Valpic a poursuivi sa randonnée cycliste — L’Officiel du cycle, 19 January 1957, 15,000 km across North America

L’Officiel du cycle, 19 January 1957, “Valpic a poursuivi sa randonnée cycliste !”: Vallée-Picaud’s ride of nearly 15,000 km by bicycle across Canada and the United States, with a map of his route, and a note on a plan by the race organizers to reorganize cycle sport. The headings and map labels are transcribed as printed; the text is summarized in Ebykr’s words, and the page image carries it in full.

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La Bicyclette

VALPIC A POURSUIVI SA RANDONNÉE CYCLISTE!

Il a couvert près de 15.000 kilomètres à travers l’Amérique du Nord

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UN PROJET DE RÉORGANISATION DU SPORT CYCLISTE

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The magazine recalls that its issue of 13 octobre had reported the 11.500-kilometer bicycle journey across the États-Unis made by M. VALLÉE-PICAUD, known as VALPIC, a solitary randonneur of 73 who had then said he would not do it again. News of a sequel came through the team of “Cyclette-Revue” and its writer Géo Lefèvre, whose account is quoted at length: after circling the Etats-Unis from east to west and back, Valpic had been left at Montréal calling it his last journey (a nod to the swan in Lohengrin), but at the end of August he sent a postcard from Glace Bay, at the jagged tip of a peninsula in Canada’s far northeast (with a joke borrowed from Robert Coquelle). A letter from Montréal explained that the “Americ-Trotter”, still on his faithful bicycle, had been drawn by the Grand Nord to complete his crossing of the continent at its extremes of latitude: a further 3.255 km at an average of 160 km a day over 20 days on the road, bringing the 1956 total, United States (U.S.A.) and Canada together, to 14.735 km, all by a rider over 70. A summary of the new ride follows: from Montréal up the Saint Laurent beyond Québec to Cacouna (507 km); then (the print says due west) in ten days to Glace Bay, near Sydney, covering 1.846 km from 15 to 26 August; back along the northeast coast by the Northumberland strait and Prince Edward island to the Saint Laurent near its mouth, and along the river to Québec, after 21 days of travel and 20 days of riding, 3.235 km in all (the page gives both 3.255 and 3.235). In his own words Valpic reports fine weather, no incidents and no punctures, figures his friends of nearly 60 years can trust; a hilly course on which he walked steep climbs 55 times, sometimes for only 10 meters; headwinds throughout; and a 15-speed bicycle (15 vitesses) that always gave him a gear for an easy 75 pedal strokes a minute, so that he ended each day no more tired than any worker. He likens what the sports papers say about racers’ feeding to his own diet: balanced calories and minimal work for the stomach. The piece closes with Lefèvre’s tribute, urging that Président Joinard award Valpic the cravat of Commandeur du Mérite Cycliste and that Chesal raise it with the Président, as fine propaganda for the bicycle, for French cycling and for touring on two wheels.]

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The second item reports that the Association des Organisateurs de Courses Cyclistes has sent the Union Cycliste Internationale (U.C.I.) a plan to reorganize cycle sport, for the agenda of the spring Congress. Constructeurs and Clubs could form groups with Fabricants de pièces détachées (component makers) or with Firmes extrasportives (sponsors from outside the sport). Each Constructeur, Club or Groupe could engage no more than 15 and no fewer than 5 professional riders and 5 to 12 indépendants, and a club would need at least 20 amateurs of all categories. Riders, whose rights would be secured by a lump sum paid to the Fédération, would wear a jersey in the colors of their club or Constructeur, with the form and size of the advertising lettering laid down; team directors’ cars could not be dressed as advertising vehicles. Dual membership would be allowed only under conditions: for one-day races, riders could make exceptional agreements with foreign Constructeurs or Clubs that have no tie to a firm outside the sport. The right to organize invitation races is kept.]

[A hand-drawn sketch map in a ruled frame, credited in its caption to “Cyclette-Revue”, traces the first part of Valpic’s ride, the 1956 circuit of the United States: a solid line with dots at the stops and arrows for direction runs from Washington south to New Orleans, west along the southern border to Los Angeles, north up the Pacific coast through San Francisco and Portland to Vancouver and back, east through Salt Lake City, Omaha and Chicago to Detroit, then northeast by Buffalo and Ottawa to Montréal. Dashed lines mark the borders with Canada and Mexico and the coastlines. Its handwritten labels read: “Vancouver [?]”, “Portland”, “Salt lake city”, “S. Francisco [?]”, “Los Angeles”, “Omaha”, “Chicago”, “Détroit”, “Ottawa”, “Buffalo”, “Montréal”, “Washington”, “New-Orléans”, “Océan Pacifique”, “Océan Atlantique”; lettered in capitals, “CANADA”, “ETATS-UNIS” and “MEXIQUE”. No signature or monogram is visible on the map.]

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