history. Being a city of games, Villefranche naturally turned towards sports from the late 19th century, first on the velocipede and then on team sports, which the Narrator repeats by accompanying the exploits of Villefranche athletes.
In the early 1890s, when the municipality was forced to issue a decree, the velocipede became an invasive social phenomenon that even damaged public peace.Prohibiting any cyclist from riding around the town, streets, docks, promenades and public roads without constantly honking or ringing a bell. Velocipedes and tricycles also had to be equipped with a lighted lantern no later than half an hour after sunset.
The speed of movement created by these machines will give an idea to the competition enthusiasts who gathered within the 26-member Vélo Club in late 1892.
The champion title was not awarded in the first race; None of the riders covered the 23km in 50 minutes, even pedal aces Fréjaville, Vialars and Lauriac were the leading trio but were rewarded with a punch at the Café in the evening. du Globe headquarters.
Despite the strong wind, Villarouge won the Villefranche-Martiel round-trip race in 53 minutes, heralding the 104 km long Villefranche-Arcambal-Villefranche race.
Solid tires left at 5:30 a.m., hollow tires at 5:45 a.m., and tires at 6 a.m.; This was a way to give all participants a chance since the few ladies started.
The following year the committee decided to create a circuit in Petit-Languedoc where various races were held; this circuit was often won by Ruthénois Bousquet, nicknamed the “flying Aveyronnais”, who regularly beat Villefranchois Costes, Latreille and Villarouge.
A gymnastics society was born at the beginning of the 20th century; The founders used persuasive arguments to bring candidates to the Promenade Saint-Jean, where acrobatics and other acrobatics took place:
“Children, young people and parents are aware that gymnastics, besides its obvious benefit as a preparation for military life, is an excellent way of transforming defective and weak constitutions and of creating a strong temperament and muscularity in diseased persons.
At a time when it was confirmed that “sport has the privilege of softening our foreheads and smoothing out the roughness of character and body”, a new sport came from England called Football-Rugby, in which 15 players play with the ball in two rounds. What an oval came to Villefranche, the first team sport to be named Stade Villefranchois. Then we played in the meadows of Notre-Dame or La Maladrerie in Treize-Pierres.
After the Great War (1914-1918), the Stadium Auvergne participated in the championship. For each match won, players received a bonus gold Louis of 10 francs!
In 1929, under the leadership of Henri Lagarde, the Stadium was to have its own ground in Teulel, with stands, changing rooms and showers.
At the end of the first match, Cabarrot wrote: “We lost against Aurillac, but the reason for our defeat was that we ate too much before the match. I will give you the menu: Soup, appetizers, olives, butter, stuffed chicken, veal porridge, veal head, porcini mushrooms, roast guinea fowl.” , horse piece, Saint-Honoré, cheeses, oranges, apples, coffee, cognac… and champagne paid for by Fages!”
Six years later, Villefranchois Basketball will experience the heyday of Villefranche team sports in Saint-Jean, under the Hall, in the Quai du Temple hall and then in the Gymnase du Tricot.
