Gitane - Wielrennen - Lucien Van Impe - Cycling jersey

This is an original vintage cycling jersey from the Gitane cycling team of the 1970s. Lucien Van Impe: The Belgian Tour winner rode in the years 1975-1976 for Gitane-Campagnolo (often with the Campagnolo branding on the chest, though riders in that era also wore blank or national variants during criteriums and presentations). Van Impe is a legendary former Belgian cyclist. He is primarily known in sports history as the last Belgian to win the Tour de France, a feat he achieved in 1976. The key facts about his career and life, at a glance: • The Little One from Mere: Van Impe was born on 20 October 1946 in Mere (Erpe-Mere) and earned the iconic nickname "The Little One from Mere" due to his smaller stature and his origins. • Exceptional climber: He was one of the best climbers of his generation. He won no fewer than six times the polka dot jersey (the mountains classification) in the Tour de France, a record he shares with Federico Bahamontes (and later surpassed by Richard Virenque). He also won the mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia twice. • Tour victory of 1976: Under the leadership of the well-known team manager Cyrille Guimard, he won the Tour de France in 1976 by beating the top favorite Joop Zoetemelk in the mountains. • Link with the Gitane shirt: In the glory years around his Tour victory (1975-1976), Van Impe rode for the French outfit Gitane-Campagnolo. He wore at the time exactly the type of shirt (and the iconic yellow leader's jersey with Gitane print). The shirt also features an authentic signature on the chest. The handwritten text above the signature reads "Pour Paul" (For Paul) or a similar personal message, followed by the rider's own signature.

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