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Mladá Boleslav, 24th June, 2013 - Ahead of his ŠKODA sponsored entry into the Tour de France, the Czech Para-cyclist Jiří Ježek looks to be on top form. In his final endurance test before the Tour de France, Ježek achieved an outstanding 17th place in the time trials at last weekend's Czech-Slovak Road Bike Championships, in which he measured himself against able-bodied racing cyclists. The 38-year-old also proved to be in excellent condition with two victories in the two most recent World Cup races as part of the UCI World Cup – Para-cycling Road in Merano, Italy, and Segovia, Spain. Thanks to these wins Ježek is in the lead of the "UCI Para-Cycling World Cup".

The six-time Paralympic medallist and world champion will be setting his target time in the first time trials of this year's Tour de France on 10th of July. As a longstanding partner of the Czech Paralympic Team and tour sponsor, ŠKODA will be supporting the event. The 15-year-old junior photographer, David Vlk will be there in the midst of the action to document Ježek's individual effort. David lost his right leg below the knee as a consequence of illness, so he has the same handicap as Ježek. During therapy the cyclist's career was a great motivation for David. Thanks to ŠKODA in this year's Tour de France the lives of both men will link up and David will move a little closer to his dream of being a news and sports photographer.

"Jiří Ježek's and David Vlk's entries will be an emotional highlight of this year's Tour de France," says Werner Eichhorn, ŠKODA Board Member for Sales and Marketing. "We are very pleased, as a longstanding partner of the Tour, to be able to support the participation and fulfil the dreams of two extraordinary people."

With his excellent ranking in the Czech-Slovak championships and victories at the UCI World Cup - Para-Cycling Road, the Czech has impressively demonstrated that he has been in good shape these last few days and weeks. Jiří Ježek is regarded as one of the best Para-athletes in the world. He has won six Paralympic Games, including a gold medal at the 2012 Games in London. He has also been voted 'Disabled Sportsperson of the Year' in the Czech Republic. Thanks to his great abilities, he is one of only a handful Paralympians who can compete without a Handicap.

"For me it's a great honour and a dream come true. I really appreciate that as the best physically handicapped cyclist in the world I can show my ability during the time trial at the most famous professional cycle race in the world. I'm convinced it will be a great advert for handicapped sport, for me personally and the whole Czech Republic," said Ježek. The bike racer knows the special symbolism of the hundredth Tour de France and ten years of sponsoring of the event by ŠKODA: "I couldn't want any more. I'm really looking forward and want to enjoy this extraordinary opportunity. At the same time it's a great sporting challenge, for which I'm going to be operating at 100%. I did very well in my last time trial. I'm convinced that on the Tour I can show my better sides," said Ježek.

By supporting Ježek's entry in the Tour de France, ŠKODA once again renews signs of its broad commitment to cycling sponsorship. This year will mark the manufacturer's tenth year of being the official sponsor and official auto partner for the Tour de France – the most famous cycling race in the world. With a fleet of 250 vehicles and various events, the car manufacturer is really setting the pace at the 100th anniversary of the cycling classic. ŠKODA is also the partner for the 'White Jersey'– the best cyclist under the age of 25. ŠKODA will also have a clear presence on the Internet and in social media. This year's Tour de France takes place between 29th June and 21st July.

ŠKODA AUTO does not only support cycling internationally or at a professional level but they are also committed to, for example, the popular 'Kolo pro život' ('Bike for Life') series - the world's largest amateur mountain bike series. In the last 13 years, a total of 160,000 riders have been involved in the races, of which 20,000 took part in 2012 alone. Furthermore, ŠKODA is the organizer of the popular Czech sports competition the 'Virtual Cup', where cycling enthusiasts compete on one of 16 tracks.

ŠKODA's commitment to cycling reflects the special relationship that the Czech car producer has with the bicycle.  The company's success story all began with the production of bicycles at their headquarters in Mladá Boleslav. At the end of the 19th century, in December 1895, the bicycle mechanic Václav Laurin and bookkeeper Václav Klement established a factory there for the production of bicycles. In the first few years, the enthusiastic pioneers worked together to produce bicycles under the brand name of 'Slavia', from 1899, motorbikes and from 1905, finally, with the 'Voiturette A' – the company's first automobile. L&K merged with ŠKODA in 1925.

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