Sculptor: Jim Bond
About the sculpture and photograph:
Brian Robinson, the first British cyclist to win a stage of the Tour de France was born in Ravensthorpe and still lives in Mirfield. As a tribute to his incredible achievements on two wheels, sculptor Jim Bond created ‘Vitesse’, a deconstructed sculptural installation using Brian’s stage winning bicycle as a metaphor for the race and the toll it took on him.
Requiring explosive energy and a physical commitment on the limits of human endurance the Tour de France strips away the riders’ strength over two gruelling weeks. ‘Vitesse’ is a facsimile of Brian’s Raphael Geminiani road bike which appears to be exploding apart under the duress and power of expended energy, suspended in time and space.
