Autosportfoto

Škoda´s nine year old winner presents Jersey on Tour of Britain podium

Northamptonshire school boy Harry Yates, nine, took to the Tour of Britain podium in London this Sunday 22 September, after winning a national competition held by ŠKODA UK.

As part of its sponsorship of the Tour of Britain, the car manufacturer challenged youngsters across the UK to design the famous ŠKODA King of the Mountains jersey; awarded to the best climber in the elite British cycling race.

Harry Yates, who attends Bracken Leas Primary School in Brackley, Northamptonshire, was picked as the overall winner out of more than 360 entries received from children aged 7 to 16.

His prize saw him at the Tour's final awards ceremony, presenting the official King of the Mountains jersey, sporting his design, to Angel Madrazo.

He comments: "My dad recorded all the Tour of Britain highlights for me to watch, and I couldn't believe it when I saw my jersey on the TV. I really enjoyed being on the podium, and loved meeting Angel Madrazo. I can't wait to get out on my bike now!"

As official vehicle sponsor to The Tour of Britain, ŠKODA UK supplied a 50-strong fleet of ŠKODA vehicles to support cyclists over the eight-day long race.

Emily Burns, Communications Manager for ŠKODA UK, comments: "As the Tour passed through cities and villages across Britain this week, we've seen hundreds of young people getting excited about cycling. We saw that same enthusiasm in all the entries we received to our design competition, and we're incredibly proud to play a part in raising the sport's profile in the UK through our sponsorship of the event.

"It was great to see Harry on the podium in London. On behalf of ŠKODA UK, I'd like to congratulate him again on his winning design, which has now been seen by thousands of Tour of Britain spectators."

ŠKODA has a long association with cycling, dating back to the start of the company in 1895 when the founders Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement began manufacturing bicycles in their home town of Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

For more information about ŠKODA and its cycling heritage, please visit http://www.skoda.co.uk. Keep up-to-date with ŠKODA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/skodauk, or follow ŠKODA cycling on Twitter @skodaukcycling.