Every so often I am able to get my grimy little mitts on something really special. Earlier today I closed a deal for a couple of items I have been pursing for several years: Jean Alavoine's race used bicycle and four foot original hand tinted photograph of him.
You may be saying to yourself, "BFD, who is Jean Alavoine?" Alavoine was an important pre and post WWI French rider. He won the French National Championships in 1909 and repeated 11 years later in 1920. He was a rider who always intrigued me. Not so much for his great exploits as much as his fighting spirit. He was a Poulidor kind of rider. No slouch, always in the thick of things, won some important races, but never fulfilled his dream to win the Tour de France.
For years, his three bikes, the large photo, and a few scattered medals lay hidden away with the family. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine in France was able to purchase almost everything directly from the family. When a book idea about Alavoine that he was trying to get published failed to materialize this past year, he decided to part with a couple of the items.
The bike I am receiving is c.1921 and was Alavoine's track machine. The beauty in the bike is everything is original. No one has ever attempted to restore it at all. The bike literally went from the Alavoine family garage to my friends basement and now to San Francisco. The astounding part is to be able to find a true racing bike that pre-dates WWII, is untouched, and one with unequivocal provenance to a well regarded professional rider.
The large photograph hung in the family home for nearly 80 years. The sheer size of it is enough to make one stop in their tracks. It has lovely hand tinting and is in great shape. Of course, I now have no money and will be enjoying a bowl of corn flakes and a glass of tap water at every meal for the next eight months.
I should have these in my hands toward the end of January. I will certainly post up photos.
Brett Horton San Francisco, CA (The gloating machine is on full tilt today)
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