Hi All,
I'm trying to solve a Cycling Mystery, so here are some questions for the cycling historians among us...
Some years ago, I purchased a vintage cycling medal from a reputable dealer. It marks some 1924 fete (honorific, celebration, festival, or event) connected with Francois Faber, the first non-French rider to win the Tour de France.
What I'd like to know is more about the event, how it relates to Faber, and why it was significant enough for the organizers to contract with a well-known medalier for a bespoke commemorative.
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Here's what I know already...
This bronze medal is only 50mm in diameter, yet contains all the detail shown in the photos below. I have learned -- and confirmed -- it was made and signed in 1924 (88 years ago) by the Swiss medal-maker, Huguenin Brothers, located in Le Locle, Switzerland (the date correlates to Huguenin work of the era). It is a bronze commemorative medal for a festival honoring Francois Faber the first "foreign" (non-French) winner of the Tour de France, in 1909.
The sculptor, Huguenin, was a watch engraver, and it shows. In the photos I took, you can see the trees in the distance near a river, even the cobbles or pave' in the road behind the rider, as well as the angel's robes. He even included the proper bicycle details for the era (look at those slack frame angles and saddle mounting pin). The reverse side is as detailed. Remarkable.
The medal refers to 15 August 1924 (I think I'm reading it correctly) as some festival honoring Luxembourg cyclist Francois Faber. Faber won the 1909 Tour de France overall and placed well in a number of others before retiring from the Peugeot team about a decade before the date on the medal. Sadly, he died at age 28 in 1915 when he was shot as a Legionnaire serving in World War One. There seem to be two stories related to his death: In one, he was shot as he rose from the trenches in joy upon receiving news from his wife, announcing the birth of his child. The other story has him being shot and killed as he carried a wounded comrade to safety. Either seems possible; he was large for his era at 6'1" and 200 pounds, and was known as the Giant of Colombe (after his birthplace in France; he took his nationality from his father, who was from Luxembourg) and for eating cold pork chops to fuel his rides. Overall, Faber was a remarkable rider and person, and there are a number of interesting accounts of his rides published online. Here are a couple links to short stories about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Faber...and...
http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/aug05/top25-21.htmlTry as I might, I cannot find more about the event listed on the reverse of the medal. I used Google Translate to write a bilingual query to the Colombe Municipal Library, located just outside Paris, and to the Colombe cycling club, but no luck getting a reply from either. I also wrote a couple more French parties specializing in medal collections, but no one seems to have any idea as to where this celebration took place or how it relates to Faber. Huguenin still make medals and maintain an archive of their works, but I have received no reply to my emailed inquiries. I have seen very similar medals with less detail struck in silver and offered as commemoratives for Italian race-winners well after the date indicated on this one.
I have learned there is an annual bike race in Luxembourg in Faber's honor. There have been a couple in-depth biographies written about Faber, including one with the cooperation of his family, but they are unreadable by me due to my limited foreign-language skills. The dealer could shed no light as to the event being commemorated.
Faber was shot and killed on 9 May 1915, the first day of the Battle of Artois at Carency near Arras in World War I. Trying to get an answer from that angle, I found the old battlefield around Arras is still commemorated, with a number of the original distance markers used during the battle, and some of the scenes of the area shown in Google Images look remarkably like those in the background on the face of the medal. There is/was an historical and remembrance society dedicated to those who died in that battle, but an inquiry to them remains unanswered after two years and now their website is offline. A successor site,
http://www.voie-sacree.com/index.php/en/ is dedicated to La Voie Sacre'e (The Sacred Way) commemorating the supply route into Verdun. The Sacred Way is marked by signposts that closely resemble those shown in the background on the medal face (left of Faber's image, inline with his elbow; see attached photo from the Dutch Wikipedia entry for La Voie Sacre'e). The other other object nearer the rider's elbow closely resembles photos I've seen of a dome-topped mausoleum visible from the Sacred Way. Though Arras is some distance from Verdun, the Sacred Way is now commemorated by a run-walk torch relay from Paris to Verdun, so perhaps there is a connection through Arras? Might Faber have been honored for his sacrifice in service at Arras? Could the cyclist on the medal be riding the Sacred Way, protected by an angel? Were cyclists used in the supply lines, perhaps as swift couriers? Might one have been Faber?
So many questions!
Any thoughts, ideas? No matter how outlandish or improbable, they might serve as a clue so I can put this mystery to rest. What was the fete on that date in 1924...? And where (France, Luxembourg, or...)? And how did it relate to Faber? For that matter, what does the scene on the front depict?
My best and thanks in advance,
Dan.
