Les Échos — L’Officiel du cycle, 5 March 1955, a Belgian Concours Lépine, a Louison Bobet Film, British Bicycle Exports in 1954 and Pierre Monneret at Gilera

From L’Officiel du cycle, du motocycle et du camping, 5 March 1955, N° 5, page 4: ‘Les Échos’ column, part 1 of 2: Belgian Concours Lépine in Brussels (4 to 14 March), Louison Bobet to star in a film, motocross season, British cycle exports in 1954 (1,534,984 bicycles for 13,596,254 pounds sterling), notes on the René Guiller and Origan cycle firms, Pierre Monneret test-riding the Gilera. The title, headings, captions and lists are transcribed as printed; the text is summarized in Ebykr’s words, and the page images carry it in full.

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LES ÉCHOS

« Concours Lépine » belge

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. From 4 to 14 March a Salon de l’Invention is held in Brussels, at the Palais d’Egmont. The writer calls it the counterpart of the old and ever young French Concours Lépine, which the magazine discusses elsewhere in the issue, but with international participation. The “2-roues” and their equipment will of course be present.]

Où Louison devient star

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. Louison Bobet was recently seen at the Vel’ d’Hiv’ making his debut in front of a movie camera. The champion is starting on screen as the star and hero of a film that will retrace the life and victories of Bobet, so cycling will play a certain part in it. During the filming Bourvil and Jacqueline Pierreux came to encourage their new colleague, who is also a friend.]

La saison de motocross

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. As reported elsewhere in the issue, the Paris motocross season opens at Montreuil on 13 March, but the all-terrain season began on 20 February at Cholet, where the A.M. Choletaise organized an international event on the buttes de la Baubry, 7 km from Cholet. Several events were also run for solos and sidecars, with the European champion Mingels and the riders Baeten, Fresnay, Brems, Lickens, Leloup, Molinari, Brassine, Vouillon, Hazianis and Garcia, joined by a number of well-known regional riders.]

Exportations britanniques de cycles

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. In 1954 Great Britain exported 1.534.984 bicycles with a total value of 13.596.254 livres sterling, and in addition supplied foreign buyers with 3.388.588 livres sterling of cycle parts. The writer then gives the leading buying countries for British bicycles, the figure being the number of machines:]

Etats-Unis — 168.653
Nigéria — 78.083
Canada — 66.805
Indes — 53.638
Rhodésie du Sud — 40.060

Précisions sur des raisons sociales

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The « Manufacture de Cycles et Motos René Guiller » of Fontenay-le-Comte (Vendée) asks the magazine to make clear that the parent company Guiller Frères is the firm that became the « Manufacture de Cycles et Motos René Guiller ». For its part, the « Manufacture de Cycles Origan » became the « Société Guiller S. A. ».]

Pierre Monneret dans la botte

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The magazine hears that its champion Pierre Monneret has gone to Italy to the Gilera works. On the Monza autodrome he tested the new four-cylinder machine of the great Italian marque, with a view to the final development of the machine.]

[A text-only editorial column in black on a plain field, with no drawings or photographs. The heading “LES ÉCHOS” stands at the top inside a wide black-outlined oval, set in heavy, shaded, sharply angular capitals with a slightly slanted stroke. Below it each item has a short centered title in bold sans-serif type, followed by body text set in italic roman type with indented paragraphs and full-width justified lines. A round black bullet centered between items separates them. No signature, agency mark or firm address appears.]