Victoria Pendleton signs with Hovis

Boy on a bike Hovis ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mq59ykPnAE

'Strength of Woman': Hovis maintains links with cycling

The British bread brand founded in 1886 has signed Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton as a brand ambassador. Pendleton spent six hours recreating the iconic 1973 'Boy on a bike' TV advert.

The Premier Foods-owned brand will deploy Pendleton in a series of campaigns, including encouraging cycling; healthy-eating and education initiatives.

Hovis marketing director Jon Goldstone told Marketing Week: Hovis is renowned for Britains favourite ad, the iconic Boy on a Bike and we are delighted to announce Vicky as our new Girl on a Bike' and are very excited about our plans for the next three years.

Pendleton said: I hope my work for Hovis will inspire a new generation of girls and boys on bikes who enjoy cycling as much as I did when I was younger and maybe even inspire some champions of the future.

Wheatgerm flour was developed in 1886. A national competition to name the bread made from this nutritious flout was held in 1890. Herbert Grime won with his suggestion of 'Hovis' as a contraction of 'Hominis Vis', Latin for 'strength of man'.

Hovis was an early supporter of cycling. In 1899 Hovis launched a series of eight cycle road maps covering England and Wales. Each map listed hostelries that served Hovis bread. These guest houses displayed a sign with a cycle wheel and the letter H for Hovis, clearly modelled on the winged wheel sign of the Cyclists' Touring Club.

The maps were published by G Philip and Son and the co-sponsor was the Cycling Components Mfring Co, Birmingham. This series continued for 25+ years.

In 1973, director Ridley Scott created one of the best-loved TV adverts of all time: the 'Boy on a bike' advert. This was set against Dvoraks New World symphony, rearranged for brass, and featured a delivery boy freewheeling down a cobbled northern hill.

In fact, the ad was shot on Gold Hill of Shaftesbury, Dorset.

The boy is now a 51-year old fireman. Carl Barlow was 13 when he appeared in the advert.

Barlow said: It was pure fate that I got the part as the Hovis boy. I was down to the last three, and it turned out that one of the two boys couldnt ride a bike, and the other wouldnt cut his hair into the pudding bowl style - it was the Seventies after all. As the only boy who could ride a bike and would cut his hair, I got the part.

Hovis has more up-to-date bike promotion credentials. Before Sky took over sponsorship, Hovis ponied up £1.5m to sponsor the London Freewheel ride. In the 1990s the bread brand supported the National Byway with £500,000.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• cycling
• bread
• bicycle
• olympics

[airguru2will]

Hi I am Victoria Pendleton and I am sat on the worlds luckest bike...

[entropyness]

sex.

[pigman2222]

I bet her saddle smells wonderful..

[TimpBizkit]

Rise with Pendleton lol

[MrStonecold69]

My name is Victoeia

and i love riding

BIKES

[moshman33]

Beautiful!

[FatOldBikeGeek]

Dam, I'm out of tissues !!

[christschinwon]

She's so cute I don't know what to do. She's so cute I don't know what to do.

[djonshore]

Has this advert of her been aired yet?

[messthetics]

I'm glad she's finally signed to Hovis! It's the best!