DISRAELI TRIVIA
The Rue Paul de Vivie in Saint-Étienne is named for the man who wrote under the pen name of Vélocio. Many regard him as the father of the modern derailleur, as, starting around the turn of the 20th century, he tirelessly developed, advocated and used derailleur gears. He certainly inspired Joanny Panel to develop his Le Chemineau derailleur and Albert Raimond to develop his Le Cyclo model.
Vélocio’s favourite ride was from Saint-Étienne up the Col de Grand Bois, a fearsome local hill that was a good test of any derailleur system. Vélocio frequently pedaled this route with his friends, known as the École Stéphanoise (the Saint-Étienne School), stopping for refreshments at the Auberge du Grand Bois. Appropriately, the Rue Paul de Vivie is the first part of this route, at the Saint-Étienne end.
The full address is: Rue Paul de Vivie, 42100 Saint-Étienne, France.