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Cyclists meet a local inhabitant during Tour de France 1925

Five cyclists on untwrmacked mountain road during Tour de France 1925

During the first few decades in the history of Tour de France, mountain routes were kind of "terrae incognitae", uncharted territories. We all know the story when Alphonse Steniès persuaded Henri Desgrange to include Tourmalet in the program of Tour de France 1910. He was struggling even to find a car driver, a local guide to bring him throught the pass in January.

Of course, back then the roads weren't paved yet. Also the peloton was never really compact. Riders were riding on their own, or in small groups. A usual stage lasted more than a half day.

Roads weren't secured in that form like nowadays during a professional cycling race.

Thus nothing was more usual, than meeting people living in the area, doing their everyday doings. Like it's happening on this picture during a mountain stage of Tour de France 1925.

Five cyclists meet a local inhabitant in the mountains during the Tour de France in 1925

One of the cyclists (on the left) is Roger Lacolle (1898-1973) , who rode Tour de France twice. In 1923 he had to abandon the race, but in 1925 he finished 42nd.  Also, he was a two-time French national cyclo-cross champion, thus he surely knew how to manage himself through a mountain stage.

Tour de France 1925 was won by Italian cyclist Ottavio Bottecchia. It was his second overall victory after 1924, when he became the first Italian cyclist to win Tour de France. 

The 19th edition (was held between 21 June and 19 July 1925) included  among others the big four, Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde in the Pyrenees, also Allos, Vars, Izoard, Galibier in the Alps.

This picture, it seems so, was taken more likely in the Pyrenees.


PelotonTales is a blog about road cycling history, tends to focus on the early decades of Tour de France and other legendary cycling races. The years in the 1920s seem to be exciting, becasue this period was the era of an already established successfull race-format (also, the First World War was a big wathershed in the world of road cycling races for several different reasons), but cycling races were still significantly different  (more archaic) in compare to our modern days.

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TOUR DE FRANCE IN THE 1920S

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Five cyclists on untwrmacked mountain road during Tour de France 1925

Cyclists meet a local inhabitant during Tour de France 1925

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TOUR DE FRANCE IN THE PYRENEES

Mountain stage in the Pyrenees with the favourites, i cluding Louison Bobet at Tour de France 1954

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TOUR DE FRANCE IN THE ALPS

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TOUR DE FRANCE IN THE EARLY YEARS

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  1. If Mark Cavendish would succeed next year, he would break this record either. He celebrated his first stage victory in 2008. []