Jacques Augendre has died on the age of 99. He coated 55 editions of the Tour de France, a file which he, because the “reminiscence of the Tour de France” and a historian of sport, knew solely too nicely however he took little satisfaction from it. “I like biking, I like writing” he stated and was capable of make a protracted profession out of each.
Born in 1925, he spent the primary a part of his childhood in Franconville, a Parisian suburb. Journalism started aged 12 when he launched a faculty newspaper, till stopped by a instructor involved this was crowding out education. Pissed off, he swore to himself he’d turn out to be a bicycle owner or a journalist as he later advised Le Figaro.
Philippe Augendre was a promising racer whose shot at a profession in biking was partly undone by conflict in 1914. He remained a eager follower and son Jacques grew up taking an early shine to Antonin Magne, the 1931 and 1934 Tour de France winner, “the incarnation of loyalty” and early appreciation for the romantic aspect of the game.
If Augendre would later chronicle French historical past, he first lived it. In 1940 he was amongst thousands and thousands who fled the German invasion of France on the threat of being bombed and machine-gunned by the Luftwaffe. Augendre made it to Bressuire, “with luck, virtually miraculously” he advised Ouest-France, a small city the place his father opened a butcher’s store. This remained in occupied France and Augendre stated they needed to get used to the sound of trainers and Nazi hymns.
He joined the Vélo Membership Bressuirais. In 1943 he rode the Premier Pas Dunlop, the de facto French junior championship. Gathering his quantity on the eve of the race he noticed a rival with an uncommon bicycle. Augendre recalled seeing “this beanpole” with a “double pulley derailleur” on his bike, then solely utilized by cyclotouristes and pondering to himself “at the least I received’t be final“. Solely the beanpole was Raphaël Geminiani who labored his derailleur over the hilly course to win, beating three time Tour de France winner Louison Bobet. Ending thirty second, Augendre would go for the press room.
After coaching as a typograhper-printer, he began work at Témoignage Chrétien, a resistance newspaper persevering with to print within the post-war period. Then joined L’Equipe upon its launch in 1946 when it was created out of L’Auto. He coated novice sport and waited till 1949 to be “chosen” for that yr’s Tour, his phrase, using the identical vocabulary as a rider. He began out as a télégraphiste, taking a colleague’s written report back to a submit workplace and dictating the article to a ready stenographer. However he was greater than a gopher, travelling in a Renault 4CV every day he wrote the “Drama on the Again” column about incidents and mishaps behind the race every day, “tales of squashed cats and canines” he quipped.
Working for L’Equipe meant privileged entry on the Tour de France: much less the home newspaper of the Tour, extra the home race of the newspaper. Jacques Goddet managed the race and the paper alike. Augendre turned a lead reporter and rode in “Automotive 101”, L’Equipe’s chauffeured car, successfully the lead automobile for the media through the age of print. He accompanied Pierre Chany and Antoine Blondin, seeing up shut Blondin’s antics and writing alike (that’s him within the picture beneath from Presse Sports activities on the left with Chany within the hat and Blondin to the proper).
In 1960 Augendre interviewed Henri Anglade who made a dig at his French staff mate Roger Rivière after he’d ridden towards him:
“Rivière goes to make errors. What I fear about is even worse for him. He’s going to try to observe Nencini down the mountain passes and I concern that in the future he doesn’t make it“
Augendre famous this however didn’t go to print with it. Solely the phrases proved prophetic when Nencini attacked down the Col du Perjuret and Rivière adopted solely crash and maintain spinal accidents that left him paraplegic.
Automotive 101 gave Augendre a entrance row seat for the Anquetil vs Poulidor duels within the Nineteen Sixties, he was tasked with being impartial however later stated Poulidor was a agency favorite, though admired Anquetil too. Managed by Antonin Magne of his boyhood heroism, Poulidor’s stoic aspect appealed to Augendre.
The L’Equipe years got here to an finish in 1965 when the paper made a wave of redundancies. After spells for varied native newspapers and companies, he joined Le Monde, in no way a sports activities newspaper however duty-bound to cowl the Tour de France through the Seventies. He continued to savour the game, having fun with the Seventies and Eighties alike.
The enjoyment waned by the Nineties, he stated Miguel Indurain didn’t excite him and he lamented the arrival of staff buses and the misplaced contact with riders. By now his expertise made him a go-to within the press room for journalists, a clearing alternate of anecdotes, a strolling Wikipedia for information, all lengthy earlier than these could possibly be retrieved on-line. Was this yr’s Tour a classic version? Monsieur Augendre was the one to ask and he’d cite 1964 and 1989 because the requirements to check towards. He retired from the Tour press room within the Nineties aged 65.
Retirement didn’t imply the tip of labor. He dabbled as a motoring journalist and stayed in biking. L’Equipe stays required studying in July however by now tv was well-established because the dominant medium. If a journalist can file an 800 phrase article, TV commentators want tens of 1000’s of phrases a day and to assist them in 1991 Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc invited Augendre to tackle a brand new position because the historian of the Tour de France, of kinds as he labored for the race organisers Société du Tour (now ASO), racking up extra years on the race each July.
He compiled the information historique of the Tour de France, stuffed with experiences, statistics and anecdotes (and downloadable as a PDF right here). He additionally did the information touristique, one other indispensable device for media on the race (since 2006 produced by François Thomazeau who English audio system could know from The Biking Podcast).
Liberation, a newspaper, branded Augendre the “Jules Michelet of biking” in tribute to the writer of the 19 quantity Historical past of France. If Augendre didn’t write 19 books he in all probability got here shut and a few have been translated internationally. All these roles appeared good for him.
After 55 excursions, France turned a palimpsest of occasions and anecdotes. The reporter who started on the Tour writing from the again of the peloton discovered himself trying additional behind:
It’s stated you may’t cross the plains of the Languedoc with out looking for the aircraft tree by which Zaaf slumped. You possibly can’t hurtle down the Aubisque with out pondering of Van Est in his ravine. It’s true, for me, I believe extra concerning the Excursions of the previous than the one at the moment– L’Equipe, July 2018
