Oppermann finished in 18th spot and in 1931 returned to compete in the race with an Australian/Swiss team finishing 12th. Later the same year Oppermann was hailed as the world's greatest endurance cyclist when he defeated the cream of European endurance riders in the Paris-Brest-Paris over 1186 kilometres, setting a new course record of 24.012 km/h. It took Oppermann 49 hours 23 minutes and 30 seconds to complete the race winning from a 5 man leading group. The victory won Oppermann great fame and acclaim with 'Le Journal' being typical as describing him as 'a marvellous dynamo of human energy'.

However Oppermann chose not to ride the Tour again, concentrating on his speciality, endurance racing. In 1934, for example he travelled to England with the set purpose of attacking English National road records. Within 14 days he had broken five records in two great rides, setting a new 24 hour mileage record of 431.5 miles, and covering 1000 miles in 3 days 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Oppermann’s legend was assured and to this day old timers still refer to musettes as “Oppy bags”, since the Australian is credited with inventing them.

However, for the next 50 years Australia had only 3 riders compete in the Tour de France, but in 1981 Phil Anderson burst into the limelight.

Anderson became the first ever non-European to hold the yellow jersey, riding for the Peugeot Esso Michelin team. On stage 5 in the Pyrenees, which saw the riders climb the Peyresourde and finish on the P