René de Latour
Encyclopedia
René de Latour was a Franco-American sports journalist, race director of the Tour de l'Avenir
cycle race, and correspondent of the British magazine, Sporting Cyclist
, to which he contributed to 120 of the 131 issues.
, and his mother Belgian, from Verviers
. The family returned to France at the start of World War I, when de Latour was eight. He never lost a slight American accent when he spoke English.
The war was an exciting time for a young boy and de Latour made the most of that and his freedom. In 1917 he met American soldiers in Paris and became their interpreter and guide. He took them to the Folies Bergères
when he was 11. His American links gave him an interest in baseball but it was cycling
that filled his life.
, an indoor track close to the Eiffel Tower
. There he met the Canadian star, Willie Spencer, becoming not just interpreter and guide but his odd-job boy, or runner, during races. He boasted that that was the last time he ever paid to enter the velodrome
.
De Latour shared a bike with his brother until he was 15. The next year he saved for his own and then joined the Club Sportif de Montrouge
, in southern Paris. He became a modest racer but nothing better. At 20, French law gave him the opportunity to decide his nationality. He could be American through his birth in the USA or French through his father. He chose to be French and spent 18 months in the army.
He returned to the Vel' d'Hiv' on leaving national service
and again looked after Americans, including the motor-paced champion, Charlie Jaeger. That brought him a job with Reggie McNamara
during six-day races and eventually as trainer, or at any rate advisor, to Hubert Opperman
in the Tour de France
.
in 1932. He was recruited by the chief cycling writer, Gaston Benac. He helped Benac find the route for the first Grand Prix des Nations
.
He moved to L'Équipe
, for which he not only wrote but directed the Tour de l'Avenir
for 10 years. He said the highlight of his career was being taken for dinner by Fausto Coppi
and hearing from him of his dispute and rivalry with Gino Bartali
.
, who recruited de Latour for Sporting Cyclist and took him to International Cycle Sport after Sporting Cyclist 's closure, described de Latour as "an undemonstrative man who may appear sullen. His humour is dry and, to an Englishman, rather stern;"
The British journalist Ron White once asked de Latour what happened to the British riders in the Tour de l'Avenir. De Latour answered, without looking up: "I don't know - I wasn't that far back."
De Latour often travelled by scooter
, usually a Vespa
. He paced Fausto Coppi during his warm-up for the world hour record at the Vigorelli track in Milan. De Latour was the last editor of Vespa Journal while he was still working at L'Équipe
He wrote a novel, Le Mort mène le Peloton (death leads the race) in 1951 and, in English, World Champions I Have Known
. He had a stroke and developed dementia
. He died aged 79.
Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
cycle race, and correspondent of the British magazine, Sporting Cyclist
Sporting Cyclist
Sporting Cyclist was a British cycling A4-sized magazine originally called Coureur. It began in 1957 and closed after 131 issues in October 1968.-Coureur:...
, to which he contributed to 120 of the 131 issues.
Background
René de Latour was born in 42nd Street, New York. His father was French, born in LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, and his mother Belgian, from Verviers
Verviers
Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy...
. The family returned to France at the start of World War I, when de Latour was eight. He never lost a slight American accent when he spoke English.
The war was an exciting time for a young boy and de Latour made the most of that and his freedom. In 1917 he met American soldiers in Paris and became their interpreter and guide. He took them to the Folies Bergères
Folies Bergères
The Folies Bergère established in 1869 in Paris, France, is a music hall which was at the height of its fame and popularity from the 1890s through the 1920s. the institution is still in business.-History:...
when he was 11. His American links gave him an interest in baseball but it was cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
that filled his life.
Cycling
The venue for cycle-racing in the centre of Paris was the Vélodrome d'HiverVélodrome d'hiver
The Vélodrome d'Hiver , colloquially Vel' d'Hiv, was an indoor bicycle racing cycle track and stadium on rue Nélaton, not far from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. As well as track cycling, it was used for ice hockey, wrestling, boxing, roller-skating, circuses, spectaculars, and demonstrations...
, an indoor track close to the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
. There he met the Canadian star, Willie Spencer, becoming not just interpreter and guide but his odd-job boy, or runner, during races. He boasted that that was the last time he ever paid to enter the velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
.
De Latour shared a bike with his brother until he was 15. The next year he saved for his own and then joined the Club Sportif de Montrouge
Montrouge
Montrouge is a commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the center of Paris, France. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe...
, in southern Paris. He became a modest racer but nothing better. At 20, French law gave him the opportunity to decide his nationality. He could be American through his birth in the USA or French through his father. He chose to be French and spent 18 months in the army.
He returned to the Vel' d'Hiv' on leaving national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
and again looked after Americans, including the motor-paced champion, Charlie Jaeger. That brought him a job with Reggie McNamara
Reggie McNamara
Reggie McNamara was an Australian cyclist known as a roughhouse velodrome rider with a string of dramatic crashes and broken bones over 20 years. He was known as the Iron Man...
during six-day races and eventually as trainer, or at any rate advisor, to Hubert Opperman
Hubert Opperman
Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman, OBE , referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim....
in 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...
.
Journalism
René de Latour's byline first appeared in Paris-SoirParis-Soir
Paris-Soir was a large-circulation daily newspaper in Paris, France from 1923-1944.Its first issue came out in 4 October 1923. After June 11, 1940, the same publisher, Jean Prouvost, continued its publication in Vichy France: Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Marseille, and Vichy while in occupied Paris, it...
in 1932. He was recruited by the chief cycling writer, Gaston Benac. He helped Benac find the route for the first Grand Prix des Nations
Grand Prix des Nations
The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial for professional racing cyclists. Held annually in France, it was instituted in 1932 and often regarded as the unofficial time trial championship of the world and as a Classic cycle race. The race was the idea of a Parisian newspaper editor...
.
He moved to 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...
, for which he not only wrote but directed the Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
for 10 years. He said the highlight of his career was being taken for dinner by Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi, , was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions...
and hearing from him of his dispute and rivalry with Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
.
Personality
Jock WadleyJock Wadley
John Borland Wadley was an English journalist whose magazines and reporting opened Continental cycle racing to fans in Britain....
, who recruited de Latour for Sporting Cyclist and took him to International Cycle Sport after Sporting Cyclist 's closure, described de Latour as "an undemonstrative man who may appear sullen. His humour is dry and, to an Englishman, rather stern;"
The British journalist Ron White once asked de Latour what happened to the British riders in the Tour de l'Avenir. De Latour answered, without looking up: "I don't know - I wasn't that far back."
De Latour often travelled by scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
, usually a Vespa
Vespa
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian.The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A...
. He paced Fausto Coppi during his warm-up for the world hour record at the Vigorelli track in Milan. De Latour was the last editor of Vespa Journal while he was still working at L'Équipe
He wrote a novel, Le Mort mène le Peloton (death leads the race) in 1951 and, in English, World Champions I Have Known
Retirement and death
De Latour retired at the start of the 1980s to a cottage with a library in QuiberonQuiberon
Quiberon is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon...
. He had a stroke and developed dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
. He died aged 79.