At a meeting held in the town hall of Jœuf on July 3, 1921, the decision was taken to renew the great regional road race taking place between Nancy and Jœuf, an event already contested in June 1920. Yes, at the time, the city jovicienne is a Mecca for cycling events! Unpublished from Circle for the promotion of the history of Jœuf chaired by Roger Martinois looks back on this extraordinary event. Due to timing issues, the final date is Sunday August 14th. And, given the succession of two public holidays, the committee chaired by Mr. Paul Houillon, chief military delegate, decides to run this edition in two stages, or 200 kilometers in total. The race must be contested under the regulations of the Union Vélocipédique de France (UVF) to which the Jovician Committee has been affiliated for more than a decade.
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Prestigious race
This ordeal dates back to the year 1908 and owes a lot to François de Wendel. The Cycling Grand Prix was then organized by the Union sportive de Jœuf, created at the end of 1907, chaired by the Jovician baker François Berrens. As soon as the association was created, those in charge offered the honorary presidency to the local ironmaster, François de Wendel. During the first edition, the race was a success that continued to grow until the eve of the Great War. During the pre-war period, sponsored by the Nancy sports weekly Le Sport, the April 17, 1910 edition, called the Nancy-Jœuf race, left the most striking memories.
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At the Armistice, sports competitions resumed in the spring of 1920. On June 27, the UVF Committee revived the race between Nancy and Jœuf, now called the Jœuf Cycling Grand Prix. The Homécourtois (and future Jovicien) Pietro Corini finished second in the race, two lengths behind Rémois Rich. Several thousand people gathered on the Town Hall Square to witness the arrival of the runners who covered the 93 kilometers in sweltering heat, in just over 3 hours. This can only encourage the Committee to perpetuate the event …
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