British delivery firm Yodel has got on its bike with logistics support for the Tour of Britain,the UK’s biggest professional cycle race, which started last weekend.
The company is the official logistics partner of this year’s Tour, which is the largestfree-to-attend sporting event in Britain. The eight-day event started in Scotland on Sunday 11September and passes through cities and towns across England, Scotland and Wales before reachingits conclusion in central London on Sunday 18 September.
This is the second year that Yodel has been involved with the world class event, but the firstthat it has been one of the lead sponsors. Its branding will be prominently displayed throughoutthe Tour and each stage of the competition will include three intermediate Yodel Sprints within it,with the daily leader of the Sprints Classification being awarded the official Yodel Sprintsjersey.
Cycling has seen a massive surge in popularity in recent years, with an estimated 13 millionpeople taking to their bikes in the UK. Yodel is the logistics partner for a number of majorcycling retailers, including Halfords, Evans Cycles and Merida Bicycles, delivering over 122,000consignments of bikes and cycling accessories every year for those three accounts alone.
As well as the thousands of fans, local residents and tourists who are due to turn out to watchthe race, over 400,000 viewers are expected to watch daily highlights on British TV.
Yodel’s Chief Executive, Jonathan Smith, said: “For Yodel the event has a number of synergieswith our own business. Like the Tour we are a national, British company with a focus on localdelivery, handling over 200 million parcels per year. Like the race, speed and teamwork is crucialto ensure an efficient service and Yodel also has its own green agenda which makes this alignmentwith cycling a winning combination.”
