they have their own hardships too.

One of the brands that take part and contribute their cars for these duties is Skoda, which is quite logical. In fact, the origins of the brand are linked to bicycle manufacturing, and that is why it is one of the brands that sponsors the most competitions.

It is estimated that each of the cars taking part in the 2014 Tour de France will consume an average of 263 litres of fuel, since they are expected to cover around 3,500 kilometres in total. As I mentioned, Skoda is one of the brands chosen by the various teams, but there are others that also fulfil that support-car role.

For example, the British team Team Sky uses models from Jaguar, including an Jaguar F-Type R Tour de France and an XFR-S Sportbrake, among others. The French team IAM Cycling uses a fleet of Citroën, so there is a good variety of models to admire alongside the bicycles.

Source | Skoda
Via | Auto Express