The TAG Heuer universes of cycling and art collided Tuesday evening when the brand hosted an event to celebrate partner Amgen Tour of California, America’s premier cycling race, alongside Art Provocateur Alec Monopoly.
Though cycling and art are seemingly dissimilar, these pursuits have universal appeal as movement and creation are both fundamental instincts, regardless of country, background or age. TAG Heuer specializes in uniting divergent worlds, creating disruptive moments that highlight the avant-garde nature of the brand.
Alec Monopoly brought this vision to life when he unveiled his exclusive design for the official Amgen Tour of California and Amgen Breakaway from Heart Diseaseâ„¢ Women’s Race empowered with SRAM Best Young Rider jerseys, specially created with his signature spray paint can. The Best Young Rider jersey is awarded daily to the rider under 25, leading the individual general classification. All race jerseys will be provided by technically-innovative cycling apparel brand ASSOS of Switzerland.
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Kilian Muller, President of TAG Heuer North America, was onstage to announce the unveiling and welcome Kristin Klein, Amgen Tour of California President and Executive Vice President of AEG Sports. Muller presented Klein with the new TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 Watch, the first Swiss Made luxury smartwatch powered by Intel and Androidwear 2.0. The second generation of TAG Heuer’s popular Connected Watch has a module which allows the wearer to change the straps, buckles, lugs, and even switch to a mechanical timepiece. The Connected Modular 45 also has new technical features including built-in GPS and is water resistant to 50 meters, perfect for any athlete on the move.
The Amgen Breakaway from Heart Diseaseâ„¢ Women’s Race empowered with SRAM is a UCI Women’s WorldTour race that will host some of the most decorated women cyclists and teams in the world racing more than 250 miles through South Lake Tahoe, Elk Grove and Sacramento from May 11-14.
The Amgen Tour of California men’s event begins May 14 in Sacramento, and the world’s most elite international teams will compete over a challenging 575-plus mile course along California’s most scenic highways, roadways and coastlines. The seven-day, seven-stage race will travel south through California’s Central Coast before finishing May 20 under the palms of Pasadena. The Amgen Tour of California will be featured in the official UCI WorldTour calendar for the first time since it was founded in 2006.
TAG Heuer has a long history of supporting professional cycling, dating back to 1946 when the brochure of Swiss watchmaker HEUER mentioned utilizing pocket chronometers to time races and trials. TAG Heuer again ventured into the world of professional cycling in 1985 as sponsor of the HEUER SKIL SEM team and its leader Sean Kelly. From 1986 to 1990, the brand’s involvement continued with Team KAS TAG HEUER and the American 7-Eleven Cycling Team, founded by Jim Ochowicz – the current President and General Manager of BMC Racing Team. TAG Heuer returned to the world of professional cycling in 2016 after a 20 year hiatus and announced a partnership with BMC Racing team. The brand continues to strengthen its commitment to cycling and will partner with 10 major races in the UCI international calendar in 2017, in addition to being appointed Official Timekeeper of the legendary Giro d’Italia, which celebrates its 100th edition in 2017.
Photos by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for TAG Heuer
