Lucien Petit-Breton

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Lucien Georges Mazan (October 18, 1882 – December 20, 1917) was an Argentine cyclist (pseudonym: Lucien Petit-Breton). He was born in Loire-Atlantique in France, a former part of Brittany, currently part of Pays de la Loire région. When he was 6 he moved with his parents to Buenos Aires. He took on the Argentinean nationality.

When he won a bike in a lottery his cycling career started. His father rather wanted him to do a 'real' job, therefore he adapted the nickname Lucien Breton. Later he changed it to Petit-Breton, because there already was another cyclist called Lucien Breton.

His first notable victory was the track cycling championship of Argentina. In 1902 he was drafted in the French Army, so he moved back to France. Two years later he won the Boule d'Or an important track cycling event. In 1905 later he broke the world hour record on the Buffalo cycling track in Paris with a time of 41.110 km/h. The same year he started to participate in road racing. He soon afterwards came second in the Tour de France.

He won the Tour in 1907 and 1908, which made him the first one to win the Tour twice. In 1907 Petit-Breton also won the first edition of Milan-Sanremo and in 1908 he won Paris-Brussels. That was his last great victory. The outbreak of the First World War marked the end of his career. He joined the French army. Lucien Mazan died in 1917 when he crashed against an oncoming car at the front near Troyes.