Paul de Vivie

Paul de Vivie (born April 29, 1853 in Pernes-les-Fontaines , † March 4, 1930 in Saint-Étienne ), called Vélocio , was the editor of the cycling magazine Le Cycliste and a pioneer of cycle tourism and long-distance cycling .

Life

Paul de Vivie was born in the town of Pernes-les-Fontaines in the Vaucluse department . His father Edmond de Vivie comes from an old noble family from Gascony and was a postmaster; his mother Marthe Roman comes from Arles .

He lived in Tarascon and Meyzieu and attended secondary school in Lachassagne near Lyon until 1870. He then worked as a merchant in a silk factory; there he was finally given the chance to open a branch in Saint-Étienne, where he married in 1876.

In 1881 he sat on a bicycle for the first time; he then became secretary of the Club des cyclistes stéphanois , and on July 9, 1882 organized the first bicycle race in the region. Since the silk trade often took him to England , he was able to get to know the high quality of the bicycles made there. He then founded the La Gauloise bicycle manufacturer in 1882 and the Agence Générale Vélocipédique in 1886 . He also founded the magazine Le cycliste Forézien in 1887 , which was renamed Le Cycliste in 1888 . He signed his articles in this magazine with the name Vélocio .

In 1889 he campaigned for the founding of the Touring Club de France , modeled on the British Cyclists' Touring Club . This association already had more than 500 members in 1890. He also undertook numerous long bike tours himself and is considered to be the inventor of the term cyclotourisme (= bicycle tourism).

In addition to cycling, de Vivie was also interested in Esperanto , the language used for communication on cycling trips abroad. He was also a vegetarian and demonstrated to his fellow human beings that with such a diet one can ride a bike vigorously and live healthily.

On February 27, 1930, he collided with a tram in Saint-Étienne , fell into a coma and finally died on March 4 of his severe head injuries. His grave is in the Loyasse cemetery in Lyon .

A monument is dedicated to him on the Col de la République (national road 82, 17 kilometers from Saint-Étienne); this is also the destination of the Montée chronométrée du Col de la République , an annual race that starts in Saint-Étienne at the Rond-Point Vélocio roundabout .

Invention of the gear shift

When Paul de Vivie cycled up the Col de la République in 1889, he was overtaken by a reader of his magazine - while he was smoking a pipe. That annoyed him; With a lower gear ratio he could have cycled uphill faster, but would be slower on the flat. He then attached two chainrings to the crank to have both options. In 1906 he added additional sprockets to the rear wheel and invented the derailleur to be able to change the gear ratio while driving. However, he did not patent his invention, so that he could hardly make any financial profit from it.

Other cyclists apparently weren't always enthusiastic about the gears; For example, Henri Desgrange , the organizer of the Tour de France , wrote in L'Auto magazine that a gear shift would only be suitable for disabled people and women. However, De Vivie could not be dissuaded and every morning cycled on the Col de la République to hang out cyclists without gears.

Some of his constructions can be seen today in the Musée d'art et d'industrie de Saint-Étienne .

Seven Commandments of Long Distance Cycling

De Vivie demonstrated that you can cycle very long stages (he rode for up to 40 hours at a time), and summarized his experience in the following principles:

1. Rare and short breaks so that the pulse does not collapse.
2. Light and frequent meals; eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty.
3. Never go to the point of complete exhaustion, which is expressed by loss of appetite and insomnia.
4. Dress warmly before you freeze, undress before you sweat, and don't be afraid to expose your skin to the sun, air and rain.
5. At least avoid wine, meat and tobacco on the way.
6. Forcing nothing to stay within one's means; Especially in the first few hours you are easily tempted to exert yourself because you feel in top shape.
7. Never drive out of showing off.