Loops of the Seine

The Circuit of the Boucles of the Seine was a test cyclist on road, created in 1945. Disputed in Paris region, it was run for the dernièe time in 1973.

Little story

More commonly called Loops of the Seine, this cycle race was created in 1945 by the journalist Georges Pagnoud, with the assistance of Albert Baker d' Isy, on behalf of the daily newspaper This evening. There this evening paper, directed by the writers Louis Aragon and Jean-Richard Bloch tried his first experiment of organizer of tests cyclists. The shortly after the Second world war, the sportsmen were in a hurry to see starting again competitions cyclists of which much was not organized during the German Occupation. Certain newspapers, organizers traditional of competitions cyclists were prohibited of publication after the Libération of France. This evening, financed by the French Communist party launched out in the adventure, which it will continue the following year by creating the Ronde France.

From 1948, Humanity and Humanity Sunday united with This evening in the organization of the Loops of the Seine. They remained alone after the disappearance of the daily newspaper of the evening in 1953. But, vis-a-vis the difficulties in obtaining the authorizations necessary to have roads in an area to strong motor vehicle traffic, face also with a calendar cyclist charged, who moved spring with the autumn the date of the competition, Humanity ceased organizing the race starting from 1974.

A famous winner: Bobet

The first edition of the Loops of the Seine was opened with all the runners, whatever their nationality. It was French who triumphed nevertheless. As of 1946, the test was reserved for only French, like the national Critérium. In 1947, on Sunday, May 19, the Circuit of the Loops offered to a young Breton hope the occasion of its first great success. When in 1959, the editions Hachette publish in the famous collection green Bibliothèque the book signed by Louison Bobet, Champion cycle , this one begins his narration with fifty pages (out of 188 which the work comprises) account epic on its “first great race”.

In this year 1947, the layout of the circuit on the roads of the Parisian suburbs and the Ile-de-France which Champion cycle delivers gives an idea of this disappeared race. Long, the loop around the valley of the the Seine 280 kilometers took its departure with Houses-Alfort and finished with Montrouge, with the Vélodrome Buffalo. This one does not exist any more. But the road is buissonière between these two communes of the southern suburbs of Paris. Here: Villeneuve-saint-Georges, Brunoy, Melun, Corbeil, Fresnes, Versailles, Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, Mantes, Bonnières, Vernon with the km 170 where the return is carried out while passing by Gasny, Vétheuil, Meulan, Pontoise km 225, Bezons, Porte Shirt km 260, and the Buffalo Cycle-racing track. Bobet finishes the race, detached with nearly 6 minutes in advance on the second: “all occurred as in a dream. I entered on the cycle-racing track and the cries of crowd électrisaent me so much so that I made ultimate very track with the sprint. ”

Prize list of the Loops of the Seine

Sources

  • Louison Bobet : Champion cycle , Hatchet, Paris, 1959.
  • Mirror of cycling, special issue All cycling , April 1964 (supplement with the n° 42).
  • Robert Descamps: note Boucles of the Seine in the cycling of A to Z, Encyclopédie Mirror of cycling , number 161, September 1972.
  • Claude Sudres: international Dictionary of cycling , 1993.

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