Thought you had to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show to see Jaguar's first ever SUV in the flesh? Nope, anyone trekking across to see the Tour De France will be able to get a good look at the XE-saloon-based F-Pace, as it will be the official support car to British cyclist Chris Froome and the hugely successful Team Sky. It will be wearing a sort of light, team-sponsor-logo camouflage though, so this isn't quite a full public reveal of the F-Pace.
The F-Pace Prototype will support Chris Froome on the first of 21 stages, the individual time trial, which starts at Utrecht in the heart of the Netherlands on Saturday, 4 July. The time trial heads south towards Belgium over a twisting route of 13.7km, the riders setting a blistering pace and pushing themselves to the limits of endurance even at this early stage of the competition.
Froome, said: "The F-Pace is awesome. It has all of the same high performance road dynamics and support package the team gets from its Jaguar's vehicles, only this time in a performance crossover. It's going to create a huge impression in Utrecht.
"Team Sky is built around performance, and Jaguar's engineering expertise and technological innovations, especially over the last 12 months co-engineering the Pinarello Dogma F8 and Dogma K8-S bikes, consistently helps get the best out of the team. I'm sure the F-Pace will be no different."
Froome added: "The tour is everything to me. There's something special about it. The hype, the passion, the crowds. Everything is completely overwhelming. I can't wait to get on the road now and get into the race. I'm back with a vengeance this year."
The Team Sky F-Pace Prototype will also sport a cutting edge bike racking solution, developed by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations. The rack has a unique telescopic clamp, designed specifically to optimise the quick-release of Team Sky's Pinarello Bolide Time Trial bikes.
"We are delighted to be supporting Team Sky again at such a prestigious sporting event and are excited at the prospect of the F-Pace being seen in action in public for the first time," said Kevin Stride, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar F-Pace.
"The Jaguar F-Pace is a striking balance of performance, style and practicality," he continued. "And what better way to showcase the vehicle's attributes than on this crucial first leg of the Tour de France."