About the Artist
Karlis Smiltens is credited as the designer of this 1991 Redlands Bicycle Classic poster, created in the high-impact style characteristic of late twentieth century graphic illustration. Smiltens’s work reflects the era’s emphasis on visual immediacy, designed to capture attention and communicate event details at a glance—an essential quality for posters promoting public gatherings and sporting events.
His contribution to event poster design bridges the worlds of sports history and visual culture, offering a snapshot of cycling’s growing popularity in the early 1990s and the role of graphic art in shaping public memory.
The Artwork
The Redlands Bicycle Classic poster was produced for a celebrated annual race that transforms city streets into a vibrant arena for athletes and spectators alike. In 1991, as cycling events gained broader media coverage and community engagement, such posters became vital in building excitement and local pride around the race. This piece served both as a public announcement and as a collectible memento, encapsulating the energy and spirit of the event for fans and participants.
Its design reflects the communal and competitive atmosphere of the race, making it a lasting symbol of the era’s cycling culture and the unique character of Redlands’ sporting tradition.
Style & Characteristics
The poster features a dynamic group of cyclists rendered in simplified, graphic forms, emphasizing movement and speed. Bold blocks of red, blue, and green dominate the composition, contrasted with black and white elements that provide structure and clarity. The use of strong diagonals and overlapping figures conveys a sense of momentum and competition, while the minimalist approach ensures immediate visual impact.
The overall effect is energetic and modern, with a sporty, streamlined aesthetic that captures the excitement of a race in progress. The palette and composition make this poster a striking example of late twentieth-century sports graphic design.
In Interior Design
This cycling poster brings a sense of motion and vitality to interiors such as home offices, studios, or fitness spaces. Its bold colors and graphic clarity complement minimalist, industrial, or eclectic decor, and it works well as a focal point in gallery wall arrangements that mix illustration, typography, and photography.
Pair it with neutral furnishings and add accents in primary colors to echo its palette. Discover more cycling posters and prints, explore graphic vintage advertising art, or coordinate with red-forward wall decor.
