Newspaper courier's race : crowd at the crossing of Place de Clichy
The first finisher, Mougenot, who was disqualified
The women's winnner, Mme. Athanase
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Newspaper courier's race : crowd at the crossing of Place de Clichy |
The first finisher, Mougenot, who was disqualified |
The women's winnner, Mme. Athanase |
Year after year, the success of the Critérium des Porteurs de Journaux - which took place on the capital's streets on Sunday morning for the fifth time - seems to increase tangibly. A record number of competitors were lined up for the start of this year's race in the rue Réaumur, and along the course as well as around the eight checkpoints, a record number of spectators turned out to watch the race, organised by l'Intran and l'Echo des Sports.
It's reached the point that if, in the future, the popularity of the race continues to increase, the organisers will find themselves forced either to abandon the race, or at least to adopt a less busy route (the Tour of Paris, for example)!... One can hardly imagine the congestion created along the course of the race, despite the imposing presence of the forces of law and order, by the curious onlookers eager to see the race, and by the innumerable vehicles of all types attempting to follow the acrobatic efforts of the competitors. The crowds in the streets are such that there's little hope of even seeing the action, and you really become aware of the skill, coolness, and decisiveness that these "roule-toujours" have to deploy. On their heavy work bikes, loaded down with a 15kg bundle of newspapers, the couriers zig-zag in all directions, weaving between the cars with frightening audacity, and completing the 27km course at a disconcerting pace. Near the Porte Maillot a well known road racer who had been out training and happened to be there with his fine machine wanted to try to join them for a while; but after a few hundred metres he preferred to become a simple spectator once more, saying that "on this course it's best not to mix it with the bike messengers".
The most notable of the competitors was, incontestably, Mougenot, who managed to drop his adversaries one by one just after the place de Clichy after 4km of racing. But the thin, wiry courier, whose suppleness and grace were quite remarkable, and whose lead increased with every passing kilometre, failed to pick up the token from the checkpoint at the passage de La Villette-Jean-Jaurés, and at the finish at the place du Tertre had the unpleasant surprise of being told that, in accordance with the strict regulations, he was disqualified. Victory therefore went to the second arrival, Dutot who, in the end, made a very good comeback. He covered the 27 km in the excellent time of 56'34".
Next Sunday, January 26th, the porteurs de journaux will hold their annual critérium on a course defined by the four cardinal points that are, for Paris, the porte Maillot, the place d'Italie, the place de la Nation and the butte Montmartre.
There will be almost 200 at the start, their number growing every year, the rivals of one year being also the rivals of the next, with young riders reinforcing the the imposing group.
The battle is always ardent and from the porte Maillot positions are taken from the start, dictated by long-prepared tactics. Because, if for the considerable crowd which follows this race every year, the spectacle of the porteurs, in their daily dress, on their work bikes, battling it out at 29 km/h, is engaging and even exciting, the competition, for the racers, has considerable importance, and individually, every racer would like to win. The prize, furthermore, is worth enough that good effort is made to win it. And all the members of each team also think of the challenge de Petit Parisien which will reward the best effort of each team.
The race organized every year by l'Echo des Sports and l'Intransigeant is a very popular event. The racers live amongst the crowd every day. The Parisian clubs help in its realization through the organization of controls. And it has as its terminus the butte Montmartre - which takes pride in having been established as a free commune, through the efforts of many Parisians.
Crossing the pont d'Austerlitz
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The despair of the disqualified Mougenot |
The start from the offices of l'Intran |
The smile of the victor Dutot |
The success found by the Critérium des porteurs, organized by l'Echo des Sports and l'Intransigeant, was larger than in previous years. The race was Incredibly lively, though from the beginning the young Mougenot escaped and finished without being caught. The rules state officially that passage through a control must be verified by a token and that the nine tokens so collected must be delivered by the racer at the finish. In his excitement, Mougenot failed to take the token handed to him at the control of Villette-Jaurès. It was also a big mistake, his error having been indicated to him, not to return quickly to take his token of passage; his lead at that moment was still sufficient to allow him the liberty of losing a minute. He did not win purely by this minute, but he would have been able to compete for the win with the one who, following him, could use it, and who had raced, incidentally, quite well.
Dutot and his teammate Bernard were in second and third position since the third control, barely leading their adversaries who formed a group in which the representatives of l'Intransigeant were dominant. The team race was being perfectly ridden by the team of the blue and red jerseys. The individual classification put the first of their representatives in third position.
The young Dutot had already raced on the road and performed remarkably there. He will be a soldier in three months, and his win pleased him all the more as it represented his ability to deal with difficulties as a levelheaded young serviceman.
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