Image 1 of 15 Leader of the Tour on stage 16, André Leducq, fell heavily on the descent of the Col du Galibier, broke his bike and lost 14 minutes. Despite this potential disaster, Leducq got a replacement bike and, with the help of his team, made it back to the front of the race incredibly winning the stage and saving his Tour. This image captures the moment Leducq remounts after his fall. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 2 of 15 This photo shows the difficult 16th stage of the Tour from 1930 and the crowd gathering to cheer the riders on the final metres of the famed 2556m Galibier in the Alps. It’s believed the riders are Benoit Faure and Pierre Magne, who won the King of the Mountains. Leader Andre Leducq came close to losing the Tour on this stage when he fell on the descent, broke his bike and lost 14 minutes. With a replacement bike and his team’s help he later regained the leaders, incredibly winning the stage into Evian in a sprint. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 3 of 15 This photo is a unique image from the 1930 Tour, and shows a rider’s solo effort. Research has not unearthed who the rider is but the focus on his exploit is evident from the entourage of Tour press vehicles surrounding the competitor. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 4 of 15 This photo shows the peloton passing through the city of Quimper, with its characteristic cathedral spires, during the 1930 Tour de France. The 210km fourth stage of the Tour started in Brest and finished in Vannes and was won by Omer Taverne (Bel) in a time of 6h56'03". Italian Learco Guerra continued leading the Tour until the ninth stage, when Frenchman Andre Leducq took it in the Queen stage from Pau to Luchon. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 5 of 15 This photo shows Alfredo Binda at the start of one stage of the Tour from 1930, the crowd gathers to farewell the heroes of the Tour de France. Champion of the Giro d’Italia, Binda won the eighth and queen stage, stage nine, over the Tourmalet before abandoning in the 10th. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 6 of 15 Riders climbing a mountain in the 1930 Tour had only two gears. They had to physically stop and remove their rear wheel and turn it around to engage the gear/cog on the other side of the wheel. This is Route N91, climbing the Col de Lautaret from Grenoble during the 16th stage of the Tour from Grenoble to Evian. The mammoth 331km stage was won by Tour leader André Leducq in a time of 13h39'23". (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 7 of 15 The peloton passes through a feeding station in the third stage of the 1930 Tour de France, from Dinan to Brest. In the western region of France, aqueducts are a reminder of a roman past. This Tour saw the innovation of a publicity caravan, conceived to fund the national teams introduced to counter the trade teams’ influence evident in previous Tours. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 8 of 15 Leonida Frascarelli was Italian team mate to yellow jersey wearer Learco Guerra and dual stage winner Alfredo Binda. He abandoned on the 222km seventh stage from Bordeaux to Hendaye, won by Jules Merviel in 6h11’22”. The risks for Tour de France riders are evident on the face of Frascarelli. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 9 of 15 Following the stages through the Pyrenees, in which eventual winner Leducq gained the yellow jersey, the riders made their way up from the Cote d’Azur towards the Alps. The Nice – Grenoble stage was a 333km marathon eventually won by Learco Guerra (Ita) in a time of 13h48’58”. Here riders can be seen passing through country typical of the region. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 10 of 15 Stage 16 of the 1930 Tour de France passed the Col de Lautaret, Col du Tourmalet and Col des Aravis, a massive 331km stage. It was eventually won by Tour leader André Leducq in a time of 13h39'23" but not before he had fallen on the descent of the Galibier, broken his bike and managed to regain the leading bunch with the help of his team mates. This is a high altitude snapshot from a historical stage of the event. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 11 of 15 The Col d'Aubisque was a major climb featured in the decisive ninth stage of the 1930 Tour. Two riders were alone on the two major climbs, Benoit Faure - who won the KOM on both the Aubisque and Tourmalet - and André Leducq, believed to be the duo in this shot. Leducq won the leaders jersey on this stage and held it to the end in Paris. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 12 of 15 One of the greatest heroes of Italian cycling, Alfredo Binda, rode the Tour de France for the first time in 1930. Binda won both the eighth stage and incredibly difficult ninth stage but abandoned in the 10th. Here we see the moment that Alfredo Binda abandoned the Tour while ascending the Col du Puymorens in the Pyrenees. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 13 of 15 Charles Pelissier was one of the stars of the 1930 Tour, with an unprecedented eight stage wins, including the final 300km 21st stage into Paris from Malo les Bains. Here we see the French star in front of the massive crowds in the finishing stadium of the Parc des Princes. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 14 of 15 This photo shows the peloton climbing out of a village in the mountains. It’s believed this is one of the Pyrenean towns on the route to the Col du Tourmalet. This decisive ninth stage saw the French rider André Leducq take the leaders yellow jersey from Learco Guerra (Ita). It was acknowledged as one of the toughest stages in the 1930 Tour de France. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection) Image 15 of 15 The queen stage of the 1930 Tour de France - stage 16 - was acknowledged as one of the hardest. André Leducq gained the leaders jersey following the 231km stage which was won by Italian star Alfredo Binda in a time of 9h21'31". In this photograph the leading riders Benoit Faure and André Leducq can be seen approaching the summit of the Col du Galibier, lined in the distance by thousands of fans eagerly waiting their heros. (Image credit: The Cycling History Collection)

Every once in a while a captivating piece of historical information is uncovered, but time has often taken its toll and that information is lost to time itself. The hours and dedication required to restore its glory frequently means these items never reveal themselves to subsequent generations, but with a race as magical as the Tour de France comes passionate people dedicated to bringing history alive.

That’s exactly what has happened with the story of the 1930 Tour de France – now being re-told through a series of limited edition prints. Australian organisation The Cycling History Collection has just launched a range of 15 images from the year Frenchman Andre Leducq beat Italian Learco Guerra to the Tour title.

The series of images is a reminder of just how popular the Tour was, even in those early years, with thousands of people lining the streets when the only way to see the event was being there. Moments captured include Alfredo Binda’s Tour debut, breakaways on the famed 2556m Galibier in the Alps, Charles Pelissier on his way to an amazing eight stage victories and the aftermath of Leonida Frascarelli crashing out of the race.

Leonida Frascarelli, team-mate to second overall Learco Guerra and dual stage winner Alfredo Binda, abandoned on stage seven from Bordeaux to Hendaye after a fall.

Not only are the images an amazing piece of history, but also the story behind them. The collection has been brought back to life after a group - led by six-time Tour rider Stephen Hodge - purchased the original lanterns from an auction of Sir Hubert Opperman’s estate in 2004.

“We believe that Hubert Opperman, who rode the 1928 and 1931 editions of the Tour, used these lanterns for showing in town hall meetings that would have helped him raise the money to fund the Australian team to the 1931 event,” reveals Hodge.

Stage 9 - Col du Tourmalet: Two riders were alone on the two major climbs, Benoit Faure - who won the KOM on both the Aubisque and Tourmalet - and André Leducq, both believed to be pictured here on Tourmalet.

A further eight images that were retrievable from the batch of 41 purchased are expected to be released at a later date. Starting at $AU295 for unframed copies, the collection is limited to 250 prints per image, with a certificate of authenticity issued for each print.

Click here to see all 15 of these amazing images. For more information, visit: www.cyclinghistory.com.au