Ray asked:
"Is that a presumption or a fact?" regarding my comment: "As for the additional costs of removing the trade teams, here too you exaggerate heavily as the national cycling federations paid for most costs not Desgranges."
According to what is considered the definitive Italian period text about cycling sport and history: "Storia del Velocipede e dello Sport Ciclistico" (1946) the Italian federation paid for the Italian team participation of professionals in the World Championships and Tour de France, as well as amateur national team members participating in the Tour de France. They also supplied and paid the Direttore Sportivo, mechanics and soigneurs. Let us not forget that on-the-road repairs were to be supplied solely by the riders. I would personally guess that a similar situation would also hold true for other countries, especially as the participation of an Italian team would have been a more important marketing plus than most other countries (Italy supplied perhaps more immigrants to France than any other country at the time!) Where the National federation received their money is not revealed, but it is quite well known that Bianchi and Legnano were both later known to have used their finanacial support of the federation to judiciously further the careers of their top riders: Bartali and Coppi. It is my guess that the trade team sponsors supplied the money to the federation as the riders participating in the Tour would have ridden on their trade team bikes for all the rest of the year and would still be associated with the trade team.
It would be interesting to know who paid for the regional French teams.
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ
USA