Cycling / LE BOL D'OR / Raoul Larche Trophy... - Lot 213 - Vermot et Associés

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  3. Cycling / LE BOL D'OR / Raoul Larche Trophy... - Lot 213 - Vermot et Associés
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Lot n° 213
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Result : 23 000EUR
Cycling / LE BOL D'OR / Raoul Larche Trophy... - Lot 213 - Vermot et Associés
Cycling / LE BOL D'OR / Raoul Larche Trophy in bronze with double brown and gold patina. Signed. Foundry Siot Decauville in Paris (stamp of the foundry). Unique piece. H 38 cm / 15 kg The trophy of the cycling trophies is financed by the chocolate maker Gaston Menier up to 5000f (30 000 € today), this Bol d'or came out of the fertile mind of a certain Paul Decam, who in 1893, wanted to launch his newspaper "Paris-Pédale". So he created the Bol d'or for 1894, and endowed his crazy race with a fabulous trophy bearing the same name: "The Bol d'or" was born. The Bol d'or is also a 24-hour race on a track behind coaches in triplets, quadruplets or tandems. In France, there have already been long races on the track (8 days at 6 hours a day), but none of 24 hours, in one go. It marks a peak in this first wave of velocipedy, because there are then several big velodromes, several newspapers, and a bunch of French and foreign champions, tough guys, endurants. A legend, because this trophy is one, and not only for its disappearance of more than a century, and the recovery of its title by prestigious motorcycle events (centenary in 2022!!), car or sailing, it is the combination of a handful of geniuses. In France, they are called Musketeers, the Davis Cup has its own, so does the Tour de France, but for the prehistory of sport, the Bol d'Or has no equivalent. Indeed, to the names of its inventors Paul Decam, Raoul Larche and Gaston Menier are added those of two legends of velocipedy, the young Constant Huret, immortalized by Lautrec on his poster for the Simpson channel, and the old Gaston Rivierre. Yes, it is with five, with the assistance of 6 000 spectators in madness, the flowered frame of the velodrome Buffalo of Neuilly, of its orchestra, of its electric lighting brinquebalant, and a bell frantically agitated by Paul Bernard, the future Tristan, to pulverize the records, that was born the legend that "L'Auto" still evokes in 1918 by speaking about "dizzying successes" and that the writer Jean de Pierrefeu recalls with nostalgia at the time of the Games of 1924: "Where are you dizzy days of the Bol d'or? " Yes, they were dizzying, crazy, hellish these races behind the pedal artillery, we stopped little, we fell, we left, it was to beat the world records of the English Shorland. Huret for the Gladiator cycles succeeded in 1894 (736 km), and his exploits had such a repercussion such a resounding success that they hardly had to suffer from the assassination of President Sadi-Carnot. He won the Bol d'or, 1200f in cash, bank shares, and bonuses... In 1895, he did it again, raised the record to 829 km and became the definitive owner of the trophy... This marvel in gilded bronze with its two divinities and its frieze of 13 gilded runners, that Gébert crunched with happiness. Everyone was in praise...Constant and his Bol were sung...In 1896, the bankruptcy of Paul Decam and his Paris-Pédale mortgaged the race, there will be no new trophies. The race takes place in spite of everything, and fortunately, it finds in Gaston fortunately, it finds in Gaston Rivierre, who has just won Bordeaux-Paris, the ideal winner... And in Constant Huret, an unexpected friend. And in Constant Huret, an unexpected friend. For it was he who, in the final, offered the winner (with a development of 7m60), whom he even helped to beat his record (859km), his own trophy. The Bol is at its epic, historic peak... The two champions will be nicely reunited on the poster of the Cycles Acatène... And from then on, the destiny of our Bol becomes complicated, we know that Constant wins it again in 1898 (the Cuca, it is dead), and 1902. And then it is written that he would have offered it to his bosses Mr. Aucoc and Darracq! And then he disappeared, Petit-Breton who takes it away in 1904, René Pottier, who does the same in 1906, or Léon Georget of Châtellerault, who triumphs in nine times, to become the father of the Bol d'or, will never see the color of it. never see the color. Until its 25th and last edition in 1950 at the Vel d'Hiv (victory of (victory of the Italian Magni), it will not be seen again. Even when the wall of 1000 km, was crossed by by the Englishman Walters or the one-eyed Frenchman Barthélémy, he was never seen again... Had he been saved from Had it been saved from melting down, by being transformed into a planter, like other trophies of the Tour? Perhaps. What is certain is that it is unique, sublime, and that it has just reappeared as it was in 1894. Tremendous. Gaston Rivierre, who was also a pioneer of cinema, would make a feature a feature film.
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