Tag Heuer partners with bike race to communicate enduring spirit

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer is entering a multi-year agreement to serve as the official timekeeper of the Haute Route, the highest altitude amateur bicycle race.

During the week-long stage races within the Alps, Pyrénées and Dolomites Swiss Alps, the brand will provide timekeeping solutions to track the 1,600 riders. This challenging course enables the brand to reinforce its "Don’t Crack Under Pressure" brand motto.

Rising to the challenge
In a brand statement, Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Tag Heuer and president of the watch division, LVMH Group, said, “We are very proud to be associated with the Haute Route because it allows people to achieve something extraordinary, to push their limits and face down a challenge. Our claim #DontCrackUnderPressure fits perfectly with the challenge of racing across the toughest mountain terrain in world cycling hand-in-hand.”

From Aug. 15 until Sept. 8, cyclists from 50 countries will participate in three separate events. Each biker will face seven different stages, one per day for a week, and each stage will be timed.

Over the 497 courses, the riders will ascend 65,600 feet, the equivalent of two ascents of Mount Everest.

Haute Route

Explaining the choice of Tag Heuer, Rémi Duchemin, CEO of OC Sport, which organizes Haute Route, said, “Tag Heuer has a proud history of supporting some of the most dynamic and fast-moving events in sport – we are delighted the Haute Route will sit in such an illustrious portfolio. Over the last five years the Haute Route has defied the conventions of amateur cycling, providing a platform for bold and ambitious riders to push their boundaries and achieve a level of excellence that seemed impossible.”

Tag Heuer's message of determination has lent itself to numerous other sporting event partnerships.

The watchmaker recently entered a three-year stint as the official timekeeper of the TCS New York City Marathon.

To launch the collaboration, Tag Heuer and the New York Road Runners, the organization that puts on the marathon, asked consumers to share their running stories for a chance to be featured on a billboard in Times Square. This partnership between the sporting event and Tag Heuer is a match for the brand’s heritage and values (see story).