Europcar leads the 2018 Rás Tailteann

The global car hire firm has just partnered with the 2018 Rás Tailteann to support Ireland’s biggest race.

Europcar has announced that it is partnering with the Rás Tailteann cycling race to support during the course of the week. It will provide cars to front the race and set the pace and offer support when needed. The cars will come from 19 of its regional and airport branches across Ireland.

Europcar will take over the climbers’ classification sponsorship, so spectators will be seeing the car logo on the front of a number of cyclists’ jerseys.

It takes over from An Post, which had sponsored the event for years. By taking over, Europcar hopes to gain more exposure in Ireland.

Jon Jerromes, Head of Business Fleet Services for Europcar Ireland, said he was excited about the prospect. He said, “We’re delighted to announce our partnership with An Rás Tailteann. As a cycling fan, this is an event that is close to my heart and one that our business is uniquely positioned to support. Our network of branches across the country will offer logistical support to the race. And I look forward to seeing our flexible and agile fleet fulfil the diverse and demanding requirements of this amazing race.”

Europcar has not yet revealed which cars it will be providing, but all photos promoting the partnership are SUVs, indicating what we can expect to see during the race.

Taking place over eight days, the Rás Tailteann will see prominent cyclists from around the world take to the hills in Ireland in competition for the title. This year, they will cycle between Drogheda, Athlone, Tipperary, Listowel, Glengarriff, Mitchelstown, Carlow, Naas and Skerries. Europcar vehicles will be on hand during the entire race to set the pace, provide assistance to the cyclists and take photographs.

To mark its new partnership, Europcar has held a competition to invite two people to join Irish cyclist Laurence Roche in the lead car along one of the eight stages in the race. They will then provide accommodation for the pair where they can meet some of the cyclists taking part. People can apply through Sticky Bottle magazine.