• Top-end technology for top-end athletes
  • Ridden to victory in the Tour de France
  • The first choice for downhill and freeride racing

Powerful sports cars, fast motorbikes and big trucks: Continental is well known as a producer of excellent tires for powerful vehicles. But cycle sport also benefits from the company's leading-edge technology. On the road, the track, or off-road, the choice of equipment is becoming increasingly important in competition. Choosing the right tires for the conditions is part of everyday life for the riders and the teams. And nowhere is that clearer than at the Tour de France.

A long tradition of Tour de France success
The world's toughest bike race pushes both riders and their equipment to the very limits. And that includes the bike's tires. Whether the riders are streaking downhill on wet, rain-soaked roads, sprinting out of each hairpin bend, or climbing towards a mountain-top finish in searing heat, high above the tree line, tires play a crucial role in the race for the yellow jersey. A puncture in a time trial is every bit as serious as crashing in a bunch sprint at the end of a stage. So for many years, several top teams have placed their trust in the expertise of Continental's tire specialists. This year, the teams riding Continental tires in Le Tour were Lotto-Belisol, Movistar, Lampre Merida, Orica GreenEdge and BMC Racing.

The whole world watched in awe as sprint specialist André Greipel (Germany) sprinted to the sixth Tour de France stage win of his career in Reims  -  at the end of stage six of the Tour. And worldwide TV audiences watched with bated breath as young French rider Tony Gallopin gritted his teeth to ride himself into the yellow jersey on stage nine in the Vosges mountains, then again when he won the eleventh stage to Oyonnax three days later. After 3,656 kilometres (or 2,271 miles) of racing, the Movistar and BMC Racing teams, riding on Continental race tires, were in fourth and fifth places overall. Alejandro Valverde (Spain) took fourth place overall, with Tejay van Garderen (USA) finishing fifth to put two riders using Continental tires into the "Top five" of the 2014 Tour de France.

All of the "Conti teams" benefitted from an extensive stock of Continental tires, suitable for every conceivable road surface, for every special demand, and for all weather conditions. Just like a motor racing team, top cycling teams take careful decisions about which tires best suit the weather conditions and that day's stage profile. Then there are training tires, and specialist tires for use on steeply banked velodromes. For cycling teams, tire decisions have become as important as they are in Formula 1.

High performance tires for road racing
Our ultra-light race tires are handmade at Continental's German tire factory in Korbach. They are popular in the Tour de France peloton, but they are also used at all of today's major road races. In recent years, the World Road Race championships have seen Mark Cavendish, Matthew Goss and André Greipel on the podium, all of them riding Continental tires. Tony Martin won the World Time Trial championships using high-performance Conti tires made at our plant in Korbach, Germany. Top cyclists also rely on Continental tires in track cycling and in triathlons. For example, Corinne Abraham and Sebastian Kienle won this year's Ironman European Championships. The Brownlee brothers won the gold and bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympics, and Germany's Stefan Bötticher took the silver medal in the Sprint at last year's World Track Championships. Sebastian Kienle also won the oldest and most spectacular triathlon competition in the world, the Hawaii Ironman. He was riding on Continental ultra-light special tires 23mm GrandPrix TT. With a total time of 8:14:18 Kienle crossed with over five minutes ahead of Ben Hoffman to the finish line.

At the 2012 Olympic Games, riders using Continental tires were successful in a wide range of cycling disciplines. The quality of Continental's tires was underlined by a medal haul that included four golds, two silver and two bronze medals in the road races, triathlon, on the track and in mountain biking. In mountain biking, Continental works closely with a number of riders, including MTB legend Richie Schley. He is a big fan of Conti's Mountain King II and Trail King tires. And our tire development benefits from his many years of experience. This year, riders who benefitted from that include Steffen Thum and Julien Absalon. Thum won the MTB Marathon XC Series. Absalon also reaped the benefits of our ongoing tire development program, winning the overall title in the 2014 Mountain Bike World Cup and the cross-country titles in the European championships in both 2013 and 2014.

The first choice for downhill and freeride racing
Even in branches of cycling that enjoy slightly less media coverage, the top riders still choose Continental tires. Riders such as Brits Rachel Atherton, and her brother Gee Atherton. Rachel Atherton was British downhill national champion in 2013 and 2014, and she won the prestigious World Cup series in 2013. Her brother, Gee Atherton, won the downhill title at the 2014 World Championships.

Manon Carpenter also won a world championship in 2014 on Continental tires. She is the reigning British downhill champion, and she also rode Conti Mud Kings and Kaiser 2.4 Projects to World Cup victory and to a world title in 2013 in the same discipline. Fancy something even funkier? Try Peter Henke, the German slopestyle pro. Or Sweden's Martin Söderström, the best dirt jumper in Europe. Then there's Kenny Belaey, one of the top mountain bikers on the trials scene. And freeride legend Andreu Lacondeguy (known as "LaContiGuy"). What do they have in common? They all use Continental tires. As does Sam Pilgrim, the 2013 FMB World Tour champion. On the track, German sprinters Miriam Welte and Kristina Vogel won the 500m Team Time trial at this year's World Track Championships. And Britain's Katy Curd is the new fourcross world champion. And then there's Danny MacAskill, the highly talented mountainbiker whose fearless exploits have been viewed by over 100 million people on YouTube.

The cycling press awarded us top marks
Given the long list of wins by top cyclists using Continental tires in the various different branches of cycle racing, it is no surprise that our tires regularly come out on top in comparison tests carried out by the cycling press. This year, Conti's Race King 2.0 RS, GP 4000s II and GP TT are three products that have all been winners in comparison tests. The Race King 2.0 RS was awarded top place by Mountain Bike (issue 03/2013), whilst the Grand Prix 4000s II and the Grand Prix TT were each top of their class in the RoadBike (issue 10/2013) test.

And the run of success by Continental's tires has continued this year. The Grand Prix 4000s II won the "wider racing tires" comparison test in Tour (1/2014) magazine. Meantime, the Trail King versions 2.4 and 2.2 PT was the test winner in Mountain Bike (8/2014). Mud King 1.8 PT was also a test winner in Mountain Bike 11/2014. But Continental doesn't just make tires for professional bike racers. We also make tires for everyday cycling, as shown by a comparison test in the German aktiv Radfahren magazine: The winner was the Top CONTACT II (1/2014).

New products for the new year
To build on our unique position in the non-motorised two-wheel sector, Continental will be launching several new products next year. Our 25 mm Grand Prix TT follows the trend for slightly wider racing tires. This dedicated race tire has been specially developed for time trials and triathlons. The Trail King 2.2 / 2.4 is our new model for heavy terrain. It is suitable for All Mountain bikes and Enduro bikes with 140 mm or more suspension travel. Available in ProTection format, these new models feature the latest Apex reinforced sidewalls, RaceSport and UST technology. Continental has new offerings for owners of city bikes and trekking bikes, too. The Classic RIDE is a very traditional, robust tire that offers excellent puncture protection. It is now available in creme, brown, grey or black, and uses the original profile design that dates back to 1982.

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