Raymond Poulidor, 1968 Tour de France Stage 12, Miroir Original Vintage Press Photo

Stage 12 of the 1968 Tour de France was a brutal day in the mountains from Pau to Saint-Gaudens via the legendary Tourmalet and Aubisque climbs.  The stunning photo captures Raymond Poulidor, Aurelio Gonzalez, and Silvano Schiavon in a dramatic day of racing.

This amazing photograph was published on the cover of the July 12, 1968 issue of Miroir Sprint.

While his nickname “the eternal second” fit the 1965 Tour, he had a career stacked with legendary victories: 1961 Milan–San Remo, 1963 La Flèche Wallonne, 1963 Grand Prix des Nations, 1964 Vuelta a España, Critérium International (1964, 1966, 1968, 1971–72), Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1966, 1969), Paris–Nice (1972–73), and 7 stage wins at the Tour de France. What a rider!

These beautiful large-format original press photographs are directly from the archives of Miroir du Cyclisme and Miroir-Sprint.  The reverse of each photo bears the Miroir markings as a road map of its history and authenticity. The images are all stamped by either Miroir du Cyclisme or Miroir-Sprint; many have publication crop marks or show the page and magazine issue the photo was used in.  Some even bear a unique stamp with the name of the photographer.

Miroir du Cyclisme was a French monthly magazine, a photo-focused wonderland of cycling news and historical articles for 35 years, from 1960 to 1994. The companion publication, Miroir-Sprint, came out weekly and reported on news of various sports from 1946 to 1971. In the era before streaming and on-demand viewing, publications like Miroir were how fans kept up on racing results, followed their favorite riders, and stayed current on all things cycling.

Renowned cycling photographers Henri and Marcel Besson, Jean Jaffre, Louis Lucchesi, Roger Monnet, Roger Touchard, and others were featured prominently in both publications, and works from these important photojournalists are included in the selection offered here.

Maurice Vidal founded the magazine and ran it until he died in 1992, which directly contributed to its long-time consistent look and feel.

The issues of both these publications are a treasure trove of cycling history; art and photographs are very collectible among cycling fans.

Miroir Sprint  Magazine NOT included.  Image provided for reference only.

Photo Size: 12 x 9.5 inches (30.5 x 24 cm)

As the photographs are quite old and one of a kind, please look carefully at the photos to determine the condition.

This photograph is an original print – the real deal.