Tour of Ireland Sponsors

An Post Green Jersey Sponsor on 2008 Tour of Ireland

The Green Jersey which will be fought for in the 2008 Tour of Ireland (August 27-31) was unveiled
today at Dublin Castle by Minister Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.

Backing the Green Jersey for the second time, this is the latest addition to An Post’s cycling
sponsorship portfolio, which includes sponsorship of the Sean Kelly Cycling Team, who had
great success in the Rás during May, and the Irish Paralympic Cycling Team and squad, who will
compete in Beijing this August.

The An Post Green Jersey is the coveted prize for the points-based sprint competition. With three

sprints on each day the crowds on the sprint lines will be treated to fierce competition as individual

riders’ battle for the right to wear the An Post Green Jersey. For spectators and participating

teams the highlight at the finish line on each day will be the presentation of the Yellow and the

Green Jersey.

An Post hopes to feature in both the prize giving and the prize winning at the awarding of the
Green Jersey. The An Post sponsored Sean Kelly Team is competing in the Tour, and they have
made it clear that the team will mount a strong challenge for the Jersey. While the team is based
in Belgium and has a European membership, there are six Irish team members vying for a place
on the Tour.

Sean Kelly, whose team is sponsored by An Post, said: “This is a first class racing event with

many of the world’s top teams participating. The Tour presents an unmatchable opportunity for
the riders to perform at their highest level, in front of their home audience. Of course, we are keen

to make our presence in the field count by mounting a serious offensive for the Green Jersey. Our

riders are having a good summer and we are looking forward to coming home and competing in
the Tour this August.”

The Company’s sponsorship will include An Post staff and customers from all over Ireland in the

excitement of the Green Jersey Competition, with 53 Post Offices located along the Tour route

and quite a few of these right at the heart of the action, on the sprint line.

Tour of Ireland, Project Director, Darach McQuaid said; “We and our title sponsor Fáilte Ireland
recently announced our Partner Sponsorship with An Post and today, we are delighted to unveil
the An Post Green Jersey. It is appropriate that a national company with such a vital involvement

in communities all across Ireland will be Official Partner to the Tour.”

The An Post Green Jersey is designed by the Tour of Ireland and produced by De Marchi Sports
in Italy.

Find more information about An Post Cycling Sponsorship at www.anpost.ie/Cycling


Fiat Bravo to be Showcased on the World Stage

Thursday June 26th: Fiat Group Automobiles Ireland today announced it will be the Official Car
Sponsor of the 2008 Tour of Ireland. One of the sporting highlights of the summer season, the
Tour of Ireland which will be broadcast on RTE 2 television and indeed televised in over 140
countries around the world showcasing Fiat cars in a dynamic fashion.

Head of Fiat Ireland, Mr Adrian Walsh today commented ‘’Cycle racing is unique as a non-motor
sport that uses cars as an integral part of the event and Fiat, which has a rich heritage in world
cycling previously sponsoring Tour de France, Tour of Italy and UCI amongst others is now
associated with the Tour of Ireland - a truly unique and exciting sporting fixture.’’

Fiat & Tour of Ireland 2008

Fiat Ireland’s support for the Tour of Ireland will play a crucial role in the technical delivery of the
event. Not only will Fiat Professional be providing vehicles for transporting race staff throughout
the Tour of Ireland, the cars will be right at the heart of the race itself. The Fiat Bravo’s will be
used by the Race Officials, Teams, Chief Commissaire (referee), Guest cars, Press cars in a
comprehensive sponsorship agreement.

About Fiat Bravo

Bravo was created in just 18 months, from design ‘freeze’ to production. Fiat employed
groundbreaking, state-of-the-art Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Engineering
(CAE) systems of unprecedented power and complexity, allowing the development of this new
car to be undertaken almost entirely through ‘virtual’ analysis and engineering. This ‘virtual’
technology is used extensively in the aircraft industry, helping to design and test all types of
aircraft from jet fighters to jumbo jets. ‘Virtual Engineering’ allows engineers and designers to
simulate more tests than could be carried out by the previous technology and to be far more
demanding in terms of quality, durability and safety standards.

Proof of the benefits of virtual engineering are seen in the New Bravo’s achievement of a 5-star
safety rating for adult occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash test programme. Achieving
5 stars for adult occupant safety, 3 stars for child protection and a further 2 for pedestrian
protection, the new Fiat recorded 33 points, placing it among the leaders of its category in terms
of passive, active and preventive safety.

Buyers who choose cars from this segment frequently use their vehicles for both work and social
purposes. As they spend more than the average time driving, interior space and comfort are vitally
important factors. New Bravo consistently exceeds the average dimensions for this segment and
this naturally translates into a very spacious, comfortable cabin. As an example, Bravo has class-
leading cabin width at shoulder level where it really matters, plus 240 mm longitudinal adjustment
for the front seats. So, the sense of space is not virtual, it is very real!

For more information visit www.fiat.ie


De Marchi Sport brings Italian flair to Tour of Ireland

De Marchi Sport is proud to be the Official Clothing sponsor for Leaders Jerseys at the Tour
Of Ireland. “Last year’s inaugural Tour Of Ireland was a huge success for De Marchi Sport”,
explained De Marchi President Mauro Coccia. “We received great exposure from the event and
are proud to be associated with such a first class race. Of course, we are also proud to continue
our links to Ireland as De Marchi was a sponsor of the Republic of Ireland cycling team in the
past”. said Coccia.

The second edition of the Tour of Ireland will run for five days from Wednesday 27th August to
Sunday 31st August and will visit beautiful Irish destinations like Waterford, County Tipperary,
Kerry, the gorgeous west coast of Ireland to finish in the cosmopolitian city of Cork. “De Marchi
Sport wishes all of the competitors the very best of luck in this year’s Tour of Ireland this summer.
We look forward to some excellent racing with the best riders in the world wearing our cycling
wear in this great event”, stated Mauro Coccia.

For more information visit www.demarchi.com

Waterford adds sparkle to the 2008 Tour of Ireland

Waterford Crystal has long been associated with incredible moments of achievement in the world
of international sport. Some of the most famous and inspiring hands in sport have reached out
from the victory podium and cradled distinctive pieces of Waterford Crystal as the symbol of their
success.

The 2007 Tour of Ireland saw Waterford Crystal’s return to the world of professional cycling. The
success of the inaugural event and Waterford’s association with it, made our choice to return as
the official trophy supplier an easy one. It was a welcome return to a sport which saw Waterford
Crystal supply many events in previous years such as the Nissan Classic, Kellogg’s Tour of
Britain and UCI Road World Cup.

Stage one of the 2008 event will finish in our home city of Waterford. How fitting it will be for the
winner of stage one to raise the trophy, incorporating the laurel motif, long associated with stage
and race winners, within walking distance from our world renowned production facility. Our world
headquarters has been a leading centre for crystal production since it was first manufactured
there in 1783.

Individual trophies will be presented to each of the five stage winners, to the four separate
category winners, and to the overall winner and runner up in the race.Tradition and dedication to
excellence are as much a part of Waterford Crystal as they are of sport. Being a part of the Tour
of Ireland will enhance our image as the event is broadcast on television in over 140 countries
around the world.

For more information contact: Gerry O’Keefe, Waterford Crystal. Tel: 051 332 324


Ordnance Survey Ireland Supports 2008 Tour of Ireland

Ordnance Survey Ireland is delighted to be involved with the Tour of Ireland 2008. The use of OSi
mapping enables the organisers to plan the routes using Ireland’s most accurate and up to date
mapping products. Competitors, their support teams and spectators will benefit greatly from being
able to locate the most direct routes to the various stages of this event with both the race manual
and the Tour of Ireland web site (www.tourofireland.ie), incorporating OSi mapping. Mapping
is one of the crucial elements in the technical planning and operation of the event ensuring the
efficient running of the Tour of Ireland this year.

Ireland’s National Mapping Agency, Ordnance Survey Ireland would like to wish the organisers
and competitors every success with this year’s event.

Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland. Our primary
product is mapping services. We produce a very comprehensive range of urban, rural, tourist and
leisure maps at a variety of scales. These maps are produced in digital form as well as on paper.
The base data used to create the map series is also used to produce other products such as
aerial photography and digital terrain models.

For more information on Ordnance Survey Ireland please visit: www.osi.ie

Thule Racks up the miles on 2008 Tour of Ireland

Thule’s association with the Tour of Ireland is a natural fit for our product category. The official Fiat
vehicles will use our bicycle carriers and we will assist the implementation of this complex event
with technical support. Thule has been involved with professional cycle stage races in the USA
and across Europe and Pace Marketing, Thule’s Irish distributor, is delighted to be associated with
this dynamic new sporting event in Ireland.

Thule is the world leader within Sports Utility Transportation delivering transportation solutions
for active families, professionals and outdoor enthusiasts wanting to transport their equipment by
vehicles safely, easily and in style.

The product portfolio comprises load carriers for cars such as rooftop boxes, roof rails and
bike carriers. Additionally, the company offers snow chains, trailers, towing systems as well as
accessories for motor homes and caravans.

Thule has approx 4 400 employees at over 30 production and sales locations on all major car
markets in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Thule AB headquarter is based in Malmö, Sweden.


The Events Group

The Events Group and its cycling brand Sport for Television, founded by Dublin born Alan
Rushton, is one of the top cycling sponsorship and promotions companies in the world.

With 24 years of experience in Europe, Asia and the United States, The Events Group has
experience organising:

10 Tours of Ireland

Tour de France “Grand Départ” in Ireland

10 Tours de Langkawi, Malaysia

6 World Cycling Championships
Tour de France stages, England

10 Tours of Britain

4 Tours of the Philippines

Tour of Qinghai Lake, China

2 Singapore Marathons

The Singapore International Triathlon

200+ televised City Centre Cycling events

The company has experience working with major television broadcasters and many sponsors
such as Kellogg’s, Prudential, Scottish Provident, Guinness, Nissan, Rover, JPMorgan and others.

Contact Information

Alan Rushton

Managing Director

The Events Group Limited

1-3 The Parade

Claygate

KT10 OPD

United Kingdom

T +44 (0) 1372 464 666

F +44 (0) 1372 466 444

E alan@theeventsgroup.net

theeventsgroup.net


Shadetree Sports

Darach McQuaid and David Kalman founded Shadetree Sports. With offices in Dublin, Ireland
and Richmond, Va. our mission was then and still is today, to offer cycling sponsorships to
organisations and marketers who want, or need, something more than traditional sponsorships
and who want to reach an affluent, active, growing audience.

The principals of Shadetree Sports, Darach McQuaid and David Kalman have successfully
completed major projects for clients such as the Tour de France, Atlanta Summer Olympics,
Lillihammer and Albertville Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup USA, Grundig, Nike, Eurosport
and Versus.

The marketing of international cycling events is a cornerstone of Shadetree Sports’ business.
Developing sponsorships and managing the sponsor/client relationship continues as one of our
key strengths.

Contact Information

Darach McQuaid

Principal

Shadetree Sports

92-93 St. Stephen’s Green

Dublin 2

Ireland

T +353 1 428 3530

M +353 83 334 2552

E darach@shadetreesports.com

shadetreesports.com