Galp energy provides the 2023 Tour of Portugal with a boost

Orange energy was one of the driving forces behind the success of the 2023 Tour of Portugal, one of the official sponsors of which was Galp, held between August 9 and 20.

In the first year in which the company has been associated with the flagship race of the Portuguese cycling calendar, Galp made a point of lending out its trademark orange colour and sponsoring the leading riders´ jerseys, monopolised by the cyclist Daniel Babor, who amassed the highest number of points in the overall finishes and intermediate sprints over the 11 stages of the event.

Unfurling its energy along 1,598.6 kilometres of Portuguese roads, Galp joining the 2023 Tour of Portugal was the “cause for a major celebration”, highlights Carlos Pedro Pereira, the brand´s Head of Sponsorships. “This is a celebration of the proximity of Galp in people's day-to-day lives, as we are one of the brands with the greatest reach in Portugal, active throughout the country with a wide range of energy and mobility solutions, in addition to the nationwide Tour of Portugal, which fits our operation like a glove”, he emphasises.

Due to the fact that the Tour of Portugal race is “intrinsically associated with the cyclist´s levels of energy, placing Galp energy and seeing our colour blazoned across the country made perfect sense”, adds Rute Gonçalves, Head of Brand, Marketing & Convenience at Galp. “This race involves endurance and resilience, athletes giving their all on the road, and Galp is always keen to invest in such attributes, which is why we were so proud to join the Tour of Portugal”, concludes Rute Gonçalves.

According to the organisers, the repercussions of this wave of orange in the 84th Tour of Portugal couldn´t have been more positive. “Being sponsored by a brand like Galp not only adds prestige to the Tour, it also gives us great confidence: the bigger the partner, the bigger the dimension it brings to the race”, highlights Vasco Empis, a partner at Podium Events.

A sea of “orange”

To ensure the 84th Tour of Portugal was wrapped in a sea of “orange” from the very first day to the end of the event, Galp strove to share some if its energy at different times during the race. There was no lack of excitement right from the word go: Galp handed out around 70,000 orange Panama hats in the start zone over the 11 stages and passed on our positive energy to the cyclists before each leg of the race.

In this regard, it is worth highlighting the 3rd stage of the Tour, which started in Sines, home to a significant slice of Galp´s operations and where a giant orange block of people were massed to support all those participating in the Tour of Portugal.

Furthermore, Galp, in partnership with Carclasse, had a 100% electric vehicle driving at the front of the pack on every stage of the Tour. Every day different guests took part in this experience, accompanied by former cyclist Fernando Mota, crowned Portuguese champion at elite and under-23 level, who has completed ten Tours of Portugal and five Tours of Spain. And to mobilise further support for the Tour of Portugal, Galp promoted a competition on its Instagram page, providing the six winners with the chance to follow two stages of the race in Galp's electric vehicle.

Moreover, Galp was at the Tour Club at the start and finish lines, where, in addition to taking a number of guests to meet the cyclists participating in the race, a caricaturist was hired to make amazing sketches of those present. At the finish line, guests also had the opportunity to watch the last few kilometres of the race on a giant screen so as not to miss any of the excitement. In turn, another of the highlights of the event took place at the finish line entertainment fair, with the Galp truck providing all the Tour fans with fun and festivities on every stage, with plenty of music and good vibes.

Galp didn´t even stop on the cyclists´ rest day! August 16, the day put aside for the athletes to enjoy a little well-deserved rest and recuperation, was used to hold the Tour Stage, which brought together cycling enthusiasts for a ride through the beautiful countryside around the town of Guarda.

As could be expected, Galp took part in this special event with a team of 25 employees dressed in orange, thereby affording the Tour Stage with even more energy.

Finally, Galp, as one of the most visual Portuguese brands in the country, with more than a thousand service stations and convenience stores to serve its customers, made the most of the opportunity to transfer the energy from the Tour of Portugal to the company´s service stations. Throughout the race, 24 service stations were decorated accordingly, including a photocall where customers could take a photo pretending to be the proud holder of the orange jersey and celebrate the flagship race of Portuguese cycling.

As such, it can be concluded that there wasn´t a single stage of the 84th Tour of Portugal without Galp energy on the pedals!