In a cheeky twist on tradition, Škoda and FCB London are reclaiming crude race-route graffiti to shine a spotlight on women’s cycling, using roadside doodles as a platform to promote the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Every summer, as the Tour de France winds through mountain roads and countryside villages, it picks up more than just a trail of Lycra and dust. The world’s most famous cycling event also has a curious tradition of roadside penis graffiti, often scrawled onto the tarmac by spectators and hastily scrubbed out by organisers before the press helicopters spot them.
However, this year, Škoda and FCB London saw a different kind of opportunity in these unwanted scribbles. Rather than erase them, the automotive partner of the Tour has flipped the script, turning penis graffiti into an unexpected outdoor media platform to promote the women’s race, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
The bold campaign sees Škoda and FCB London deploy a team of female illustrators to creatively rework the phallic artwork on Stage 19 of the men’s course, just days before the women’s race kicks off on July 26. These repurposed artworks are part satire, part celebration, turning an age-old nuisance into something altogether more purposeful.
The designs, created by feminist French illustrator Celine Dormeau and London-based artist Erin Aniker, transform the graffiti into powerful visual statements. Each piece features the campaign hashtag #WatchTheFemmes, a rallying cry encouraging Tour fans around the world to tune into the women’s race, which runs until August 3.
The artists will travel the course in a specially designed support car – Škoda’s unofficial 221st vehicle in the race – as part of a broader push to promote gender parity in cycling. It’s a rare example of outdoor media quite literally meeting the road.
“Having started our journey in 1895 as a bicycle manufacturer, cycling is in our DNA,” said Meredith Kelly, global head of marketing at Škoda.
“With this bold visual statement, we’re turning an unwanted problem into a powerful opportunity to promote women’s cycling – and what better platform to do so than by infiltrating the 3.5 billion-strong viewership of the Tour de France.”
Owen Lee, chief creative officer at FCB London, said the team saw potential in the problem. “By turning the penises into a conversation starter, we’re not only helping the organisers out, but celebrating cycling and getting more people to #WatchTheFemmes.”
The approach combines media subversion with a clear cultural message that refuses to let the women’s race remain in the shadows of the men’s. While the Tour de France Femmes is still relatively young, now in its fourth edition, it’s quickly grown in visibility and prestige.
This year, 22 teams and over 150 riders will tackle a 1,165km route from Vannes to Châtel, vying for the coveted yellow jersey.
For Škoda, this isn’t a one-off. The brand is in its fourth consecutive year as the main partner of the Tour de France Femmes, supplying electric and hybrid support cars for both races. This latest campaign adds a playful, pointed twist to its support, bridging humour and purpose without losing either.
Media planning and buying for the campaign were handled by PhD, with Global Street Art coordinating the artist activations on the ground.
It’s not often that penis graffiti becomes a vehicle for equality, but in the hands of FCB London and Škoda, what was once a crude interruption has become a catalyst for a bigger conversation that’s long overdue in cycling.
