On the afternoon of the 20th April 1980, while a little girl, called Anita Pethő ( the author of PelotonTales blog) was born in a small town in North-West Hungary, on the other part of Europe, in Belgium, Bernard Hinault delivered one of the most iconic victories in the history of the Monuments. Snow can … Read more
The smoking cyclists of Tour de France 1927 is one of the most famous vintage cycling images from the heydays of road cycling races. It’s popular because it conveys a certain aspect of the many differences between our time and the life hundred years ago. The dissonance between our 21st-centurian knowledge that smoking is very … Read more
Giusto Cerutti (1903-1993) had at least one bad day at the Tour de France in 1928.We don’t know much about the grumpy cyclist with the broken bicycle. But one thing is sure, he is the unlucky (anti)hero of one of the most searched vintage cycling images on the internet.According to ProCyclingStats, Cerutti abandoned the race … Read more
The race in 1972 was Bernard Thévenet’s second Tour de France. In his devutant year, in 1971 he finished fifth in the general classification and also won stage. It was a bit of a surprise performance, but in the subsequent year he was considered as one of the favourites. The 7th stage of Tour de France … Read more
Before Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault on the top of Alpe d’Huez, there were André Leducq and Antonin Magne in Paris. Two dominant French riders from the first part of the 1930s, both Leducq (1930 and 1932) and Magne (1931 and 1934) won the Tour de France twice. In the very last stage of Tour … Read more
From our special 21st centurian point of view, it’s hard to imagine the atmosphere of Tour de France in 1921, when it seemed totally normal to have a little break and some drink during the race. Although Tour de France was always a professional race, some solutions seem in our very modern eyes a bit … Read more
A Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees (especially, when it includes the big four, Peyresourde, Auspin, Aubisque and Tourmalet) always provides stories to tell. Belgian rider Felicien Vervaecke won the mountain competition of Tour de France twice, in 1935 and 1937. Before the 16th stage (Peyresourde, Tourmalet, Aspin, Aubisque) in 1936, he was 4 … Read more
One of the oddest images from the history of Tour de France pictures Lucien Van Impe after the crash with a motobike on Alpe d’Huez on 19th July 1977. The Belgian cyclist won the Tour de France in 1976, and had a chance to repeat his success in the subsequent year. Before the 17th stage … Read more
Vitange cycling image of the day on PelotonTales: Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi in the Dolomites at Giro d’Italia 1940. Before Giro d’Italia 1940, Gino Bartali was already two-time Giro d’Italia (1936, 1937) and one-time Tour de France (1938) winner. He was the leader of the Legnano team in 1940, but had an ambicious and … Read more
André Leducq, the two-time Tour de France winner (1930 and 1932) claimed his first great triumph at Paris-Roubaix in 1928. The race took place on the 8th April 1928. 89 riders departed in Le Vésinet but only 52 riders completed the 260 km long route. The defining moment of the race happened in Arras, where … Read more