The 95th Tour de France cycling event begins on July 5th and UK registered Team Barloworld is looking to emulate the success it achieved in last year's event.

For the 2nd year in a row, Team Barloworld is delighted at gaining a wildcard entry to participate in Tour de France, the world's most prestigious cycling competition. Their invitation was a result, not only of last year's success, but the fact that in 2008 the team have already won 8 times - both in Southern Africa and in Europe. The main sponsor, Barloworld, is principally a South African company, however last year the cycling team was the first UK registered team to participate in the competition since 1987. The team count up-and-coming British riders Stephen Cummings and Geraint Thomas amongst their squad.

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Barloworld, known in the UK as one of the countries leading forklift truck suppliers Barloworld Handling, first launched Team Barloworld in February 2003, with a view to compete in the Tour de France. Last year Team Barloworld gained entry into the tour for the first time and surprised pundits with a series of top five finishes, two stage wins and the prestigious ‘King of the Mountains' trophy.

Barloworld Handling is the UK distributor of Hyster forklift trucks who also sponsor the team. Richard McKenzie, Marketing Manager of Barloworld Handling says "The excellent level of teamwork the riders display is a reflection of our brand values and the solid partnership between Barloworld Handling, Hyster and our customers".

Barloworld are naturally delighted with the team's success. When asked what the chances were of matching last year's achievements, Mr McKenzie replied, "Last year the other teams didn't really give us a chance so we used it to our advantage. This year our riders will be more closely marked, but our team is stronger."

Find out more about Team Barloworld

The 2008 Tour de France begins in Brittany on July 5 and concludes in Paris at the Champs-Élysées on July 27. It consists of a gruelling 3,500 km road cycling race, made up of 21 timed stages on a variety of terrains. The race ventures into neighbouring EU countries and tests the riders' strength, endurance, skill, sheer determination and the ability to work as a team.