Race vehicle identification plates - 10
ITEM N° 688
Number plate from the 1982 Tour de France promotional convoy
This number plate relates to the 1982 Tour de France, the sixty-ninth edition of the Grande Boucle, which took place from 2 to 25 July 1982. It is part of the world of the advertising caravan, that long procession of promotional vehicles which precedes the riders and has been one of the most popular features of the Tour since the 1930s.
The object bears the inscriptions ‘Tour de France 1982’ and ‘Advertising Caravan’, accompanied by the names of several newspapers associated with the event: *Le Parisien libéré*, *L’Équipe* and *La Dernière Heure–Les Sports*. Its central illustration depicts a cyclist surrounded by the emblems of the Tour de France. The handwritten number 67 was presumably used to identify the vehicle or its position within the caravan.
The 1982 edition was won by the Frenchman Bernard Hinault, riding for the Renault–Elf–Gitane team. He topped the general classification ahead of the Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk, who finished 6 minutes 21 seconds behind, and Johan van der Velde, third at 8 minutes 59 seconds. Hinault brought his Tour to a brilliant conclusion by winning the final stage on the Champs-Élysées in a sprint, whilst wearing the yellow jersey.
This victory was the fourth of Bernard Hinault’s five Tour de France wins, following his triumphs in 1978, 1979 and 1981, and preceding his final victory in 1985. It also crowned an exceptional season during which the Breton champion achieved the prestigious Giro d’Italia–Tour de France double.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël Grégoire Collections, this plaque bears witness both to the practical organisation of the Tour and to its history in advertising and the media. It preserves the memory of a caravan that has become an integral part of the Grande Boucle and of Bernard Hinault’s fourth victory in the Tour de France.
ITEM N° 689
Service vehicle number plate from the 1983 Giro del Piemonte and Giro di Lombardia
This number plate is notable for having been used in two major Italian cycle races held just two days apart: the 71st Giro del Piemonte, held on 13 October 1983, and the 77th Giro di Lombardia, held on the following 15 October. It illustrates how certain technical or media vehicles could accompany several successive events.
Designed in the distinctive colours of *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, the plate lists the routes Novara–Novara for the Giro del Piemonte and Brescia–Como for the Giro di Lombardia. The central panel bears the number 85 and the word ‘Radiotelevisione’, identifying a vehicle assigned to the radio and television services responsible for covering both races.
The 1983 Giro del Piemonte was won by the Italian Guido Bontempi, a member of the Inoxpran–Lumenflon team. At the end of the 199-kilometre race around Novara, he beat Sean Kelly and Francesco Moser in a sprint finish, in a time of 4 hours 37 minutes 58 seconds.
Two days later, Sean Kelly won the Giro di Lombardia between Brescia and Como. After a 253-kilometre race, the Irishman from the Sem–France Loire team triumphed ahead of world champion Greg LeMond and the Dutchman Adri van der Poel. This victory was the first of his three wins in the ‘Monument of the Falling Leaves’, which he would go on to win again in 1985 and 1991.
Featured in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël Grégoire Collections, this plaque is a rare physical artefact illustrating the media coverage of the major Italian classics. It brings together in a single object the memory of two prestigious races and two great cycling champions of the 1980s: Guido Bontempi and Sean Kelly.
ITEM N° 690
Vehicle number plate from the Radiotelevisione of the 1984 Giro d’Italia
This number plate relates to the 67th Giro d’Italia, held from 17 May to 10 June 1984. The race started in Lucca and finished in the Verona Arena, after twenty-two stages. This edition remains famous for the particularly intense duel between the Italian Francesco Moser and the Frenchman Laurent Fignon.
The item bears the inscriptions ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’, ‘67th Giro d’Italia’ and ‘Radiotelevisione’. The number 465, set within a blue cartouche, identified a vehicle assigned to the radio and television services responsible for covering and broadcasting the race. Its pink design naturally evokes the colour of the jersey worn by the leader of the general classification.
The 1984 Giro was won by Francesco Moser, a member of the Gis Gelati–Tuc Lu team. Before the final stage, Moser was in second place in the general classification, 1 minute 21 seconds behind Laurent Fignon. He turned the tables during the final 42-kilometre time trial between Soave and Verona, ridden on an aerodynamic bicycle fitted with lenticular wheels.
Moser completed this time trial at a remarkable average speed of 50.977 km/h and made up 2 minutes 24 seconds on Fignon. He thus won the general classification with a final lead of 1 min 03 s, ahead of Laurent Fignon and Moreno Argentin. This victory remained his only overall win in the Giro d’Italia and crowned an exceptional 1984 season, also marked by his hour record and his victory in Milan–San Remo.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël Grégoire Collections, this plaque is a valuable testament to the Giro’s media organisation and the growing role played by radio and television in covering major races. It also serves as a reminder of one of the most spectacular and hotly debated finishes in the history of the Corsa Rosa.
