After a long ride in the rain on a 1950's French bike without mudguards today (http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/simonpj/Follis_1955_Forestier/) - which resulted in a very wet rear end (mine) - and following the discussion about the 1930's - 1950's British club racer habit of riding the bike to the race / tt with mudguards fitted and removing them for competition, compared to Jan's account of French riders influencing the race authorities to make mudguards required equipment for cyclosportif and cyclotouring competitions - I started wondering...
Surely there were French club racers - not cyclotourists, but road racers - in the 1930's through to the 1950's who had the same need to 'ride to the race' as their British counterparts. Wouldn't they have had the same need to fit and remove mudguards? My 1955 Follis has eyelets for mudguards, which show evidence of having been used.
Wyndham Pulman-Jones
Girton, Cambs., UK