Philippe Tibesar with the penny-farthings;
Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu
On Thursday 24 July 2025, an exhibition entitled “Velo Passion”, dedicated to the history of the bicycle, opened at the Belle Etoile shopping centre, where it will remain on display until Saturday 9 August 2025.
Curated by Philippe Tibesar, the exhibition features a selection of rare and emblematic pieces from the Cycle Museum of Weyler (Belgium), offering visitors a unique glimpse into the evolution of the bicycle.
Speaking to Chronicle.lu, curator Philippe Tibesar shared: “I have a passion for bicycles. I’ve been building them for 60 years, since I was 14. Around 35 years ago, I began collecting them - first five, then ten, twenty, one hundred, two hundred. Now I have 250. I’ve constructed a building to house them - once, and then three times larger - and now it’s too small again.” He added: We’re likely to open a second museum in Bastogne, Belgium, with around 60 pieces. That will give us a bit more space. For me, the bicycle is the most beautiful invention ever created, and I remain deeply passionate about it.”
At the exhibition launch, Laurent Schonckert, CEO of Cactus, praised Philippe Tibesar’s lifelong commitment and the scale of his work. He highlighted the growing political support for cycling, describing it as part of a broader shift towards what he called “the mobility of taste”, a movement encouraging more liveable, cyclable cities. “So, you are in a topical subject,” he said, adding that the exhibition reflected a great deal of effort and passion: “I think that you have made a very good initiative, a lot of work… I don’t know how you did it.”
Following the speeches, the collector personally guided guests through the exhibition, offering insights into each of the showcased pieces.
Among the 73 items on display are an original 1820 draisine, a pedal-less forerunner of the bicycle, and an 1870 pedal velocipede, both emblematic of the earliest developments in cycling. The exhibition also includes penny-farthings (bicycles with large front wheels), early modern bicycles from the 1890s, children’s tricycles and quadricycles, tandems, and rare triplet bicycles, illustrating the evolution of cycling across generations.
The exhibition also sheds light on the everyday use of bicycles in the past century, with several early utility models on display, including those once used by bakers and butchers, highlighting the bicycle’s practical role in daily life. The competitive side of cycling is equally well represented, featuring racing bicycles belonging to Luxembourgish champions such as Jean Majérus, Josy Kraus, Bob Jungels, Fränk and Andy Schleck, as well as Cyclocross World Cup winner Marie Schreiber.
According to the organisers, on the morning of Saturday 9 August, members of an international group of vintage Opel ZR3 and Opel Flitzer bicycle enthusiasts are expected to stop at Belle Etoile as part of their annual ride to visit the exhibition. Their visit will include a presentation of the ZR3 model, a 1920s racing bicycle produced by Opel and noted for its lightweight construction.
