From unwanted graffiti to bold support for women’s cycling

While this year’s Tour de France has given us plenty of memorable moments on the road, there’s another kind of race happening behind the scenes. Škoda Auto backed a creative initiative that turned a recurring nuisance into an opportunity to spark positive change.

7. 8. 2026 Lifestyle

Every year, the roads of the world’s most famous cycling race, the Tour de France, are covered in spray-painted messages and illustrations. Some cheer on riders, while others aim to provoke or amuse. Among the more questionable creations are such “artistic gems” as drawings of penises, which have become a recurring — and unwelcome — presence along the men’s race route.

These crude markings aren´t exactly welcome in live broadcasts watched by millions, so a clean-up team in a specially equipped vehicle heads out before the peloton, armed with rollers and paint. Instead of laboriously scrubbing the images away, the team covers them by painting over them with alternative shapes such as owls, butterflies, and other images.

This year, the makeover squad received a creative upgrade on selected stages. Škoda equipped the Eraser Men with specially designed stencils created by female artists, allowing them to transform the graffiti into striking artworks celebrating the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Škoda used one of the most visible moments in men’s cycling to help expand the audience for women’s cycling.

“Škoda started as a bicycle brand and has a long history of supporting the cycling community. As a brand known for bringing creative solutions to real-life challenges, we chose this playful and bold approach to raise awareness of women’s cycling and give it the visibility it deserves. The Eraser Men do their best to remove as many of these markings as possible, but there are always more to deal with. These stencils allow us to turn something negative into something positive, helping to promote the women’s race and encouraging more people to watch it,” commented Meredith Kelly, Head of Global Marketing, at Škoda.