At The Heart Of The Tour De France With Tissot CEO Sylvain Dolla

Extensively considered the top of highway biking, the Tour de France calls for every part from its riders. In 2025, the 112ᵉ version coated roughly 3,338.8 km over 21 levels. Each second issues. Historically, followers bear in mind the legendary 1989 showdown the place Greg LeMond edged Laurent Fignon by simply 8 seconds, the narrowest margin ever, with precision timing the heartbeat of the game’s drama. This 12 months, 184 riders representing 23 groups took on flat sprints, hilly battles, two particular person time trials and spectacular mountain levels. As Official Timekeeper, Tissot performs a pivotal position, delivering photo-finish precision, transponder-based cut up timing, and real-time knowledge essential to remodel this fast-moving endurance race right into a dynamic, immersive expertise for TV viewers. We had the chance to go to the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale workforce efficiency centre in Chambéry, because the Tour de France was passing via the area. It was additionally a novel likelihood to interview Tissot CEO Sylvain Dolla, who shared insights into the model’s long-standing dedication to biking and what it means to be on the coronary heart of one of many world’s biggest sporting spectacles.

Xavier Markl – MONOCHROME – How does Tissot’s partnership with biking align with the model’s technique?

Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot – Sport has been a part of our technique for many years. For biking, we have now been partnering with UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) since 1995, which represents three a long time of dedication to skilled biking. Past highway racing, Tissot helps observe biking, mountain biking, cyclo-cross, and BMX occasions globally. For the Tour de France, Tissot served because the Official Timekeeper initially from 1988! It aligns with our technique as a result of watches are emotional objects. Nothing creates emotion fairly like sport. And whenever you speak about precision, which is the essence of a Swiss watch, precision is essential. This 12 months, we’ve already had two levels the place the winner needed to be decided by a Tissot picture end. Precision, endurance and feelings are completely a part of Tissot. Biking is essential in our technique. We deal with 3 most important sports activities: Basketball with the NBA and FIBA, biking and Moto GP. After which we have now extra “regional” sports activities equivalent to hockey and rugby.

Past being the Official Timekeeper, how else is Tissot actively concerned on the earth of biking? What are the totally different Biking partnerships during which the model is concerned?

We’re the model of biking. Tissot is the official timekeeper for a number of the world’s 21 most prestigious races organised by ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) —together with the Tour de France, La Vuelta, the Classics, and the UCI World Championships. Our involvement extends past highway biking to different disciplines as effectively, equivalent to observe racing, downhill, and extra. As timekeepers, we offer expertise, which isn’t simply sponsorship. We’re companions.

Why not sponsor a biking workforce?

It isn’t our intention, for easy and apparent causes. Because the official timekeeper, we attempt to stay impartial. That stated, we do have an envoy on the Tour, Primož Roglič, as a result of we imagine it’s essential to have a face to advertise biking. Nevertheless, we don’t plan to sponsor any groups.

The Tour de France is likely one of the most-watched sporting occasions worldwide. How do you measure the impression of your partnership with the race?

The impression is big. We’ve businesses measuring the return on the funding. To offer just a few figures, the Tour de France was broadcast in 190 nations in 2024. It represents 100 TV channels, with 60 broadcasting dwell. It represents over 1 billion hours of views in 2024! The impression on-line is big too. And the viewers is surprisingly younger.

What has been the technique for product releases associated to biking?

We current Tour de France editions frequently. The present version is the PR100 Tour de France. It options particulars impressed by the race, yellow touches, a black asphalt dial and a second hand within the form of a yellow bicycle. It comes with a three-row metallic bracelet in addition to an extra black bi-material strap impressed by handlebar grips.

How concerned is Tissot within the logistical facet of timing such a posh and high-stakes occasion? 

The setup on the Tour de France is actually distinctive. The timekeeping workforce deploys a complicated community of expertise to make sure exact and dependable outcomes. Sensors are embedded alongside the course, every bike is supplied with a transponder, and photocells are put in firstly and end traces. Excessive-speed cameras seize 10,000 frames per second, permitting us to analyse finishes right down to the millisecond and assure absolute accuracy.

Each day, we arrive early to attach and take a look at all units, time the race, ship dwell knowledge, after which dismantle every part and transfer to the subsequent metropolis to do all of it once more. For 3 full weeks, it’s a race in opposition to the clock—each single day. And inside the race, there are a number of races: basic classification, factors competitors, King of the Mountains, greatest younger rider, and workforce rankings. We offer dwell knowledge for every, serving to followers observe each shift and evolution in actual time.

There’s a key distinction between highway races and time trials: we usually deploy 5 timekeepers for a highway stage, however require eight for a time trial as a consequence of its technical complexity and particular person timing calls for.

For extra data, please go to Tissot.com and TissotTiming.com.