Original 1962 Tour de France & Tour de l'Avenir Route Map, Paris-Normandie Cycling Guide

Original Carte pratique du Tour de France 1962 et du Tour de l’Avenir, issued by Paris-Normandie as a fold-out cycling route guide and map.

This is exactly the kind of piece that serious cycling collectors love because it sits in the sweet spot between poster, guide, and sporting ephemera. At first glance it has all the visual appeal of a period map: bold colour, bright route lines, stage boxes, sponsor panels, and wonderfully of-its-time typography. But it is more than decorative. It was made to be used — a practical companion for following the Tour and the Tour de l’Avenir as they unfolded across France.

That is a large part of what makes it so appealing now. Opened out, it becomes a vivid and information-rich object, showing the route, classement tables, stage breakdowns, and mountain profile. Folded, the cover has its own bright graphic charm, with the original Paris-Normandie masthead and period price. It feels exactly like what it is: a living piece of Tour history rather than a later decorative print.

It also captures a particularly interesting year. The 1962 Tour de France was won by Jacques Anquetil, while the 1962 Tour de l’Avenir was won by Antonio Gómez del Moral. That gives this guide real documentary appeal as well as visual charm. For a cycling enthusiast, it is the kind of object that rewards both close study and display. 

This is an authentic original vintage cycling route guide / map, not a reproduction.

Publisher: Paris-Normandie Title: Carte pratique du Tour de France 1962 et du Tour de l’Avenir Date: 1962 Country: France Format: Original fold-out paper cycling map / route guide Size: approximately 60 × 49 cm unfolded Condition: Very good overall vintage condition; folded as issued, clean and unwritten, with honest signs of age but very presentable overall Framing: Unframed

A highly collectible original for collectors of Tour de France memorabilia, cycling maps, French sporting ephemera, and vintage printed design.

Please review all photographs carefully, as they form part of the description. Packed with great care and shipped fully insured.