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Paul Wiseman

I'm assuming that many of us will be too busy during the next few days to be logging on to this forum, so I'm getting in early Wink

.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas break (whether or not you celebrate the Christian festival).

To all the regulars and newbies, it's been another fun year jabbering on about our fabulous French velos. Looking forward to a new year full of gitane trivia and shenanigans.

To Stephan. What can I say? Another year goes by. A whole bunch of people have joined us. Most of the originals (and not quite originals like me) are still here. The site has continued to expand and provide a place for us to congregate. Well done mate. Most of all, on behalf of all of us, thank you. Without your committment, we wouldn't be here. Thanks.

The last word goes to the newest hero in the gitane saga Shocked

. The man who brings our beloved Bernard Cool

Hinault into our lives Wink

. Nicolas. You're a champ! We are all eagerly awaiting you interview with BH sometime in the new year.

Best wishes everyone.
Wisey

Gtane

Hear, hear!

Tim

sandranian · Site Admin

Thanks for the kind words. The great thing about this site is that the participants are almost without fail polite, informative, and on topic. It essentially takes no time at all to monitor it.

Also, my "web-guru" Biorn at BNT Media has done all of the hard work to stop spam and other crap from "invading our space". So really, the kudos go to him for keeping this site and forum "clean".

I also want to really thank everyone who contributes to the forum and answers questions that people post. It helps those who post...and those who read, as this is a learning process, and with every informative post our knowledge about the brand is enhanced.

Thanks for keeping it friendly, informative, and fun!

Stephan

PS - Great picture of the still-elusive Delta. Mottet is the best.

Peter S. Horn

All,
I think that some beat me in wishing all on this great Gitane website, a very Happy Holiday season and New Year.

Kudos to Stephan for his continued dedication to the U.S. Gitane community. I certainly learned quite a bit this year on a variety of Gitane related topics. I have to say that Nicolas is really a trip! Who else could manage such an interview with B.H? The conventional wisdom might be that Eddy M. was the greatest road racer of them all. Well, I might be prejudiced, but B.H. is far and away my favorite, albeit closely followed (very closely) by the sainted "Maitre Jacque" Anquetil. Who would have thought that B.H.'s later velos would have been crafted by Motobecane? This is not to criticize the latter, they were pretty nice. I had one (and test rode an 8 lbs. lighter Grand Record (Reynolds 531, 3rd model down from the replica of Luis Ocana's orange, Tour winning BIC Team Champion)).

Well, its' time inflate the Michelins (maybe I should have spec'ed. tubulars) on my FDJ-Altec 2 (my everyday velo). Incidentally, the new 2009 Definitive-Gitanes: www.gitane.com; are now out. The frames are now monocoque. They might not be steel, but they look really great to me.
Bienvenue,
Peter H.

nicolas

Hi everyone,

A little late in the game, but...been busy opening Barbie dolls boxes (why do they put so many wires in there ???) for my daughter & eating foie gras...

I'm impressed at how this site is growing and the data available so sharp. Not being a technician at all, I appreciate you people letting me contribute my own way to the site.

No Gitane stuff under the tree this year, although my folks had contributed early to the Greg LeMond signed yellow jersey so I could have it signed by BH too...

I see myself more & more involved in sharing my passion for this part of cycling history, thanks to Stephan and you, forum members, old & new...the best is yet to come, like this BH interview but I've also been working on a Greg Lemond fansite and I hope to get it online soon.

And the most impressive thing is that I had not been riding that much since I was 14 ! I keep riding on a weekly basis, something I had not been able to do since...1988. I rode yesterday, it was a beautiful day but a bit windy and...2 degrees (celcius) below zero ! In the afternoon I gave my fake Gitane a bath.

I'm looking forward to next summer...not sure about what I'll do but I have the opportunity to see the Tour de France in the mountain for the fist time in july & climb the Ventoux for the first time in august...better keep training.

Happy holidays !