Breaking records for support

Gausson (France), 27.06.2021 – Dutch YouTubers ‘Tour de Tietema’ have found a unique way to cheer on their favourite rider in this year’s Tour de France – and have broken a world record in the process. With the help of Swapfiets, the Amsterdam-based bike subscription service, the three-man Tietema crew has created the world’s largest art canvas as a tribute to Belgian rider Wout van Aert, who is representing Team Jumbo–Visma in the 2021 spectacle. The canvas, a whopping 1689m2  illustration of Van Aert in action, is about the size of two and a half football pitches and surpasses the previous record (1,595m2) which was set in Dubai by British artist Sacha Jafri in 2020.

Bas Tietema, founder of Tour de Tietema, explains: “Our journey started with challenges during the 2019 Tour de France. Last year we had a lot of success making a song for Wout van Aert. When brainstorming for this year, we came up with the idea of breaking a world record to cheer him on. By searching existing world records, we eventually ended up with the idea to create world's largest art canvas.”

The canvas has been constructed in the village of Gausson, West France, and placed directly in view of where the Peloton will pass (146,9 km) during this Sunday’s (June 27) second stage. The Tietema boys hope it will give 26-year-old Van Aert, winner of two stages in the 2020 Tour, a major boost. 

The ambitious project took three days to complete and was made possible by Swapfiets, who provided manpower and materials. Swapfiets’ bikes are distinctive because of a bright blue front wheel. This year they have partnered with Team Jumbo-Visma, who will ride with blue front wheels for selected stages of the race.

Marc de Vries, Swapfiets CEO said: “We loved the Tour de Tietema crew’s idea so were delighted to help them achieve it, especially in honour of our partners at Team Jumbo–Visma. It’s fun to be part of the great heritage of fan art at the Tour and hopefully it will give Wout a big lift when he sees it!“