I have been fascinated with little die cast cyclists ever since their existence as brought to my attention by Rapha.The French miniatures have long been a rite of passage for boys who have collected the tiny representations of their cycling heroes for years.
But given the part they have played in the nation's history, they have proved notoriously difficult to track down.
I couldn't believe my luck when a few appeared on Ebay made by Norev and Visage, but as my knowledge of the chaps grew I realised I had been buying the wrong ones.
Then Rouleur magazine got a few in stock - the very same as the models which featured in issue 11, made by Roger Fonderie and photographed by Janol Apin.
The painted versions had already sold out by the time I had logged on, so I bought one unpainted.
The finished article is above, and below I have pictured the various stages of his creation. He proved tricky to paint, particularly the lettering on his jersey, but I'm generally fairly pleased with the way he turned out. So much, in fact, that I ordered another four, which I plan to kit out in their own individual Rapha outfits.
I might put one up for sale if anyone's interested.
www.janol-apin.com
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