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Yves Mansel CC 4715

Man:
Born in the same village, we lived on the same side of the N42. We went to the same local school. In the summer, watching the English caravanners go by made us imagine journeys to faraway lands, our minds nourished by our reading...
Yves is present among us in two of life's vital gestures: drinking and eating. For more than 40 years, he made the moulds used on the furnaces of the Arques crystal glassworks: Arcoroc, Arcopal, Arques crystal, glasses, plates and dishes. He was a highly qualified and skilled turner, miller and fitter, with only one requirement: the utmost precision.
He was passionate about reading: he devoured thousands of books. He could tell you entire chapters. As a teenager, he was a specialist in Hubert, the batman behind OSS 117. He recounted the funniest scenes with relish, from memory.

The cyclist :
Very methodical, he prepared his routes on maps, noting the passes. He noted the remarkable sites. The route taken, mileage, duration, date, weather conditions and other remarks were all recorded in his notebooks.
In his satchel, the map of the sector was placed with his sandwiches, the banana, the apple and some change for a Perrier or a white lemonade...
No GPS, but a page with a succession of junctions and directions to follow.
Chain tension adjuster, puncture kit, cloth...
He introduced me to the Cents Cols club.
When we got together for a «little maintenance outing», we caused a sensation on days when the weather was appalling when we walked into «our» café-PMU. We were served espresso without having to order it.
Yours sincerely,

Jean-Marie Casier CC n° 7661