Canon to Capture The Tour of Britain for 6th Consecutive Year

05.08.2009

Longest standing commercial partner for the professional cycle race

SweetSpot Group Ltd, organisers of The Tour of Britain, today announced that for the sixth consecutive year, Canon, world leader in imaging and information technology solutions, will be the Official Imaging Partner for The Tour of Britain.

Canon is the longest running commercial sponsor of the race, having supported The Tour of Britain every year since its resurrection in 2004.

"Canon, our longest standing commercial partner, has always provided a level of service and reliability to The Tour of Britain that money cannot buy and we are delighted to have their support again for our 2009 event," said Hugh Roberts, CEO of The Tour of Britain. "This relationship enables us to maintain the highest standards in imaging and document reproduction at the race this year, and their support is highly valued by all members of the race organisation."

Commentating on the continuing relationship with The Tour of Britain, Andy Vickers - Managing Director, Canon UK and Ireland said "We are delighted to continue our support of one of the top events in the British cycling calendar, having supported various sporting events across Europe for over 30 years now. Cycling fever has gripped the country following on from the recent British successes at the Beijing Olympics ‘08 and The Tour de France ‘09. It’s fantastic to be able to share this success through the power of image and inspire people to get fit and protect the environment."

As a partner Canon will supply a range of high-end print and imaging equipment that the race has come to rely on in the delivery of its first class results service. The company’s imaging solutions and technical support guarantee that all race results and digital images of the high speed, high drama race are captured, distributed and viewed by the race organisers and the general public in the shortest possible time.

The 2009 Tour of Britain will take place over eight days beginning in North Lincolnshire on Saturday 12 September and finishing in the heart of London on Saturday 19 September. The event will visit a total of fourteen venues, some of which will be old favourites of the race such as London and Dumfries and Galloway, while others such as York and Bideford will be new to The Tour of Britain.

The Official Tour of Britain photographer will be provided with state of the art digital imaging products from Canon, which will ensure high performance and cutting edge photography of the riders and event for syndication to the media and display in the Canon Gallery.

The Canon Gallery, a popular and integral part of The Tour of Britain website, will return in the build-up to the race where the public can catch up with the photos of the latest action.

The Canon Photography Competition will also return for the fifth successive year giving spectators the chance to win Canon digital imaging equipment, by taking the winning image of the 2009 race.