Personal notes - Personal note - Het Wielerjaar 1948 I - 1984

Het Wielerjaar 1948 I, Handwritten Cycling Chronicle with Press Clippings

This original handwritten cycling notebook documents the 1948 road racing season in detailed contemporary form. Titled Het Wielerjaar 1948 I, the volume combines extensive handwritten race reports with original newspaper clippings, photographs, results tables, and classifications. It reflects first-hand documentation of post-war European cycling, with strong emphasis on Belgian and international road races.

Manufacturer and origin
Private compilation, Belgium or Netherlands

Year of production
1948

Style or purpose
Handwritten sports chronicle
Cycling history documentation and archival reference

Current condition
Original cloth-bound cover with visible age-related wear, discoloration, and handling marks
Interior pages intact, with 49 handwritten and mounted pages
Ink writing remains legible throughout
Newspaper clippings show natural toning and edge wear consistent with period paper
No evidence of later restoration or rebinding

Value justification
Original handwritten cycling chronicles from the immediate post-war period are scarce, particularly those combining narrative race analysis with contemporary press material. This volume documents a pivotal era in European cycling history, including major classics and international races of 1948. The personal, non-printed nature of the work makes it a unique primary-source document rather than a reproduced publication, increasing its appeal to cycling historians, sports archives, and collectors of ephemera.

Production context
Compiled in 1948, when European cycling was re-establishing itself after World War II, this notebook captures race results, rider names, and public reception as recorded at the time. Such privately assembled volumes were often created by dedicated enthusiasts and are representative of mid-20th-century sports documentation practices in Belgium and the Netherlands.

State of preservation
Original structure preserved
Period patina consistent with age
No missing pages



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