A wooden bike joins Remouchamps! An exceptional new item at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège House of Cycling.
The great French cycling champion Bernard HINAULT himself was the courier for this new exhibit.
The Maison du Cyclisme in Aywaille received this extraordinary parcel on Thursday 29 August.
Mr Daniel BACLEZ (86), a resident of Pas-de-Calais (Guînes) and a long-standing friend of the ‘Badger’, built a bicycle entirely out of wood.
He offered the bike to Bernard Hinault, who decided to reserve the first exhibition for Belgium, here in Aywaille! This racing bike has already been featured in the French press and on regional television.
Bernard HINAULT, who attended our inauguration, was impressed by the quality and concept of the venue. He is still full of praise for it. On his return to France, he suggested to his friend that he present his work there. A real work of art, this wooden bike was to be displayed in a showcase dedicated to cycling competition..
No metal, no nails, no screws, just wood
It took 400 hours of work to make an identical copy of every part of the bike. This wooden bike is a 1/1 scale copy of Bernard Hinault’s bike. And not just any bike! The one on which Hinault won the World Championship in Sallanches in 1980 and which he gave to Daniel Baclez.
The work was made all the more meticulous by Daniel’s self-imposed requirement not to use any metal parts. Everything is made of wood, including the chain, spokes, freewheels, derailleurs and other cables. No fewer than 9 different types of solid wood were used, mainly by hand with the specific tools of a carpenter, to create the different pieces of the puzzle.
So we find Landes pine for the frame, wenge for the chain and its links.There’s also beech for the rivets, sycamore maple for the freewheels and chainrings, ash for the brakes, grips, sheaths, saddle… and oak for the wheels, rims and tubulars.Pitch pine, boxwood, paparjo and canisse stems were used for the wheel locks, handlebars, screws and bolts, brake cables and derailleurs.
But who is Daniel Baclez?
Daniel Baclez may be a talented joiner, but he’s also a builder at heart. He is the founder and creator of the Village Saint-Joseph, an eco-museum in the Marais de Guînes. This village retraces the trades and life of yesteryear. Mr Baclez also knows a thing or two about cycling, as he was President of the Entente Cycliste Calaisienne and founder of the Calais town criterium. He dreamed of becoming a racer, but he used his know-how to remain faithful to his favourite sport.
This bike is therefore unique in the world and very fragile.
This wooden bike cannot be ridden! It will be secured and displayed in a showcase at the Maison du Cyclisme. The display case, built by the designer, features the ‘famous cobblestones of the North’! It will be placed not far from the famous balaclava worn by Bernard HINAULT during the Dantesenne des classiques in 1980.
The press is talking about us and this great project:
The whole team at the Maison du Cyclisme is very proud to welcome this exceptional new piece.
Plan your visit today to come and admire this wooden bike!
