The French Alps, inspiration for the SpeedyShark Art Deco print collection

The Mountains Featured in our Alps Collection

Our Alps Art Deco prints focus on the magical and mysterious emotion of the French Alps. These iconic mountains have created racing drama, human suffering and even loss of life during the Grand Tours.

The first 1903 Tour de France crossed no mountain passes, but several lesser Cols. The first was the col des Echarmeaux (712m – 2,336 ft.) in height. The first major climb was the Ballon d'Alsace (1,178m – 3,865 ft.) in the Vosges, this featured in the 1905 Tour de France.

Extreme mountains were not included in the Tour de France until the Pyrenees were introduced in 1910. In that year the race rode the first Col and then the nearby Tourmalet. Both climbs were basically mule tracks, a demanding challenge on heavy, ungeared bikes ridden by men with spare tyres around their shoulders and their food, clothing and tools in bags hung from their handlebars. The assistant organizer, Victor Breyer, stood at the summit of the Aubisque with a colleague who had proposed including the Pyrenees, Alphonse Steinès. The tour organizer, Henri Desgrange was confident enough after the Pyrenees to include the Alps in 1911.

The mountains in a our first Alps Print Collection first appeared in the Tour de France as follows:
Col du Galibier 1911
Col d’Izoard 1922
Mont Ventoux 1951
Alpe d’Huez 1952

Top view our colourful and eminently giftable range of Art Deco Alps prints, click here.

Please note: We strive for a high degree of image accuracy. However, in some cases, the visual representation may be approximate, or print colours may vary from those displayed on your screen.

The Alps prints are copyright © Sara Ray. All rights reserved. Reproduction or re-sale in any form is prohibited.

SpeedyShark Art Deco inspired cycling prints