Tour De Romandie Principal Sponsor La Vaudoise Ends Partnership After Nine Years

UCI World Tour race Tour de Romandie, which runs through the French-speaking Romandie region of Switzerland, “lost its primary sponsor,” insurance firm La Vaudoise, according to LE NOUVELLISTE. After nine years of partnership, the company decided not to “extend its contract for the ’17 race.” Tour de Romandie Dir Richard Chassot said, “It’s a very important loss.” Chassot said that La Vaudoise’s financial contribution “represented 15-20% of the annual budget,” which amounted to about $5.5M. No replacement has been found yet. Chassot: “I remain, nevertheless, confident. The Tour de Romandie’s image is interesting for a sponsor, notably with the race being broadcast in 190 countries.” La Vaudoise justified its move by saying it was “reorganizing its communications, which will focus more on German-speaking Switzerland.” To do so, the insurance provider “extended its partnership with the Tour de Suisse for three more years,” through ’20 (LE NOUVELLISTE, 4/11).