Skoda, part of the Volkswagen Group, is to become the official sponsor of the Tour de Connemara which takes place at the end of May.
Skoda has a tradition of sponsorship within the sport and is a vehicle partner of the Tour de France and the Tour of Britain.
Five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault will be a main attraction for cyclists and spectators as he lines out in the event and he will be joined by Keith Wood and other sporting celebrities.
Registrations for the event have already begun and there are individual cyclists, clubs and teams coming from across Ireland, Europe and the United States. The event will look to challenge rides like the an Post series and the Ring of Kerry as a calendar milestone for the rapidly growing number of serious amateur cyclists across Ireland.
There will be 80KM and 140KM rides around Clifden on Saturday 25th May and a team time trial which is open to clubs as well as corporate teams on the Sunday.
The latter element may have particular resonance for businesses that have established cycling clubs among their workforces.  Unfortunately it comes one day late for inclusion as part of the Irish Sports Council Corporate Challenge or it might otherwise have proven to be a good bookend for companies and organisations participating in that.
“Skoda is delighted to become the official sponsor to the Tour de Connemara,” said Raymond Leddy, Skoda Head of Marketing.
“Getting behind an event such as this was an easy decision to make and Monaghan & Sons, our local Skoda dealership in Galway will be offering special promotions around the weekend to further establish our relationship to the event.”
Discover more of our recent content and analysis around the commercial world of Irish cycling including the coming of the Giro to Belfast and Dublin in 2014; the new County Jersey as part of the an Post Rás and an interview with Cycling Ireland and key sponsors following the Lance Armstrong controversy.