Patrick Perret & Michel Laurent, 1976 Tour de France, Miroir Original Vintage Press Photo

Patrick Perret and Michel Laurent, good friends and teammates enjoy a break at the 1976 Tour de France.

The two men started the race with big hopes for French cycling, but sadly the 1976 Tour would not be their best. Laurent who was not well prepared for the Tour and then fell ill was eliminated from the race on Stage 11 in Manosque. Perret fell on the descent of the Izoard while in the best young rider white jersey but still attacked on the first Pyrenean stage before being forced to retire on the road to Pau.

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 Magazine NOT included. Images 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.