Lucien Petit-Breton

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Lucien Petit-Breton

Lucien Mazan (born October 18, 1882 in Plessé , † December 20, 1917 in Troyes ) was a French cyclist . He became known under the name Petit-Breton (little Breton ). He was also called “the elegant Argentine”.

Life

Lucien Mazan's family immigrated to Argentina when he was two years old. He won his first racing bike in a lottery. However, his father was against his son's sports career because he believed that racing cyclists were like circus clowns. For this reason Mazan took the name "Breton" after his homeland, Brittany . He celebrated his first successes on the track . At the age of 17 he became the Argentine track cycling champion. In 1905 - his father has meanwhile approved of the sport - he set a new hour record in Paris with 41.110 kilometers and thus caused an international sensation for the first time.

Mazan moved back to France with his parents in Brittany and lived there in Poudrantais ; he married in Vallet . He became a professional cyclist. However, this required a name change, as there was already a racing driver named Breton in France; it received the addition "Petit".

The "little Breton", who is considered the first time trial specialist, was one of the best riders in the heroic era of cycling. On the ninth stage of the 1907 Tour de France , he took the lead in the overall standings with a 250-kilometer solo journey between Bayonne and Bordeaux . He took over the leadership of Émile Georget , his comrade from the Peugeot team, and did not give it up until the end of the tour in Paris . In 1908 he had little competition to fear. He started again in the Peugeot team, took the lead on the second stage and was able to hold onto it. The Peugeot team won all stages of this tour. With this victory Mazan was the first double winner of the young Tour de France.

In the years 1906 to 1908, at the height of his career, he also won other famous cycling races such as the classics Paris – Tours and Milan – Sanremo . After not taking part in the Tour de France in 1909, he was unable to build on his previous successes in the following years.

During the First World War , Petit-Breton was hit by a truck on the Ardennes front. He died from his injuries at the age of 35 and is buried in Pénestin .

Honors

Many traces of Mazan can still be found in Brittany today. For example, a plaque with the inscription "Maison natale de Lucien Mazan - Vainqueur de Tour de France 1907 et 1908" was attached to the house where he was born in Plessé and a street in the village was named "Rue Petit Breton".

In St. Herblain (not to be confused with Saint-Herblain ), a western part of Nantes , is the "Stade Vélodrome Petit-Breton". Rugby is now played in this former cycling stadium . In the oval of the sports facility there is a memorial stone donated by the Argentine Cycling Association in honor of Mazan.

In Pénestin today the association "Les amis de Petit-Breton" is based, which tries to preserve his memory, and in the village of Vallet a variety of wine was named after him.

Placements in the Tour de France

Palmarès

Web links

Commons : Lucien Petit-Breton  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Petit-Breton, Lucien
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mazan, Lucien; Petit-Breton (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH October 18, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH Plessé (France)
DATE OF DEATH December 20, 1917
Place of death Troyes