Tissot is renewing its partnership with the Tour de France, as well as La Vuelta and the cycling classics organised by A.S.O.
As an official timekeeper of many of the world’s most prestigious cycling races, and a long-standing partner of the UCI for 25 years, Tissot will offer A.S.O. events… ‘solutions for timing, scoring, ranking and statistics, to suit the requirements of organisers, athletes and fans.’
In the Tour de France, taking place this year from 26 June to 18 July, Tissot will be on hand with its timing tools, as an official timekeeper. The Tissot brand first became involved in sports timekeeping in 1938. It is now one of the key players.
‘When a sprint finish cannot be analysed with the naked eye, the Swiss watch brand plays the role of judge with increasingly sophisticated technological tools.’
To guarantee a reliable result for organisers, competitors, spectators and television viewers of A.S.O’s cycling races, high-speed cameras capable of taking 10,000 images per second are trained on the finish lines of each stage. Thanks to multiple devices capable of producing the ‘photo finish’, Tissot can provide detailed information related to timing, scoring, ranking and statistics in a matter of seconds.
During the Tour de France, eight Tissot timekeepers – assisted by almost a dozen additional technicians – are on the ground during the 21 stages of the competition. On average, they carry out just over 4,200 photo finish judgements for an estimated 2,600 hours of work, including 280 hours of preparation.
As official timekeeper for the Tour de France from 1988 to 1991 and again in 2016, the Swiss brand is also the official watch of ‘La Grande Boucle’ (or ‘The Big Loop’, as the Tour de France is also known). A key partner of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for 25 years, and official timekeeper for La Vuelta since 2016, Tissot has played a key role in cycling.
In 2020, the Swiss watch brand also welcomed Slovenian cycling champion Primož Roglič to its team of sports ambassadors.
‘The renewal of the partnership contract between Tissot and Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) is a sign of the brand’s determination to build lasting links with the biggest names in cycling.’
“Tissot is pleased to announce the extension of its partnership with A.S.O. as Official Timekeeper of the Tour de France and La Vuelta as well as legendary classic races such as Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Flèche Wallonne,” said Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot.
“We have teamed up with A.S.O. for many years, providing extremely precise timing solutions.”
Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, said “I am delighted that we are extending our partnership with the legendary watchmaker from Le Locle. Cycling events are often decided by a few seconds, sometimes even a few thousandths in some finishes.
“Tissot and A.S.O. share the same vision of cycling and excellence that the Tour de France should represent to highlight the efforts of great champions.”
With the Tour de France, La Vuelta, the Paris-Nice and Critérium du Dauphiné stage races as well as prestigious classic races such as Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège (men and women), La Flèche Wallonne (men and women), A.S.O. is the world’s largest cycling operator with 110 days of competition organised each year.
Committed to the development of women’s sport, A.S.O. will be organising the Tour de France for Women in 2022 with Zwift. This will be a rebirth for this event, which had previously been organised between 1984 and 1989 before disappearing.
“This women’s race is linked to the past, present and future of the Tour de France,” added Christian Prudhomme. “The popularisation of the sport is one of the major axes of A.S.O.’s strategy to actively contribute to the economic development and promotion of cycling worldwide.”
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