Somewhere in the shop, there was a brand new Vittoria Corsa CX hanging below the stairs. Just what I was looking for! The right size, colour, etc. When I asked the shop owner, how much I had to pay for the tubular, he replied that he didn't know that he had it. When I showed him the tyre, he pointed at the cheap training tubulars (Vittoria Rally?) and he said that the CX would be the same price. So, I got it for EUR 20.- and I had problems not to laugh loudly. Thanks Mr. Bouchonneau (Aubres, France). It was not the only nice object in the (for the rest small and messy as you could expect in the French countryside) bike shop. Pretty well hidden on the loft, I found 3 bikes.
The first one was a special edition Colnago that I do remember from the early 1980's. Gold/copper plated steel Columbus frame with Campagnolo parts. Is it called a Colnago 2000? Not so nice was that this bike was equipped with cheap flat handlebars and even cheaper brake levers for touring purposes.
The second bike looked like a Gitane pro time trial bike, like the one used by Thierry Marie in the 1986 Tour de France prologue, including the weird Selle Italia shark tail saddle.
The 3rd bike was most interesting: a Gitane track bike, probably also a former team bike. Fully equipped with Dura Ace 10 (10mm pitch chain) and other nice stuff. A bit small, but maybe it was just large enough for me to ride on. I asked Mr. Bouchonneau if this track bike was for sale, but he denied. No, this bike was not for sale. He called it some kind of souvenir and wanted to keep it. I thought he was still riding it at the velodrome. Such a shame. Later I realised that I should have offered him EUR 500 or 600. In that case, perhaps he would have changed his mind. A missed opportunity...
More about the tyre, click here.
