British Cycling has signed a new partnership deal with Fiat Group Automobiles UK (FIAT) which will extend its role as Official Vehicle Supplier to the National Governing Body until 2016.
"We are delighted to have been able to extend our working relationship with FIAT as we look ahead to delivering success in Rio 2016."
British Cycling Chief Executive Ian Drake
FIAT has been a key supporter of British Cycling’s success across all levels of elite performance and grass roots participation since 2009.
In addition to the central partnership agreement, FIAT has been a regular supporter of British Cycling’s major events programme, with a presence at Track World Cups in Manchester, London and Glasgow helping to ensure that British riders gain maximum exposure on home soil against the best in the world.
The extension will see FIAT continue to provide a fleet of support vehicles, including a number of the new FIAT 500L models, to key aspects of British Cycling activity. The new 500L is perfectly suited for the needs of British Cycling, offering great versatility and fuel-efficiency.
Go-Ride Coaches will each use a new FIAT Doblo to make visits to schools and clubs in order to deliver practical cycling sessions for young people, while at the other end of the spectrum, vehicles from across the FIAT Professional range are used by elite performance coaches in major events throughout Europe.
British Cycling Chief Executive Ian Drake said: “As a market-leading car manufacturer, we are delighted to have been able to extend our working relationship with FIAT as we look ahead to delivering success in Rio 2016.
“FIAT has been a key supporter of our ongoing membership drive and the continuation of this partnership further highlights the strength of the programmes we are running across all of British Cycling - from grassroots participation to elite performance.
“FIAT will continue to provide market-leading vehicles to key staff who are the face of the organisation and are actively working in schools and clubs throughout the country to develop cycling’s future talent. As a result, this strengthened relationship will benefit cycling as a sport as well as British Cycling as the National Governing Body.”
Throughout the relationship FIAT has supported our athletes with access to track days to help build team spirit, even going so far as to produce the limited edition FIAT Punto GBT prior to London 2012 to provide fans with a unique way to strengthen their affinity with the elite riders.
FIAT has also supported British Cycling’s campaigning work with their “Let’s Clear the Air” campaign that aimed to promote mutual respect between all road users.
Elena Bernardelli, Marketing Director, FIAT Group Automobiles UK commented: “We are delighted to extend our association with Britain’s best performing sports federation and we look forward to helping them build upon their success in the sporting arena and cycling in general.
FIAT vehicles are a perfect match for the demanding requirements of British Cycling in terms of space, comfort, versatility and this is reflected in the significant increase in popularity of our vehicles amongst British Cycling members who are opting to purchase our vehicles. Our position as Europe’s lowest CO2 car manufacturer is also perfectly in tune with the ethos of cycling as a sustainable form of transport.”
