The organizer of today's World Tour race 'E3-Harelbeke Prijs' got criticized last year for including a podium miss on the front of their promo poster. Normally, this wouldn't haven't been a problem, but as shown, she was in the nude!
These posters were displayed billboard-sized along highways and other public areas. While the poster could be regarded as provoking but still tasteful to some, it was considered inappropriate by others. Event sponsor KBC withdrew its sponsorship deal as a result of the poster's publicity, for instance.
With a wink [or nod] to last year's commotion, the organizer decided to follow up on it by showing an elderly aged podium miss, who appears all dressed up, while putting lipstick on, getting ready to receive the riders. It was expected to receive an equal amount of attention and so it does.
The exuberantly looking flower lady on the poster is the 66 year old Paulette Van Neste, a baker's wife from Kortrijk and actor in local theatres in her free time. Paulette gladly took the job and feels honoured by all the attention she receives. "Someone from my theater group works for E3's publicity agent and he asked me whether I'd be interested in the job," she told Belgium news paper Het Nieuwsblad. “I agreed immediately.
“There's nothing I like to more than making people laugh!,” she continues. “Because I hadn't seen the end result yet, I decided to make a little tour through town and I must admit, it looks great! Its purpose was to draw attention and that's certainly the case. Total strangers now travel to our bakery to see me. So fortunately, this way our business is prospering at the moment.”
The appearance of Paulette Van Neste is not limited to the promo poster only. She is asked to figure as actual podium miss after Friday's race, to which she agreed. So, don't be startled when you see her parade down the podium stage on Friday. One can only wonder the surprise on the rider's face when she steps up to kiss the winner on his cheeks...