Cycling Shorts: Descending the Eiffel Tower

Pierre Labric’s descent by bicycle from the first level of the Eiffel Tower took place in 1923. Despite statements to the contrary Monsieur Labric is not the same Pierre Labric who achieved fame as an organist, pedagogue and composer. This latter Pierre was only 2 years old in 1923.

Our Pierre, who was then a journalist, later became Mayor of The Free Commune of Montmartre and is responsible for introducing the Fête des Vendanges, Montmartre’s famous grape harvest festival, in 1934.

The reasons for performing the stunt aren’t known but it is possible that it may have been a publicity stunt for the newspaper he wrote for, the Petit Parisien. It wasn’t Pierre’s first stunt. In 1921 he was allegedly the first French journalist to make a parachute jump, an event which took place at the airfield at Villacoublay Air Base.