1949 Vuelta Ciclista Cataluña, Official Race Poster

Volta a Cataluña – Volta a Catalunya – Vuelta Ciclista Cataluña
1949 Official Race Poster

A wonderfully bold piece of midcentury cycling design, this poster was created for the 29th Vuelta Ciclista a Cataluña, held September 18–25, 1949. A lone cyclist charges directly toward the viewer against a stylized map of Catalonia. Brilliant green and red provide a dramatic backdrop, while the enormous “XXIX” announces the 29th edition of the race. The lower portion features the crest of organizer U.D. Sans and identifies the event as the ninth Gran Premio Pirelli, organized in cooperation with *El Noticiero Universal*.

Held from September 18–25, the 1949 Vuelta covered approximately 1,236 kilometers in ten stages, with the route extending into France at Perpignan and climbing into Andorra before returning to Barcelona. French rider Émile Rol seized the lead by winning the Barcelona–Vic stage on the opening day and successfully defended it for the remainder of the race. He won the overall classification in 36 hours, 1 minute and 16 seconds, finishing 3 minutes 46 seconds ahead of Miguel Poblet. Rol’s Iberia Radio teammate Robert Desbats completed the podium, receiving the same recorded finishing time as Poblet. Poblet won four stages during the week, Joaquín Filba secured the mountains classification, and Iberia Radio claimed the team title.

The Volta Ciclista a Catalunya was first contested in 1911, making it Spain’s oldest surviving cycling stage race and one of the longest-running events of its kind anywhere in the world. U.D. Sans took over its organization in 1923 and helped transform the race into an important international fixture. The Volta’s roll of honor reflects its enduring stature, with victories by Mariano Cañardo, Miguel Poblet, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Luis Ocaña, Felice Gimondi, Francesco Moser, Sean Kelly and Miguel Indurain. More than a century after its creation, the race remains one of the great showcases of Catalan cycling and the region’s varied and demanding terrain.

This poster has been archivally and professionally linen-backed.

Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on fragile, thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters so they can be displayed or framed without compromising value.

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.