Velodrome de Lausanne, 1920s-30s Original Vintage Cycling Poster

This striking Swiss cycling poster was created to promote the Vélodrome de Lausanne, also known as the Vélodrome de la Pontaise. The viewpoint is unusually close to the action: the powerful leading rider fills much of the composition, while a second cyclist follows tightly on his wheel. The leading rider dominates the foreground, while the blurred wheels, angled bodies, and curving track convey speed and momentum. Sweeping lines carry the eye through the curve toward the darkened grandstand and crowd, capturing the intensity and close-quarter competition of track racing.

Bold red lettering frames the monochromatic scene. “Vélodrome de” stretches across the top, while “Lausanne” appears below in angular capitals with a distinctive Art Deco-era font. Decorative floral and scroll motifs flank the city’s name. The combination of forceful geometry, limited color, and densely worked, charcoal-like drawing gives the poster a strong character—both modern and remarkably expressive.

The Vélodrome de la Pontaise was built in 1922 on the site of Lausanne’s former Pontaise cemetery. Designed by architects Georges Chessex and Charles-François Chamorel, with the participation of engineer Henri Muret, the outdoor facility featured a 250-meter concrete track with steeply banked turns. Its creation followed a coordinated campaign by several Lausanne cycling organizations, which formed the Union Cycliste Lausannoise and worked with the city to establish a permanent racing venue. The velodrome remained part of Lausanne’s cycling culture for nearly nine decades, hosting racing and Swiss championship competition before being closed for safety reasons in 2011.

With its tightly framed racers, skilled draftsmanship and bold red typography, this poster is a wonderful visual record of European track cycling during the sport’s interwar era. Rather than advertising an individual champion or event, it celebrates the speed, physical effort and atmosphere of racing itself.

This poster has been professionally archivally 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, allowing them to be displayed or framed without compromising their value.