Paraic Morrissey made a very special trip to France last summer, to put the Orwell kit in its rightful place among the great jerseys of the cycling world. Have a read of his tale below!
As our winter spins are well under way now, and that dreaded season still has its hold on us, thoughts sometimes turn to warmer weather. Back when we had a summer, my holidays found me in France with my Val, my Beloved Other Half. As it’s her home country, we stayed with her family about 100km outside Bordeaux. Beautiful scenery all around, right in the heart of wine country. It was harvest time and there was much work afoot.
We had planned our trip for a few months, and I was told there would be a surprise for me during our stay. I was a tad curious. It might be bike related, as her family know I’ve thrown a leg over a crossbar from time to time. A few days before Aer Lingus took us to our destination, an email from our hosts Muriel et Patrick informed me that a bike had been borrowed from a friend of theirs for my use. Fantastic. Since we’ve been visiting the area for a few years now, I’ve had a yen to ramble around the countryside on a velo, doing my own Tour des Vignobles. It’s a bit complicated to bring my own, what with not driving or owning a car. This here was my chance to ride around the place. I figured I’d better bring my pedals and shoes with me just to be sure I could use the bike. And Orwell kit. Have to show the colours, you know.
So I knew my “surprise” before departure. I was really looking forward to working on my cyclist’s tan in temperatures of over 30°C. That kind of heat ticks all my boxes.
It wasn’t all about the bike, though. We did a few magical mystery tours of the region, kindly driven by our hosts. One such trip involved turning up outside a small country church. Standard tourist fare – people visit churches, large and small, when on holidays. The church was called Notre Dame des Cyclistes. I thought, hang on, I’ve heard of this place! This is kid in a sweetshop time. This was the real surprise I had been promised. The church is the National Cyclists Sanctuary and Museum of France. It’s located in La Bastide D’Armagnac, Aquitaine.
There is a statue of Notre Dame in front, before you reach the penny farthing inlaid wrought iron gates. The statue has a prayer for cyclists on the front of the plinth. There is dedication to Luis Ocana, the Spanish 1973 Tour de France winner who lived in the area, on another side. A third side is for Andre Darrigade who still lives in the vicinity. He was World Champion in 1959.
In the porch of the church, there is a desk behind which sits Madame Cafford, guide and receptionist. You can just wander about on your own or you can have a chat with her. My eye was drawn to some posters on the wall behind her. They were from Miroir du Cyclisme, a now defunct French magazine. One of the riders featured was Joop Zoetemelk. He won the first Tour de France I can remember following. If you’re curious, you can google it to see the year!
There are many, many jerseys hanging on the walls. Some are in display cabinets, others are on clothes hangers suspended from rails high up. They belonged to the giants of the sport. There is a rainbow jersey worn by Merckx. You can also see a Tommy Simpson jersey. There is a display on the right side wall, just before you go into the main body of the building, with Yellow Jerseys of recent Tour de France winners among whom are Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck.
You also see some bikes from early in the last century. Not very sophisticated, more like tanks to the modern eye. But you can only work with the materials you have, and races were won on machines such as these.
The last item of note I saw before entering the main body of the church was a poster of TDF winners until sometime in the “Armstrong era”, whatever you think of those years. I forget exactly what was the last year featured. However, I did point out to those within earshot that one of the pictured riders is a member of our club. Call that my Charlie-Haughey-on-the-podium-in-Paris moment if you like!
Once in the church proper, there are literally hundreds of jerseys on the walls. It’s a truly spectacular view. As I strolled about taking in my surroundings, I saw framed posters on the walls. These are under the jerseys, at head height for anybody sitting in the pews. They all have the Hail Mary printed on them. Not all in French, mind you. This may be a French museum, but the many languages on the walls are testament to an international reach. You’ll find oriental scripts along with English, German, Flemish, etc.
http://www.orwellwheelers.org/leisure/news/741-a-jersey-story
Paraic in the main part of the church - behind him at right are Patrick & Muriel, originators of the trip
The stained glass windows are not all as you’d expect in a church. There is, of course, the eponymous Notre Dame. But you’ll also see our friend Ocana here, clad in yellow. Two others feature depictions of famous cycling photos. Anquetil and Poulidor literally shoulder to shoulder on the Puy de Dome in the 1956 Tour. Also you can see the Italians Coppi and Bartalli, bitter rivals, sharing a drink from a bidon.
After finishing my wander around the church, I headed towards the exit. There Madame Cafford and Other Half Val were in conversation. I was summoned to join them. An extra Orwell jersey had, unknown to me, come on holidays with us in addition to the one I packed. But this jersey was destined to remain when we departed. After being signed by me, it joined the 700 others on display. We took a few photos before it went on the wall. Normally photography is strictly forbidden, but in view of the distance we had travelled, an exception was made for us.
Can you spot the Orwell jersey?
It’s really great to have an Orwell jersey on these famous walls. If you ever have a chance, check this place out.
