1964 Worlds Championships – Sallanches, France – Official Race Poster – Elite Winner, Jan Janssen – Amateur Winner, Eddy Merckx

Au Pays du Monte Blanc – France
In the land of Monte Blanc – France

Wereld – Kampioenschappen 1964
1964 World Championships

A lone cyclist rounds a sweeping Alpine road beneath a bright blue sky in this promotional poster for the 1964 World Championships.

The 1964 UCI Road World Championships were held from September 3rd to 6th in Sallanches, France, featuring four events: the men’s professional road race, men’s amateur road race, women’s road race, and the 100 km team time trial.

In the Men’s Road Race, Jan Janssen of the Netherlands clinched the title after completing the 290 km course in 7 hours, 35 minutes, and 52 seconds. He narrowly edged out Italy’s Vittorio Adorni and France’s Raymond Poulidor, both of whom finished with the same time.

In the Men’s Amateur Road Race, a young Eddy Merckx from Belgium emerged victorious, completing the race in 4 hours, 39 minutes, and 10 seconds. He was followed by fellow Belgian Willy Planckaert and Sweden’s Gösta Pettersson, finishing closely behind.

In the 100 km Team Time Trial, Italy’s team, comprising Severino Andreoli, Luciano Dalla Bona, Pietro Guerra, and Ferruccio Manza, secured the gold medal with a time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 20 seconds. Spain and Belgium took silver and bronze, respectively.

In the women’s road race, Emīlija Sonka from the Soviet Union claimed victory, finishing in 1 hour, 44 minutes, and 37 seconds, ahead of compatriot Galina Yudina and Belgium’s Rosa Sels.

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 very 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.