The jerseys - 42
ITEM N° 177
LELANGUE Robert dit "Bob" (04.02.1940)
Son maillot de l’équipe Faema porté en 1968
Born on 4 February 1940 in Etterbeek, Robert ‘Bob’ Lelangue was a Belgian cyclist who turned professional between 1961 and 1969. He was the Belgian novice champion in 1958 and competed at the 1960 Rome Olympics before turning professional.
A solid and experienced team rider, he notably won the first stage of the 1961 Tour of Luxembourg. In 1968, he joined Faema and supported Eddy Merckx at the start of his period of dominance. After his racing career, Lelangue became a team manager, notably working alongside Merckx at Molteni, before going on to run the Belgian champion’s bicycle company for over twenty years.
This item is a Faema team jersey worn by Robert Lelangue during the 1968 season.
A handwritten dedication and several signatures are visible on the chest. These reinforce the item’s personal provenance and bear witness to the links between Robert Lelangue, the collector and Eddy Merckx’s entourage.
This jersey brings together a Belgian team-mate from the 1960s generation, a team that has become legendary, and Eddy Merckx’s first season riding for Faema. The dedication and signatures also lend it a personal dimension that goes beyond its purely sporting function. Finally, this item serves as a reminder of the vital role played by team-mates, who are often less visible than their leaders but indispensable to their success. It also highlights the career of Bob Lelangue, who moved from the peloton to a role in sports management and then into the world of bicycle manufacturing.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this jersey preserves the memory of the 1968 season and the early days of one of the most famous partnerships in cycling history: Eddy Merckx and the Faema team.
ITEM N° 178
LEMAN Eric (B) (17.07.1946)
Son maillot jaune associé à sa victoire d’étape dans le Dauphiné Libéré 1971
Born on 17 July 1946 in Ledegem, West Flanders, Eric Leman is one of the finest Belgian specialists in the classics and sprint finishes of his generation. A professional from 1968 to 1977, he won the Tour of Flanders three times, in 1970, 1972 and 1973.
His list of achievements also includes five stages of the Tour de France, one stage of the Vuelta a España, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne and numerous victories in Paris–Nice, the Vuelta a Andalucía and Belgian races. A powerful and resilient rider, he was equally adept at tackling cobbled climbs as he was at finishing a race in a sprint.
This item is a yellow jersey from the 1971 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, associated with Eric Leman and his victory in the first half-stage contested between Orange and Tournon-sur-Rhône. This yellow jersey brings together one of the great Flemish classics specialists, two stage victories in the 1971 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and a rare example of a distinctive jersey from the early 1970s.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this jersey commemorates Eric Leman’s two victories in the 1971 Dauphiné Libéré and preserves the memory of a rider who, with his three victories in the Tour of Flanders, remains one of the great figures of Belgian cycling.
ITEM N° 183
LE MOND Greg (U.S.A)
(26.06.1961)
Son maillot jaune porté sur le Tour de France 1989
Born on 26 June 1961 in Lakewood, California, Greg LeMond was the first great American road cycling champion. A well-rounded rider, an excellent climber and a remarkable time-trial specialist, he became world champion in 1983, then won the Tour de France in 1986 – a first for a non-European rider.
Seriously injured in a hunting accident in April 1987, he was sidelined from the Tour for two years. His triumphant return in 1989 stands as one of the most famous feats in sporting history. He went on to win a third Tour in 1990 and a second world title in 1989.
At the start of the 1989 Tour, Greg LeMond was not considered one of the main favourites. Following his hunting accident and two seasons almost entirely lost, many still doubted his ability to return to the highest level. His relatively modest ADR team had, in fact, signed him late in the season. On 6 July, he spring a first surprise by winning the time trial on the fifth stage, between Dinard and Rennes. He finished well ahead of the specialists and claimed the yellow jersey. In the Pyrenees, Laurent Fignon attacked at Superbagnères and took the lead in the Tour with a lead of just seven seconds. LeMond then reclaimed the yellow jersey during the uphill time trial between Gap and Orcières-Merlette, before losing it again in the Alps. The final stage, held on 23 July between Versailles and the Champs-Élysées, was a 24.5-kilometre individual time trial. LeMond completed the course in 26 minutes and 57 seconds. Fignon, who started last whilst wearing the yellow jersey, finished 58 seconds behind. The American thus overturned the general classification and won the Tour by a margin of just eight seconds – the narrowest gap ever recorded between the top two riders in the race.
This jersey brings together the iconic symbol of the Tour de France, one of the most extraordinary comebacks in sporting history, and the closest victory ever recorded in the Tour.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this jersey serves as a reminder of the 1989 Tour de France, won by Greg LeMond following an exceptional duel with Laurent Fignon and a final time trial that has gone down in legend.
