The company’s involvement in the premier cycling event in Poland is a continuation of its efforts to support sporting events of international dimension that are held in the country. It also marks another step towards promoting environmentally friendly means of transport.

Bikes have always been a very popular mode of transport among company employees. Several decades ago the end of a working day resembled the start of a bike race – at around 3pm workers with bikes would gather at the gates, and when the boom barrier was raised they would set off in a crowd heading home. Today, the Mościce district, which is home to the Grupa Azoty facilities, is linked to the centre of Tarnów by a bike path, built to improve the safety and comfort of bike commuters and other cyclists.

‘Thanks to an agreement signed between Grupa Azoty and the event organiser, Tour de Pologne returns to Tarnów after seven years. This popular racing event has offered sporting excitement to millions of people in Poland for years. It promotes a cycling culture, so important nowadays, and bicycles have been deeply rooted in the history of the Tarnów factory and its employees since 1927. I’m glad that Grupa Azoty will host a stage of the 2021 race, including its start, which will take place at the company headquarters in Mościce,’ said Tomasz Hinc, President of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty S.A.

‘I’m very happy that Grupa Azoty has become a sponsor of our race. Tour de Pologne is an exciting sporting event that also promotes Poland and cycling as a sport. Our partnership with Grupa Azoty has brought the race to Tarnów this year, which is a great joy to us,’ admitted event organiser Czesław Lang.

This year’s Tour de Pologne is the 78th edition of the prestigious cycling race, featuring 19 of the world’s top teams and three teams given ‘wild cards’ by the organisers. Poland’s national team is among them. The event opens on August 9th in Lublin and ends in Kraków on August 15th, with a total of 1,140 km to be covered by the cyclists in seven stages.

As a leading fertilizer and chemical company, Grupa Azoty actively supports Polish athletes, sponsoring numerous sports clubs, including football, volleyball, handball and speedway teams. The company also engages in sponsorship activities as part of its partnership with the Polish Ski Association and under contracts with Piotr Żyła, Marcin Lewandowski, Malwina Kopron, and other athletes.

In its operations, the Grupa Azoty Group attaches great importance to environmental and climate protection. As part of its numerous CSR initiatives, the Group encourages employees to commute by bicycle. To this end, cycling infrastructure is being developed at the premises of Grupa Azoty, and campaigns distributing reflective vests, lights and reflectors are run on a regular basis. Also, some of Grupa Azoty’s departments are equipped with company bikes, which are gaining popularity among employees, making their everyday work easier.