Hello List, Norris,
Regarding Norris' post ref my Peugeot, the data is basically correct, excep t that I obviously bought it a load cheaper than the price mentionned, and that if Robic was a great cyclocross champ, he also won a TDF without winni ng a stage. On the last day of the race where the leader is supposed to be left alone and the race is a circus parade, three riders made a break. Robi c was fifth in the overall palcings. An Italian rider who was also well pla ced stayed with him, another rider too. The Italian rider was the stronger, Robic used some tactics and offered the Italian rider 100 000 francs to he lp him keep the break wide open, ride together. The Italian rider agreed, a nd regretted it to his dying day. He finished second overall in the TDF, an d the 100 000 Francs was split up between all the poor guy's team mates, a s was the "rule". He could probably have won that race.
Regarding Eugene Letendre, he was a good pro, won many crits and some good placings in majors, classics, took part in the 1958 TdF in the Ouest / Sud- Ouest regional team. Otherwise, he rode for BP Peugeot. Before that, anothe r team, his last two years for others. This Peugeot isn't his very last bik e it turns out from my research. But it is the only one he kept.
TDF bikes and famous rider's bikes are rife on ebay, scams abound with guys seting up websites, photographing a racing bike of decent or semi-decent q uality along with some scans of period newspaper pics, a "team" jersey and "wikipedia" copy (just an aside, Wikipedia says WW2 lasted just three years , I don't use Wikipedia, or with great circumspection) and inferring or out right claiming that this was so and so's bike...
Therefore, I was a litle wary, and I phoned Monsieur Eugene Letendre himsel f. We had at least three long telephone conversations. I have pics and docu mentation, a handwritten letter (signed) and a load of personal research wh ich all validate the bike as Letendre's pro machine, and also the one Jean Robic rode in retirement in the "veteran" category. He got so far down on h is luck that even his bike was stolen. He and Letendre were more or less th e same height, so Letendre lent him his bike, as well as helping him out in many ways. The "non-period correct" setup of the bike is due to Robic ridi ng it until his last day on earth, and updating it as regards some componen ts.
Naturally, I also was in very close touch with Mr Letendre's son. The bike I bought from Eugene Letendre himself, not his son. Obviously, his son, a v ery nice guy, was helping with the internet side of things.
The bike is awaiting it's turn to be cleaned up and "preserved". When that is done, maybe I'll publish a little material now that I have been complete ly outed by Norris :)
Nick March, Agen 47000, Lot et Garonne, France
ps: No, the bike is not for sale under any circumstances or at any price :)
Norris Lockley wrote: << I've just been catching up on some of the recent C ontris to the List and came across Nick March's recent one about the bike lent to Jean Robic..a b ike that Nick has recently acquired. ? I am quite a fan of Robic..in some ways at least, and own one of his Magnat Debon cyclo-cross frames. Robic was a highly successful cyclo-cross rider
in his day and was French Champion several times. ? A few months ago a Peugeot? bike came up on French Ebay for about 400 eur os. It appeared to be a top Pro model from the late 50s or thereabouts..but it was badkly set up and did not photograph very well. The bike attracted
no bidders throughout several auctions and the price was reduced accordingl y. ? The seller claimed that it was the last bike that Robic ever rode..in fact
he had been riding it in a Grand Prix des Gentilhommes type of race on the
day that he was killed in a car crash, on his way home from the race in 119 80 ? I enquired of the seller if he could prove the provenance of the bike, as i f it was the real deal..abd it was my size..I would be very interested in b uying it. ? It turned out that the seller, based in eastern Paris was called Jean LETEN DRE, the son of the former Pro Eugene Letendre who raode as a Pro from 1956 - 63 for the ROCHET team and then with Peugeot. The bike on Ebay had been
his father's last bike as a Pro. ? Letendre had ridden alongside Robic and had befriended him...and in the lat ter's retirement Eugene gave him a job in his haulage and furniture removal company. ? Although I agreed to collect the bike from Jean's house and pay a good pric e I never managed to actually get my hands on the machine.. ? Could this be the bike that you have managed to buy, Nick..Have you got any good photos to show us? ? Norris Lockley....Settle UK >> =0A=0A=0A