Noted French cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé passed away on Thursday at 89 years old. While Sempé may not have been a household name in the cycling world, most cycling fans will recognize some of his iconic portrayals of bikes, often seen gracing covers of New Yorker magazine, and making their way into children’s books like Raoul Taburin Keeps a Secret. The French cartoonist was best known for creating magic with simple, nostalgic brushstrokes.
Details of his passing have not been released: It was reported to the French press by his wife, Martine Gossieaux Sempé, and according to the New York Times, his biographer says that Sempé passed away at a vacation home.
During his lifetime, Sempé created more than 30 books, including the Le Petit Nicolas series, and over 100 magazine covers for The New Yorker, the most recent being in 2018. His work has been translated into dozens of languages and has sold millions of copies. Raoul Taburin Keeps a Secret, his children’s book published in 2012, recounts a tale of a bicycle builder who, ironically, cannot ride a bike. The lesson at the end is simple: being true to yourself is just as important as winning a stage of the Tour de France.
And Sempé himself deeply loved cycling not just as art, but as exercise and transportation. “Bicycling, that’s the joy of my life,” he told The New Yorker. “For thirty years, I went around everywhere on my bicycle. No matter the destination, rain or shine, I’d go there on my bike. Even if I was going to a fancy event, I’d show up in my tux in ankle straps, rain-drenched but happy.”
His second-to-last cover for The New Yorker was entitled Biking in the Rain.
According to journalist Carlton Reid, one of Sempé’s first jobs was delivering wine by bicycle in his hometown of Gironde. That makes sense, since his adoptive father purportedly delivered bistro-friendly goods like anchovies and pickles by bike (via News in France).
Sadly, a stroke more than a decade ago forced him off the bike, but he still revered it as a mode of transportation, even designing three French coins in 2014 with depictions of bikes on each to represent the French tenets of “Liberté,” “Égalité,” and “Fraternité."
This weekend, consider making one of Sempé’s lifelong wishes come true for yourself. "It’s always been one of my dreams — to have a group of friends who go for bike rides in the country every Sunday morning. In real life, it never happened. I kept trying to organize it but everyone was always too busy to slow down for it," he told The New Yorker in a 2019 interview, according to Reuters.
So make the time to slow down this Sunday morning, bring a few friends on a ride, and take a moment to look around and take in the beauty that you see when you travel by bike.
