What sponsor-vehicle procession has preceded Tour de France riders since 1930?

The publicity caravan is the sponsor-vehicle procession that has preceded Tour de France riders since 1930.

It emerged after the Tour replaced commercial cycling teams with national teams for the 1930 edition. That change shifted costs such as riders’ accommodation and support to the organisers, who needed new income. Allowing advertisers to precede the race provided part of the solution.

The chocolate company Menier was central to the idea. Its publicity manager, Paul Thévenin, suggested placing branded vehicles ahead of the riders, where spectators would already be gathered. The first official caravan included six vehicles, distributing promotional goods and helping turn the race route into a moving advertising spectacle.

A publicity caravan is not the same as a broom wagon, which follows behind the race to collect riders who abandon, or a neutral-service vehicle, which provides race support. The caravan travels ahead of the peloton and remains one of the Tour’s most distinctive traditions.