Filotex 1968 - cycling figurine

In 1968, the Tour de France broke with its own tradition: the points classification jersey, normally green, was replaced by a red jersey — worn that year by Franco Bitossi, the tenacious Italian climber and team leader of Filotex. A singular moment never repeated, marking the 1968 edition as one of the most distinctive chapters in the history of the race.

That Tour was also defined by one of professional cycling's most dramatic finales. Dutch rider Jan Janssen overturned the standings in the final time trial, seizing overall victory by just 38 seconds over Belgian Herman Van Springel — a breathtaking climax, played out across a France still shaken by the events of May '68. Bitossi himself — nicknamed Cuore Matto, the Mad Heart, for the cardiac condition he refused to let define him — embodied the spirit of that extraordinary race with the fire and grit that made him a true fan favourite.

This figurine faithfully reproduces the jersey worn by Franco Bitossi in Filotex colours, cast in zamak in Seine-et-Marne and hand-painted in Roubaix. Entirely crafted in France, it stands as one of the rarest pieces in any serious cycling collection: a tribute to the only red jersey ever worn at the Tour de France.

• Material: zamak (lead-free metal alloy)
• Casting: Seine-et-Marne — Hand-painted: Roubaix
• Faithful reproduction of the Filotex 1968 jersey
• Compatible with all figurines in the collection