The French in the 20s and 30s and beyond, it seems, had races for just about everything - from cars to bicycles to childrens pedal-cars and scooters, just about every means of transport was represented with its own "championship". Bicycle couriers of various descriptions, common throughout Paris, were no exception. In the years prior to World War II, and even during the war (and perhaps even after), several events occurred annually which gave the couriers their chance to shine - and shine they did, considering the wording of the articles referenced here, and the number of spectators to be seen in the photographs.
| La Pedale | #110 (11 nov 1925)
#112 (25 nov 1925) #113 (02 dec 1925) #114 (09 dec 1925) #115 (16 dec 1925) #116 (23 dec 1925) #117 (30 dec 1925) #118 (06 jan 1926) #119 (13 jan 1926) #120 (20 jan 1926) #121 (27 jan 1926) #122 (03 feb 1926) #175 (09 feb 1927) #176 (16 feb 1927) |
| Le Miroir des Sports | #569 (18 nov 1930)
#796 (06 nov 1934) #859 (26 nov 1935) #1038 (22 nov 1938) #138 (13 mar 1944) #? (15 nov 1948) #319 (15 oct 1951) |
| Match-l'Intran | #15 (15 feb 1927)
#58 (15 nov 1927) #124 (22 jan 1929) #167 (19 nov 1929) #219 (18 nov 1930) #231 (10 feb 1931) #271 (17 nov 1931) #323 (15 nov 1932) #536 (22 sep 1936) #544 (17 nov 1936) #559 (02 mar 1937) |
| Miroir Sprint | #175 (17 Oct 1949) |
| Paris-Soir | 15 nov 1934 |
| l'Intransigeant | 19 feb 1934 |
| Ce Soir | 13 oct 1952 |
| Les Nouvelles Illustrees | #36 (29 Jan 1903) |
I am, of course, also interested in any other magazines containing articles pertaining to these or similar events, the Club Sportif des Nouvelles Messageries de la Presse Parisienne and anything related to couriers in Paris and other regions of Europe. I am especially interested in documention of the Championnat des Triporteurs in the early 1900s, the Critérium des Porteurs de Journaux/Brassard des Estafettes in the late 1800s/early 1900s, and the Critérium des Porteurs de Journaux during the early-mid 1960s.
If you have any of this material, please contact me!
A big thank you goes out to Aldo Ross, Brett Horton, Jean Pieters, Dominique Grandfils, and others who have helped me find material for these pages!