It’s an ace picture and it certainly makes you think about how much easier we have it it today in many ways.
Recently finished reading A Race for Madmen by Chris Sidwells which is an interesting biography of the Tour de France.
The historical stuff from back in the day is by far the most interesting aspect of it all- stories of guy’s like that Van Lerberghe chap mentioned above abound, strange to think how different people were back then.
If I remember correctly one guy descending a high mountain pass in the tour broke his frame, and this in the days when they were not allowed any outside help to complete stages. He had undertook a blacksmith apprenticeship years before and so set-off looking for the local blacksmith which he found, repaired his frame himself in the forgery and then completed the stage 😀