Maybe one of the reasons some of these old racers cannot be found in the archives of the Tour de France: At least in the 1950s, there also was an amateur Tour de France. If I understand correctly, they rode the same stages as the pros, but in a "neutral" group, and only the last 50 or so km were the actual race. Ernest Csuka, owner of Cycles Alex Singer, rode in that event, and won two stages (see interview in Vintage Bicycle Quarterly 1).
So maybe the German gentleman Toni met referred to the amateur event - although I would be surprised if German amateurs went to France in the 1930s.
I have a bike that was originally bought by a L. G. Jaquemart, who supposedly raced in the Tour in the late 1930s. Alas, I cannot find his name in the archives, either. Could be that the story is just a story, or that he was an amateur. Or does anybody have any info on this person?
Also would like to know more about the amateur Tour. Were there similar events in Italy?
Jan Heine, Seattle