SHIMANO BLUE FOR NEUTRAL SUPPORT AT TOUR DE FRANCE

• Building on their historical La Vuelta partnership, Shimano and A.S.O. now extend their collaboration on Le Tour de France, prestigious classics such as Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, la Flèche Wallonne, Paris-Tours, and also on events such as L’Etape du Tour and Roc d’Azur

• Riders in all A.S.O. women’s and men’s races to be supported by Shimano’s world class neutral support team

To mark its centenary year Shimano is proudly announcing an extended partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), owner of prestigious stage races such as the Tour de France, the Vuelta, Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné, as well as prestigious one-day classics such as Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flèche Wallonne and Paris-Tours.

The partnership will see Shimano leveraging 20 years of neutral support experience and know-how to support all riders in selected A.S.O. races, no matter which drivetrain brand they use, helping them to get their bikes operating at the optimum level. The iconic blue of Shimano will adorn the neutral support cars in all A.S.O. World Tour, Continental and Women’s races, offering all riders assistance to get back on the road as quickly as possible in the event of a crash or mechanical issue.

The new agreement complements Shimano’s 20-year old neutral support program which originated at the Spring Classics such as the Tour of Flanders and Amstel Gold, and progressed to La Vuelta, where Shimano already has a strong working relationship with the A.S.O., and latterly to the Giro D’Italia, helping Shimano in its goal of becoming the favored brand for consumers and customers alike.

Taizo Shimano, Executive Vice President said: “In the one hundredth year of our existence we are very excited to start a new chapter in our sports history. We are proud to announce a partnership to support the A.S.O.’s events with neutral support. That means we will be providing first-class support to riders at A.S.O. events to get them back on the road and back in the race.

“Shimano’s role is to inspire people to participate in sports and to keep bicycles running at their best. The vital neutral support role, especially at cycling’s most high-pressurized race – and also at one of the world’s most-watched sporting events – will allow us to do just that.

“Working with A.S.O. will allow Shimano to provide more support to the sport and more support to athletes to help them perform at the top level.

“As a company we take great pride in the quality of work that the thousands of global Shimano dealers carry out. This partnership with A.S.O. is the best example of the service that they provide. Not only do we hope this partnership will inspire a new generation of people to ride their bikes more often, but we hope to inspire people to trust in our product quality.”

Yann Le Moënner - Managing Director of Amaury Sport Organisation: "We are incredibly pleased to have extended our partnership with a player as innovative as Shimano. Partnering up on all of our professional and amateur cycling events with a family business and pioneer in the cycling world testifies to our commitment to offering excellent support to athletes as well as all of the cyclists involved in our events. The innovation and consistent level of excellence provided by the brand over its 100 years of existence make Shimano a crucial player in world and everyday cycling and a brand that we are proud to be associated with."

Shimano first engagement for A.S.O. this year comes at Paris–Nice starting in Saint-Cyr-l'École, France on Sunday 7th March 2021.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Embargo: Tuesday 19th January 2021, 10:00h CET

2. Images: can be downloaded at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wji6uq429ykk7cb/AABZp_FpFb8Lg034uH3Jx64ya?dl=0 BC

3. For interview requests on this topic please contact:

- Ben Hillsdon, Shimano Europe, ben.hillsdon@shimano-eu.com, +31 (0)6 12 20 33 90

- Fabrice Tiano, A.S.O, ftiano@aso.fr, +33 (0)6 33 86 28 64

- Baptiste Ollier, A.S.O, bollier@aso.fr, +33 (0)6 40 16 67 67

4. About Shimano Europe: Founded in 1921, Shimano is dedicated to helping its customers get closer to nature, supporting people to realize their dreams and create new lifestyles. That comes with the desire to create outstanding cycling products and apparel. With almost 100 years’ experience in creating internationally renowned bicycle components, Shimano is proud to have developed products that continue to take countless athletes to victory and provide the means for limitless global bicycle journeys. For more information see www.shimano.com.

5. About A.S.O.: Amaury Sport Organisation is a company that owns, designs and organises top international sporting events. Specialized in the ‘non-stadia’ events, it has in-house knowledge of professions linked to organisation, media and sales of sports events.

A.S.O. organises 240 days of competition per year, with 90 events in 25 countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Germany France, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Turkey.

A.S.O. is involved in 5 major sports including cycling with Le Tour de France, motor sports with the Dakar, sailing with the Tour Voile, mass events with the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and golf with the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.

Amaury Sport Organisation is a subsidiary of the Amaury Group, media and sport group that owns the newspaper L’Equipe.