Bernard Thevenet (1972)

Bernard Thevenet seen here in what I believe to be a decidedly earlier photograph as opposed to an image actually contemporary of the publication date of the magazine upon which it appears. The picture in question was used on the cover of the July 26th, 1975 issue of Télé 7 Jours (...a weekly French language publication covering radio and television programming) which happens to feature a brief article on Bernard Thevenet. Of course, both the cover photo and the article itself were understandable opportunism at its jingoistic best inasmuch as only one week earlier Thevenet had solidified his status as true national hero by beating the vaunted Eddy Merckx and thus preventing his Belgian rival from upstaging Jacques Anquetil’s record for career Tour wins while at the same time becoming the first Frenchman to prevail in the Tour de France in seven long years.

There are several reasons why I am inclined to believe that what we see here is a 1972 vintage "stock" photograph as used on this occasion by Télé 7 Jours. First of all, the bicycle itself is an iconic black and white chequerboard motif Peugeot PX-10 model and not the later Silver colored PY-10 model as issued to and ridden by Peugeot-BP-Michelin team members commencing with the Grand Prix du Midi-Libri held in May of 1974 and continuing on thereafter up until the actual date of this publication (...and that, of course, would most definitely include Thevenet’s 1975 Tour win). Secondly, on only two occasions was Thevenet assigned an entrant number of 43 (...note the number plate on his bike) while at the same time Evian was an official Tour sponsor (...note the pink colored Evian water bottle) - and that would have been in 1972 and 1973. However, the down tube graphics on Peugeot-BP-Michelin team bikes circa 1973 were different than that which can be seen here, the lugs on those team bikes used in the 1973 Tour de France were painted white and not the more typical contrasting black, and several individual components including the front and rear derailleurs, shift levers, and brake levers were also of a later type. Furthermore, it is notable that Thevenet rode the 1973 Tour while wearing the Maillot Tricolore as reigning French National Champion as opposed to an official Peugeot-BP-Michelin team jersey like the one seen in this photograph. On the other hand, all of those details evident in this image (...Evian water bottle, 43 entrant number, early style down tube graphics, black painted lugs, Simplex Criterium derailleurs, MAFAC 121 brake levers, and standard issue team jersey) are absolutely consistent with what Bernard Thevenet both rode and wore throughout the 1972 edition of the Tour de France when he finished in ninth place for the general classification.