Charles Terront – 1891 Paris-Brest-Paris Winner – Rudge Bicycles

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.

Charles Terront, one of the iconic pioneers of bicycle racing, famously won the inaugural edition of Paris-Brest-Paris atop a Rudge in 1891. Paris-Brest-Paris was the original ultra-long race, pre-dating the Tour de France be over a decade. Rudge would later merge with Whitworth Cycles in 1894.

Charles Terront (1857 – 1932) was the first major French cycling star. He won sprint, middle distance, and endurance events in Europe and the United States. In September 1891, he won the first Paris–Brest–Paris cycle race, which at 1,196 kilometers (743 mi) was more than double the length of any previous event. He won 54 major events over his 15-year career, was ‘Champion of France’ twice and ‘Champion of Great Britain’ twice.

Daniel Rudge (1841-1880) was an accomplished engineer interested in bicycles when approached by a friend about designing a velocipede. A deal was struck, and Rudge was soon producing cycles in a small workshop. By the end of 1874, Daniel Rudge had manufactured a small number of high-quality bicycles. By 1878 Rudge had established as a manufacturer of high-quality bicycles. Never satisfied with other makers’ designs and construction Rudge invented numerous improvements such as adjustable ball bearing. Daniel Rudge visited the famous French cyclist Charles Terront in his London hotel while visiting England. Rudge proceeded to demonstrate to Terront a set of his patented adjustable ball bearings. Terront was impressed enough to purchase a racing machine built by Rudge.

This poster has been archivally and professionally linen backed. Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on fragile, thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters so they can be displayed or framed without compromising value.