Le Vélo
Encyclopedia
Le Vélo was the leading French
sports newspaper from its inception on 1 December 1892 until it ceased publication in 1904. Mixing sports reporting with news and political comment, it achieved a circulation of 80,000 copies a day. Its use of sporting events as promotional tools lead to the creation of the Paris–Roubaix cycle race in 1896, and the popularisation of the Bordeaux–Paris cycle race during the 1890s.
Its demise was a consequence of the creation of the Tour de France
by L'Auto, a rival newspaper that had been founded in 1900 from the intense animosity generated by the Dreyfus affair
. Le Vélo was easily recognised by the green-tinted newsprint
on which it was published, so L'Auto (née
L'Auto-Vélo) was distinguished by a yellow tint, and thus the 'Yellow Jersey
' worn by the leader of the 'Tour de France'.
was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organizer. In 1896, he joined his colleague Paul Rousseau at the head of Le Vélo, where he wrote under the name Arator. Le Vélo was widely considered to be the premier sports newspaper produced in France. He had been a journalist with Le Figaro
before becoming editor of Le Petit Journal
, on whose behalf he had created Paris–Brest–Paris in 1891. On 19 July 1896 he organised the first Paris marathon and helped found the Automobile Club de France. As editor of Le Vélo, his opposition to the car-maker Albert de Dion
over the Dreyfus affair led de Dion to create a rival daily, L'Auto.
Géo Lefèvre
was a sports journalist who was recruited from Le Vélo, to work as a rugby and cycling correspondent for L'Auto. Lefèvre's idea for 'a six-day race round France' lead to the demise of his old paper. Victor Breyer was the cycling editor for Le Vélo, and he was the first to reconnoitre the route for the 1896 Paris–Roubaix cycle race, which was promoted by the director at the time, Paul Rousseau.
businessmen, Theodore Vienne
and Maurice Perez, contacted Louis Minart, the editor of Le Vélo, and suggested a race from Paris to Roubaix. Minart was enthusiastic but said the decision of whether the paper would run the start and provide publicity belonged to the director, Paul Rousseau. Minart may also have suggested an indirect approach because Vienne and Perez recommended their race not on its own merits but as preparation for another. Rousseau was immediately sold on the notion, and sent his cycling editor Victor Breyer to recce the route on a bicycle. Vienne and Perez wrote:
The first prize represented seven months' wages for a miner. Rousseau was enthusiastic and sent his cycling editor, Victor Breyer, to find a route. Breyer travelled to Amiens
in a Panhard
driven by his colleague, Paul Meyan. The following morning Breyer — later deputy organiser of the Tour de France
and a leading official of the Union Cycliste Internationale
— continued by bike. The wind blew, the rain fell and the temperature dropped. Breyer reached Roubaix filthy and exhausted after a day of riding on disjointed cobbles. He swore he would send a telegram to Minart urging him to drop the idea, saying it was dangerous to send a race the way he had just ridden. But that evening, following a meal and drinks with the team from Roubaix, he changed his mind.
' split French opinion at the turn of the 20th century, causing passionate and physical arguments. Pierre Giffard
, the Director of Le Velo, was a 'left-wing' 'Dreyfusard' while many of the manufacturers who funded the advertisements were anti-Dreyfusards, especially the Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, owner of the De Dion-Bouton
car works. The comte was arrested and spent 15 days in gaol after a melee
at the Auteuil
horse-race course in 1899, because he had struck the President of France (Émile Loubet)
over the head with a walking stick
. Giffard's tone of reporting this led to a group of 'anti-Dreyfusards' including de Dion, Adolphe Clément
and Édouard Michelin
to withdraw advertising. Subsequently, in 1900, they entrusted Henri Desgrange
(editor of Paris-Velo or Le Petit Velo) to create the L'Auto-Velo in direct competition to Le Vélo. The deliberate similarity of the names triggered a court case by Le Vélo for infringement of title, which it duly won on January 16, 1903 and thus L'Auto was renamed.
There are slightly varying reports about the reason for the breakaway of L'Auto. Either the advertisers withdrew their custom whilst planning a paper of their own, or an alternative version has it that Giffard banished them. Either way, Le Vélo was directly involved in a 'circulation war' that only one side could win.
By 1903, in a bid to stem falling circulation, L'Auto launched the initial Tour de France
, and the success of the race boosted its circulation, to the detriment of Le Velo.
In 1904 Le Vélo ceased its activities and L'Auto eventually transmogrified into L'Équipe
in 1944.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sports newspaper from its inception on 1 December 1892 until it ceased publication in 1904. Mixing sports reporting with news and political comment, it achieved a circulation of 80,000 copies a day. Its use of sporting events as promotional tools lead to the creation of the Paris–Roubaix cycle race in 1896, and the popularisation of the Bordeaux–Paris cycle race during the 1890s.
Its demise was a consequence of the creation of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
by L'Auto, a rival newspaper that had been founded in 1900 from the intense animosity generated by the Dreyfus affair
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
. Le Vélo was easily recognised by the green-tinted newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
on which it was published, so L'Auto (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
L'Auto-Vélo) was distinguished by a yellow tint, and thus the 'Yellow Jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
' worn by the leader of the 'Tour de France'.
Personnel
Pierre GiffardPierre Giffard
Pierre Giffard was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organiser...
was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organizer. In 1896, he joined his colleague Paul Rousseau at the head of Le Vélo, where he wrote under the name Arator. Le Vélo was widely considered to be the premier sports newspaper produced in France. He had been a journalist with Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
before becoming editor of Le Petit Journal
Le Petit Journal
Le Petit Journal was a daily Parisian newspaper published from 1863 to 1944. It was founded by Moïse Polydore Millaud. In its columns were published several serial novels of Émile Gaboriau and of Ponson du Terrail.- Publishing :...
, on whose behalf he had created Paris–Brest–Paris in 1891. On 19 July 1896 he organised the first Paris marathon and helped found the Automobile Club de France. As editor of Le Vélo, his opposition to the car-maker Albert de Dion
Albert de Dion
Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion was a pioneer of the automobile industry in France.-His life:...
over the Dreyfus affair led de Dion to create a rival daily, L'Auto.
Géo Lefèvre
Géo Lefèvre
Géo Lefèvre was a French sports journalist and the originator of the idea for the Tour de France.He suggested the idea for the Tour at a meeting with Henri Desgrange, editor of the daily newspaper L'Auto as a way to boost circulation. Desgrange recruited Lefèvre from the rival daily sports paper,...
was a sports journalist who was recruited from Le Vélo, to work as a rugby and cycling correspondent for L'Auto. Lefèvre's idea for 'a six-day race round France' lead to the demise of his old paper. Victor Breyer was the cycling editor for Le Vélo, and he was the first to reconnoitre the route for the 1896 Paris–Roubaix cycle race, which was promoted by the director at the time, Paul Rousseau.
Paris Roubaix
In February 1896 two RoubaixRoubaix
Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:...
businessmen, Theodore Vienne
Théodore Vienne
Théodore Vienne, also known as Théo Vienne, was a textile manufacturer in Roubaix who with Maurice Perez founded the Paris–Roubaix cycle race in 1896. It is one of the oldest cycle races in the world.Vienne was a sports entrepreneur, building Roubaix velodrome and the town's bullfighting ring...
and Maurice Perez, contacted Louis Minart, the editor of Le Vélo, and suggested a race from Paris to Roubaix. Minart was enthusiastic but said the decision of whether the paper would run the start and provide publicity belonged to the director, Paul Rousseau. Minart may also have suggested an indirect approach because Vienne and Perez recommended their race not on its own merits but as preparation for another. Rousseau was immediately sold on the notion, and sent his cycling editor Victor Breyer to recce the route on a bicycle. Vienne and Perez wrote:
Dear M. Rousseau, Bordeaux–Paris is approaching and this great annual event which has done so much to promote cycling has given us an idea. What would you think of a training race which preceded Bordeaux–Paris by four weeks? The distance between Paris and Roubaix is roughly 280km, so it would be child's play for the future participants of Bordeaux–Paris. The finish would take place at the Roubaix vélodrome after several laps of the track. Everyone would be assured of an enthusiastic welcome as most of our citizens have never had the privilege of seeing the spectacle of a major road race and we count on enough friends to believe that Roubaix is truly a hospitable town. As prizes we already have subscribed to a first prize of 1,000 francs in the name of the Roubaix velodrome and we will be busy establishing a generous prize list which will be to the satisfaction of all. But for the moment, can we count on the patronage of Le Vélo and on your support for organising the start?
The first prize represented seven months' wages for a miner. Rousseau was enthusiastic and sent his cycling editor, Victor Breyer, to find a route. Breyer travelled to Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in a Panhard
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
driven by his colleague, Paul Meyan. The following morning Breyer — later deputy organiser of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and a leading official of the Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
— continued by bike. The wind blew, the rain fell and the temperature dropped. Breyer reached Roubaix filthy and exhausted after a day of riding on disjointed cobbles. He swore he would send a telegram to Minart urging him to drop the idea, saying it was dangerous to send a race the way he had just ridden. But that evening, following a meal and drinks with the team from Roubaix, he changed his mind.
The 'Dreyfus affair'
The 'Dreyfus affairDreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
' split French opinion at the turn of the 20th century, causing passionate and physical arguments. Pierre Giffard
Pierre Giffard
Pierre Giffard was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organiser...
, the Director of Le Velo, was a 'left-wing' 'Dreyfusard' while many of the manufacturers who funded the advertisements were anti-Dreyfusards, especially the Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, owner of the De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
car works. The comte was arrested and spent 15 days in gaol after a melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
at the Auteuil
Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy
Auteuil and Passy are part of the 16th arrondissement of Paris. They are located near the Bois de Boulogne and the suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine too....
horse-race course in 1899, because he had struck the President of France (Émile Loubet)
Émile Loubet
Émile François Loubet was a French politician and the 8th President of France.-Early life:He was born the son of a peasant proprietor and mayor of Marsanne . Admitted to the Parisian bar in 1862, he took his doctorate in law the next year...
over the head with a walking stick
Walking stick
A walking stick is a device used by many people to facilitate balancing while walking.Walking sticks come in many shapes and sizes, and can be sought by collectors. Some kinds of walking stick may be used by people with disabilities as a crutch...
. Giffard's tone of reporting this led to a group of 'anti-Dreyfusards' including de Dion, Adolphe Clément
Adolphe Clément
Gustave Adolphe Clément-Bayard was a French entrepreneur...
and Édouard Michelin
Edouard Michelin
Édouard Michelin was a French industrialist. He was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Édouard and his elder brother André served as co-directors of the Michelin company....
to withdraw advertising. Subsequently, in 1900, they entrusted Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins...
(editor of Paris-Velo or Le Petit Velo) to create the L'Auto-Velo in direct competition to Le Vélo. The deliberate similarity of the names triggered a court case by Le Vélo for infringement of title, which it duly won on January 16, 1903 and thus L'Auto was renamed.
There are slightly varying reports about the reason for the breakaway of L'Auto. Either the advertisers withdrew their custom whilst planning a paper of their own, or an alternative version has it that Giffard banished them. Either way, Le Vélo was directly involved in a 'circulation war' that only one side could win.
Advent of the Tour de France and the demise of Le Vélo
Le Vélo, had always achieved good circulation boosts from the cycle races it sponsored, including the second edition of the 1200 km Paris–Brest–Paris in 1901, as well as the yearly Bordeaux–Paris and Paris–Roubaix one-day classics.By 1903, in a bid to stem falling circulation, L'Auto launched the initial Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, and the success of the race boosted its circulation, to the detriment of Le Velo.
In 1904 Le Vélo ceased its activities and L'Auto eventually transmogrified into L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
in 1944.