1977 Tour de France, Race Used Car Plaque, Race Winner Bernard Thevenet

Race Winner Bernard Thevenet

Going into the 1977 Tour, Bernard Thevenet, winner of the 1975 Tour, was the favorite to win since the route was well-suited to his skills. Dietrich Thurau led the Tour through Stage 15a when Thevenet took the lead. 

Lucien Van Impe, the previous year’s winner, wanted to repeat his victory, and going into Stage 16, Van Impe, along with Eddy Merckx and Joop Zoetemelk, were all within about 1 minute of Bernard Thévenet. Merckx fell off the back near the end of the Tour, Zoetemelk was penalized ten minutes, and Van Impe had his bike damaged when he was hit by a motorist on Alpe d’Huez, where Kuiper won the stage but was unable to break Thévenet, who won the Tour with the smallest margin since the 1968 Tour de France.

After a competitive and thrilling race, Thevenet finished in Paris, only 48 seconds ahead of Hennie Kuiper and 3′ 32″ over third-place finisher Lucien Van Impe.

In today’s racing, the race organizer cars, team vehicles, and other participants of the official race caravan have disposable stickers affixed to the windshield. Slipping a bit into the way back machine, there was a time when the cars had plaques attached to the front of the follow cars.

As with most things ephemeral, most plaques were promptly tossed in the trash once the race was finished. The ones that survived have become quite collectible.

Made of Plastic

Size:  19 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches  (49 x 24 cm)

This is a one-of-a-kind item; please look carefully at the photos to determine the condition.