Ferdinand "Ferdi" Bracke (1967)

Peugeot-BP-Michelin teammates Ferdinand "Ferdi" Bracke and Eddy Merckx would pair with one another to win the 2-up team time trial Trofeo Angelo Baracchi in both the 1966 and 1967 seasons. And in a strange twist of fate, it would be his fellow Belgian and former teammate Merckx who would claim the World Hour Record title for himself in 1972, eclipsing Ole Ritter’s 1968 distance by 0.778 kilometers and Bracke’s 1967 run by 1.338 kilometers.

This photograph also serves as what I believe to be an instructive contrast between the prototypical Peugeot-BP-Michelin team issue PX-10 of this era (...Bracke’s bicycle) as opposed to a custom built Faliero Masi masquerading as a Peugeot (...i.e. Merckx’s). Eddy Merckx has written quite publicly that he rode a stock Peugeot PX-10 throughout 1966 and the early months of 1967, but after having become disenchanted with the performance of that model, he elected to have Faliero Masi build a “Peugeot type” bicycle using Nervex Dubois lugs which was subsequently painted and decaled in Peugeot-BP-Michelin team livery for use throughout the latter half of 1967. Based upon the particulars in evidence here (...the lack of chrome on the rear stays and front fork, no contrasting Black paint on the lugs, horizontal slots in the bottom bracket shell, and a Masi decal located underneath the lower Peugeot chequerboard seat tube band), the bicycle shown to the right of this photograph would be a Merckx’s pseudo Peugeot built by Masi and not an actual PX-10. Of course, beyond the frameset itself, there are at least a few other differences between the two team bikes including Merckx’s choice of Universal brake levers paired with MAFAC Racer calipers as opposed to an all MAFAC combination, and fitment of a Campagnolo Record model 1039 headset rather than the typical Stronglight P3 component seen on Bracke’s bike.