Cycling/Friol/Peugeot/Napoléon/Tain l'Ermitage/Tricolore. Or - Lot 96

Cycling/Friol/Peugeot/Napoléon/Tain l'Ermitage/Tricolore. Original lithographed poster: "Cycles Peugeot, in 1907, with Emile Friol (tricolor jersey), as many victories as Napoleon in 10 years...". Another stroke of genius by Mich (alias Michel Liebeaux, 1881-1923), the parallel between Peugeot's Friol and Napoleon, the eternal idol, turned to the disadvantage of the latter, whose grey face matched the hood... The sun of Austerlitz paled next to Peugeot's rays (the Tour with Petit-Breton, the French and world championships with Friol (not forgetting the GP de Paris), and the classics Paris-Bruxelles, Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours...).Rivoli, Iena, Austerlitz, Friedland, Wagram and Auerstedt also suffer... In fact, this image is also magical, because as a bonus, it bears witness to the metamorphosis of the social elevator created by Napoleon with his imperial nobility. Henceforth, there was a nobility of muscle, invented by Desgrange, an unconditional supporter of the Emperor. A precious poster, therefore, because of Mich, Peugeot, Friol (1881-1916), and the evocation of the social elevator that sport is becoming with its nobility of muscle, with its champions "boosted" by the feather, and Desgrange's inventions...The giants of the track and the Tour are the grognards and marshals of modern times!!!! A native of Tain l'Ermitage in the Drome, where he was a velociste, Emile Friol left an indelible mark on the world of sport, with his five national titles, his two world titles (1907, then and 1910), his Grand Prix victories, his friendships, his omnipresence in a masterpiece (Mémoires d'une bicyclette, by Dr.Henry Aurenche, 1924, preface by Desgrange), and his death at the front. 118X160. minor restorations, as befits all monuments to the belle époque. Last detail: the Peugeot company was founded in 1810, under Napoleon! This poster would be used again in 1908 for PEtit-Breton's second success in the Tour, but it would be "after Mich", so the idea of the singular parallel is here. Note that Friol and Mich were classmates...