Wervik (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Tobacco Museum in Wervik showcases how tobacco brands once dominated professional cycling through sponsorships and global marketing power.
Racing and smoking may seem like a bad combination, but things were different a century ago. The Tobacco Museum in Wervik, Belgium, is hosting a unique exhibition about it that opens today.
“Tobacco brands gratefully exploited the image of cyclists.”
Today, we think of top athletes as living a healthy lifestyle, but in the 1920s, tobacco brands were very interested in the world of cycling.
“It was still a decidedly male-dominated world back then,”
says coordinator Bo Decramer, who developed the exhibition specifically for the Tobacco Museum.
“Tobacco manufacturers were eager to associate themselves with that tough image. That’s how legendary brands like Boule d’Or and Belga started hijacking the cycling scene: they created posters and brochures and designed fantastic victory trophies.”
The advent of television in the 1950s further strengthened the ties between the tobacco industry and cycling. Fiorenzo Magni, a three-time Tour of Flanders winner, had just started riding for the skincare brand Nivea. He was no longer riding for a cycling brand, as was the custom at the time.
“Tobacco brands saw this and understood the enormous opportunity: being on screen, free advertising, reaching a wide audience,”
says Decramer.
“The Dutch were pioneers in this, but Belgian brands quickly followed. For example, Boule d’Or, which had been visible along the roadside for decades, found itself at the heart of the peloton.”
Even as society became increasingly critical of tobacco consumption, tobacco brands remained inventive. In 1983, Boule d’Or was initially banned from the Tour de France due to stricter French laws on stimulants.
“But team director Lomme Driessens came up with a solution: he quickly found a cheesemonger who provided a Boule d’Or cheese. ‘We’re coming to the Tour with our cheese,’ Driessens said, but everyone knew it was about the cigarette brand. With today’s strict laws, you’d need an army of lawyers to sell a story like that,”
says Decramer.
Because smoking is more of an enemy than a friend to a healthy lifestyle these days, the Tobacco Museum wanted to include that aspect in its exhibition. They collaborated with pulmonologists from AZ Delta to achieve this.
“We’re linking smoking to today’s elite sports and focusing on the impact of tobacco on your health. What we’re doing isn’t promoting smoking. We want to show how cleverly and cunningly the tobacco lobby has infiltrated sports. Not just cycling, but later also football and motorsports,”
concludes Decramer.
‘From Filter to Finish’ is still available to view through
Comments
15 responses to “Wervik Tobacco Museum Delves into Cycling Sponsorships”
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Isn’t it charming how a century ago, cycling was all about puffing on a cig while racing? Talk about multi-tasking! 🚴♂️💨
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Cycling and smoking, eh? Must be that classic Belgian sense of humor—who knew puffing a cig while pedaling could be a sport! 🚴♂️💨
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Cyclists and ciggies? Now that’s a combo for the ages! 🤷♂️ Who knew the road to victory was paved with tobacco and clever marketing? 🚴♂️💨
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Cycling and smoking, what a match made in heaven! 😏 Who knew puffing on a cig could be part of the training regime? Talk about blowing smoke in the face of health! 🚴♂️💨
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Incredible how a bunch of tobacco blokes turned cyclists into walking billboards, eh? Who knew puffing on a fag while pedaling could be the secret to sporting greatness! 🚴♂️💨
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Only in Wervik would the great cycling tradition and a puff of smoke go hand in hand—what’s next, a museum on ‘How to Win a Race While Chain Smoking’? 🚴♂️💨
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Isn’t it just grand how the Tobacco Museum has turned cycling sponsorship into a nostalgic love letter to the days when puffing away was considered part of the athletic regimen? 🥴 Next, they’ll be opening a museum on how to pitch a tent in a thunderstorm… genius!
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Cycling and smoking—what a match made in heaven! Next, they’ll be showcasing the art of deep-fried butter at a fitness expo. 😂
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Cycling and smoking together? Brilliant! Because who wouldn’t want a lungful of tobacco while pedaling uphill? 🚴♂️💨
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Just what we needed, a museum celebrating the glorious days when athletes puffed on fags and pedaled like madmen! 🍂🚴♂️ Who knew tobacco sponsorships could be the key to a “healthy” lifestyle in the 1920s?
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Never thought I’d see the day when a tobacco museum and cycling sponsorships were the hot topic at the pub. Talk about merging unhealthy habits with athleticism—next, they’ll be showcasing an exhibition on beer-fueled marathon training! 🍺🚴♂️
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Cycling and cigarettes, eh? Who knew that puffing on a fag while pedaling could be the secret to “elite sports”? Just what we need: a museum dedicated to the fine art of dodging lung cancer on two wheels! 😂
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Cycling and tobacco—now that’s a match made in… well, a very questionable heaven, isn’t it? 🚴♂️💨 Who knew puffing on a cig could give you the edge to win a Tour de France? #BrilliantMarketing
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Cycling and smoking, a match made in heaven! Who knew puffing on a cigarette while pedaling could ever be a sport? 🚴♂️💨
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Cycling and smoking, what a brilliant combo! I can just see the cyclists now, puffing away while racing to the finish line—talk about multi-tasking! 😂🚴♂️💨
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