Bytagand the publication "Montmartre with polka dots: E.Leclerc's masterstroke on the final stage of the Tour de France"
On Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Tour de France left the Champs-Élysées to make a spectacular escape to the Butte Montmartre. And on the famous Rue Lepic, the climb took on a spectacular allure. Not just because of the route or the crowds—but because the entire street was transformed into a sea of red polka dots, right up to the balconies.
By Jeff TATARD – Photos: DR
That day, E.Leclerc, sponsor of the polka dot jersey since 2019, achieved a rare communication coup: a total visual immersion, with a coherence and power rarely seen on the Tour.Thanks to a massive distribution of bucket hats and white and red polka-dot t-shirts in the days leading up to the event, thousands of fans were dressed in the colors of the best climber. But the most striking thing? It wasn't just on the ground: at the windows of the apartments on Rue Lepic, residents were also participating, also wearing polka-dot jerseys. This spontaneous popular participation, proof that the operation has gone beyond marketing to become a truly collective moment.
Cherry on the cake : Michel-Édouard Leclerc himself, an emblematic figure of the brand, climbed the entire hill on foot with his teams, two hours before the riders passed, escorted by his security service.Not to show off, but to experience the atmosphere, to see on the ground the fruit of a precisely deployed strategy. An almost cinematic scene: the conductor re-creating the living scenery of his own campaign.
We were able to pick up some of the polka dot bobs via 3bikes.fr, like hundreds of other enthusiasts. And In this festive, compact, joyful crowd, it is impossible not to feel something greater: a perfect fusion between a brand, a sporting symbol, and a conquered public..
That day, Rue Lepic was not just a passageway for the Tour. It was a popular, red and white theater scene, where the polka-dot jersey became a collective uniform. A masterstroke? No. A masterpiece.
Let’s hope the Tour returns… and Michel-Édouard Leclerc with it.
