Before the cyclists reach certain sections of the Tour de France, a special team travels along the road with rollers and buckets of paint. Known as the Eraser Men, its task is to remove offensive messages and inappropriate drawings that could appear in the television broadcast.
This year, some of those markings will not simply disappear beneath a layer of paint. Škoda, Official Main Partner of the Tour de France, and AMV BBDO have created stencils that will allow the team to transform them into illustrations promoting the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on selected stages.
The campaign uses the space of the men’s race, its television visibility and its already assembled audience to direct attention towards the women’s peloton. The finished illustrations also include the hashtag #WatchTheFemmes, through which the organisers invite viewers to follow the women’s race.
The stencils were designed by French illustrator Celine Dormeau and London-based illustrator Erin Aniker. Rather than completely concealing the original drawings, their work changes their form and meaning, turning them into visuals dedicated to female cyclists.
The idea is based on the significant difference between the audiences of the two races. According to data published alongside the campaign, the men’s Tour de France achieves a global television reach of more than 3.5 billion viewers, while the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is followed by approximately 23 million people. Škoda is therefore placing the promotion of the women’s race directly on one of the world’s most-watched sporting routes.
The brand’s connection with cycling predates its automotive history. Škoda was founded as a bicycle manufacturer more than 130 years ago, has been a partner of the Tour de France for more than two decades and has supported the women’s race since its relaunch in 2022.
“koda started as a bicycle brand and has a long history of supporting the cycling community. As a brand that is known for bringing creative solutions to real-life challenges, we chose this playful and bold approach to build awareness to women’s cycling and give it the visibility it deserves.” said Meredith Kelly, CMO of Škoda Auto.
The campaign is returning to the route for the second consecutive year. The illustrations will appear on selected stages of the Tour de France, while communication across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook begins on July 24. This year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift takes place from August 1 to 9.
