Czech Republic-based Škoda has launched a campaign during the 2026 Tour de France that transforms offensive graffiti along the race route into artworks promoting the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The initiative was developed with AMV BBDO and will appear on selected stages of the men’s race.
The campaign is in response to the annual appearance of graffiti, including penis drawings, along the Tour de France route. Instead of covering the markings with paint, Škoda is working with the race’s route-cleaning team, known as the “Eraser Men,” to transform some of them into illustrations promoting the women’s race.
Škoda, which was founded as a bicycle manufacturer more than 130 years ago, has supported the Tour de France for more than two decades and has partnered with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift since its relaunch in 2022.
According to the release, the men’s Tour de France attracts a global television audience of more than 3.5 billion, while the women’s race reaches around 23 million viewers. The campaign aims to use the visibility of the men’s event to promote women’s cycling and encourage more people to watch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Each year, the Eraser Men remove offensive graffiti from the race route before it is broadcast. For selected stages this year, they will use stencils designed by female artists to convert the graffiti into illustrations celebrating the women’s race.
For the 2026 campaign, Škoda partnered with French illustrator Celine Dormeau and London-based illustrator Erin Aniker. Their designs incorporate the original graffiti into illustrations promoting the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and encouraging viewers to follow the race using the official hashtag, #WatchTheFemmes.
“Škoda started as a bicycle brand and has a long history of supporting the cycling community,” said Meredith Kelly, CMO, Škoda Auto.
“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. The Eraser Men do their best to remove as many of these marketings as possible, but there are always more to deal with; these stencils allow us to turn something negative into something positive, to help promote the women’s race and encourage more people to watch it.”
The campaign will appear along the Tour de France route throughout the race and be broadcast to the event’s global television audience. It will also run across social media platforms.
Credits
Client: Škoda
Head of Global Marketing: Meredith Kelly
Head of Brand Strategy and Content Production: Roman Rajtár
Global Marketing Campaign Lead: Zuzana Varysova
Brand Strategy and Communication Manager: Anna Reznichenko
Campaign Manager: Jan Hejna
Campaign Manager: Eliska Mrazkova
Škoda Storyboard Project Manager: Vašek Buchbauer
Social Media Hub Manager: Martin Kupka
Digital Media Manager: Tereza Fojtíková
Head of Brand Experience Škoda Auto: Veronika Ziegaus
Coordinator Global Brand Marketing: Lukas Shon
Sponsorship Manager: Wiktor Roy – Lewanowicz
Agency: AMV BBDO
Chief Client Officer: Katy Wright
Creative President: Owen Lee
Deputy Chief Strategy Officer: Ben Jaffe
Client Services Director: Joe Pirrie
Global Business Director: Kelly St Lawrence
Senior Account Director: Phoebe Newman
Account Director: Mason Cooksley
Executive Creative Director: Kyle Harman-Turner
Executive Creative Director: Ben Edwards
Production Partner: Nikki Chapman
Senior Producer & Creative Initiatives Lead: Livvy Tidd
Head of Art: Jack Walker
Strategy Director: Tom Lindo
Senior Social Media Director: Emily Maitland
Agency: PHD
Creative Director & Global Innovation Director: Ben Fraser
Global Strategy Director: Krisztián Zvara
Global Digital Strategy Manager: Petra Šlachtová
Head of Social: Rachel Morman
Social Director: Jed Misa
Production Company: Global Street Art
Account Director/Producer: India Timms
Head of Digital: George Mapp
Head of France: Dimitri Hebrard
Artist: Jo Hicks
Artist: Mathilde Jacquemet
Photographer FL: Jack Margerison
Content Creator Bazzoons: Petra Stastna
Illustrator and artist FL: Cecile Dormeau
Illustrator and artist FL: Erin Aniker
