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René Vietto; 1938 Tour de France; Climbing the Col du Galibier, stage 15
Cycling was among the world’s most popular sports in the 1920s and 30s. The races were impossibly difficult, the riders larger than life. This September, the book Goggles & Dust: Images from Cycling’s Glory Days celebrates the grit and determination of bicycling’s earliest heroes.
Velo Press shared these incredible photos of the early days of bike racing and has definitely piqued my interest. Judging from the images, gravel grinding is absolutely nothing new!
Goggles & Dust is available now in bookstores, bike shops, and online. The hardcover has 100 photographs of cycling’s dirt-covered roots. The 8” x 7”, 120-page book of restored silver-gelatin prints costs just $16.95 at velopress.com/goggles.
René Vietto; 1935 Tour de France; Taking supplies before a day in the saddle. All photos republished with permission of VeloPress from Goggles & Dust: Images of Cycling’s Glory Days (courtesy of The Horton Collection)
Antonin Magne; 1934 Grand Prix des Nations; Attacking the time trial just after the start
Roger Lapébie; 1937 Tour de France; Summit of the Col d’Allos, stage 9
René Vietto; 1938 Tour de France; Climbing the Col du Galibier, stage 15
Maurice De Waele; 1929 Tour de France; Midrace repair
1925 Tour de France; Despontin, winner of the touriste-routier class, poses after stage 2
Charles Pélissier; 1931 Tour de France; Spinning out the kilometers between Brest and Vannes, stage 4
Ottavio Bottecchia; 1927 portrait; This photograph was taken in the year of the champion’s untimely death
Lucien Buysse; 1926 Tour de France; Celebrating overall victory in Paris
—All photos republished with permission of VeloPress from “Goggles & Dust: Images of Cycling’s Glory Days,” courtesy of The Horton Collection. Preview the book at velopress.com/goggles.
