On July 4, the 102nd edition of the Tour de France began with the Grand Départ in the Dutch city of Utrecht. The premier cycling event in the world and a major event on Europe’s summer sports calendar, the Tour de France this year had its first stages in the Netherlands and Belgium before entering northern France.

This summer, Samsung is making a major push to both celebrate cycling culture, and enrich the experience and overall enjoyment of cycling through its mobile devices.

Among the top teams competing at the Tour de France is the Trek Factory Racing Team, which is led by superstar Fabian Cancellara. Samsung is a proud partner of the Trek Factory Racing Team and recently introduced a video entitled We Are Greater Than I, featuring Cancellara and super domestique Grégory Rast, both from Switzerland. (Unfortunately, Cancellara’s Tour de France has come to an end prematurely due to injury. Samsung wishes him a speedy recovery and hopes the world will see him competing again soon.)

A domestique in cycling is a team member that protects and supports the team leader, often riding in front in order to create an air pocket, allowing the rest of the team to conserve energy until the final push. The video portrays Rast enduring long, grueling training sessions through cold, snow covered mountains to blazing summer heats. The video culminates with Rast pushing his limit in a race as Cancellara follows closely behind, and Rast, with his job completed, moves aside to let his teammate make a sprint for the finish. In the Tour de France, every champion relies on the hard work of a domestique, who sacrifices his own fame and accolades for the good of his team.

To celebrate the culture of cycling, Samsung will work with Jens Voigt, the legendary former pro-cyclist, to nominate a “Domestique of the Day” for each stage in order to celebrate their sacrifices and teamwork through social media channels with the #Domestiquedujour hashtag. Also, to begin a global conversation on what drives people to get on two wheels, Samsung is running the #RideFor campaign from July 3 to August 9. By encouraging the use of the #RideFor hashtag on various social media channels, the campaign invites users to post the reasons why they ride, whether it is for fitness, a good cause or relaxation.

Samsung has been dedicated to improving the cycling experience through its devices and services, such as S Health, for both casual cyclists and professional riders. By partnering with Trek’s professional racing team, Trek Factory Racing, and listening closely to the amateur cycling community, Samsung has gained valuable insights that have helped in the improvement of the cycling features on the latest versions of the Samsung S Health app.

• Import GPX files to set destination and route. Users can preview course maps and distances. The S Health app will access GPX files to provide turn-by-turn navigation.
• With the new Easy Tile Setting, users can easily switch tiles and data indicators, such as pace, speed, remaining distance, elevation, calories, cadence and more, with just one touch.
• It is now possible to use the S Health app’s Tile View in Power Saving Mode.
• Users can also add Real Time Ascent to Tile View, to see just how steep a hill climb is.
• Users can export GPX data from S health to manage their riding result easily.
• Finally it’s easier, simpler and more intuitive to share your workout through social network services. Users now can add various social badges and route on the share screen.

These improvements, which can be downloaded as add-ons, make Samsung S Health one of the most advanced cycling fitness apps on the market in terms of convenience and efficiency. These new cycling features bring the capability of a cycling computer to your mobile device. The partnership with Trek, which enabled Samsung to greatly improve the S Health app for cyclists, shows what ‘We Are Greater Than I’ really means and what is possible when it is realized.

Many people might think of surfing as an individual sport; surfers alone in the water with their thoughts, finding peace in quiet moments and braving the extraordinary, and sometimes merciless, power of the ocean. What those within the surfing community know, is that it is not just a sport but a lifestyle with a great sense of togetherness with each other, a oneness that connects them through their shared love of the water. It both unites and inspires them, fueling the motivation to push themselves to new heights, to achieve the unimaginable.

In technology, as in surfing, companies drive each other to new levels to achieve more. Samsung is the first global sponsor of the World Surf League (WSL), and together they explore the support found within the surfing community, as well as the challenges and negative push back that surfers face through their short film, “Without You, I’m Nothing – We Are Greater Than I.”

“Without You, I’m Nothing – We Are Greater Than I” is the sequel to a film produced by Samsung and the WSL called “Every Day Is Day One,” which recently earned three prestigious awards at the 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Both films are visually stunning, emotionally captivating and successful in capturing the poignant highs and lows of the surfing lifestyle. The film tells of each surfer’s gratitude for everything that made them and the rest of the surfing community excel. Grateful for both the positive and the challenging experiences, they appreciate all of them equally for motivating to pursue greatness.

The film vividly depicts such negative stigmas and even violent encounters with people who oppose their chosen lifestyle. The film shows how working through these challenges only made the surfing community stronger and more driven. “Without You, I’m Nothing – We Are Greater Than I” emphasizes the courage of surfers who risk their lives to follow their passion, despite doubt and obstacles.

Highlighted in the film are some of the world’s most popular surfers: Gabriel Medina, Sally Fitzgibbons, Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater and Malia Manuel. A personal moment shared between Gabriel Medina and his step-father portrays how the feeling of family is such an integral part of the bond within the community of surfers. An acknowledgement of surf legend Kelly Slater shows how having surf heroes continues to inspire surfers of all levels to try new tricks and keep pushing their own boundaries. A hug between Mick Fanning, three time WSL Champion and 2014 runner-up, and Gabriel Medina, 2014 WSL Champion, represents the admiration and respect surfers have for each other, even in the face of competition. A tribute to Tyron Swan shows him giving the paraplegic mother of his friend the chance to experience the thrill of riding a wave by duct-taping her to his back.

“Without You, I’m Nothing – We Are Greater Than I” beautifully captures the sense of family shared by those in the surf community, a bond strengthened by shared experiences of both achievements and disappointments. Surfers must take risks, be bold and dare to be different. Samsung strives to do the same and like the WSL, it celebrates victories, is motivated by challenges and is unafraid to explore the unknown in order to go beyond expectations and push the boundaries of technology. “Without You, I’m Nothing – We Are Greater Than I” honors surfers for coming together in pursuit of greatness.

Samsung and WSL are co-developing the Gear S app, specialized for professional surfers, that empowers and equips them with knowledge and data about the sport they love. The app helps surfers in competition by indicating priority signs to catch the best waves at the best times, providing easy access to their individual scores after each wave during the competition, and tracking the time remaining in competitions.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and the World Surf League (WSL), formerly known as the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), are extending their partnership for a multi-year term. As part of the renewed partnership, Samsung will sponsor both the men’s and women’s Samsung Galaxy WSL World Championship Tours taking place around the globe.

Building on the award winning “Everyday is Day One” campaign launched in 2014, Samsung and the WSL will once again work closely to develop compelling content for surf fans around the globe. These initiatives will include both long form and short form content showcasing the best of the WSL and Samsung Mobile technology.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with WSL as part of our mission to inspire athletes to spread their passion and dedication through our technology,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “Together, we plan to develop meaningful programs that integrate our mobile technology – including the world’s most advanced smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S6 – to honor the athleticism, adventure and unique culture of this passionate sport.”

A major partner of the world’s best surfers since 2014, Samsung Electronics’ renewed partnership will focus on technology application in the most dangerous and dynamic frontiers on the planet. The water-resistant Gear S and WSL mobile app will play a role in enhancing competition for WSL athletes and both Samsung and the WSL will also work together to further develop technology in the space for future application.

“The WSL aims to celebrate and grow the history, elite athletes and diverse fans that embody professional surfing today, and our strategic partnership with Samsung has enabled us to elevate the sport to a broader audience than ever before,” said Paul Speaker, CEO of WSL. “Samsung, as our committed partner for the next several years, will be instrumental in delivering the best surfing experience for our professional athletes and enabling our fans to extend their passion for the sport to others.”

Additionally, Samsung will complement its partnership with the WSL by engaging several WSL athletes in global, regional and local initiatives including: World Champion Gabriel Medina, Sally Fitzgibbons, and Malia Manuel. Samsung also recently featured WSL’s own “Superhero” John John Florence alongside Lionel Messi and other global superstars in support of its Avengers promotional campaign.

The 2015 Samsung Galaxy WSL World Championship Tour is currently in Brazil for the Oi Rio Pro where Samsung is hosting on-site activations at the Samsung Galaxy Studio. Within the studio, a product experience zone has been installed on the beach where fans can have a unique virtual surfing experience, thanks to a combination of the Gear VR and a moving surfboard. Attendees also have a chance to get their hands on Samsung’s latest mobile products, such as the Galaxy S6, Gear S, and wireless battery charger.

The Oi Rio Pro is being webcast LIVE via WorldSurfLeague.com

For more information on Samsung’s partnership with the WSL, please visit samsungmobilepress.com.