Jan Fabre Cycles 22.9 km in Bizarre Velodrome Performance at MAC Lyon

At the Velodrome Préreval in Lyon, Belgian artist Jan Fabre performed 'Tentativo di non battere il record dell’ora' (Attempt Not to Beat the Hour Record) to inaugurate his retrospective at the MAC – Musée d’Art Contemporain. Dressed in a jacket and tie, he cycled at sustained speed for one hour, eating large steaks from his pockets during the ride. Real cycling champions Eddy Merckx, Raymond Poulidor, and Jean-Christophe Péraud were trackside commenting on the feat. During the final lap, Fabre even lit a cigarette. A large crowd waved flags distributed at the entrance, with artist Orlan notably present. Fabre covered 22 kilometers and 949 meters, less than half the current record, but the performance was less solemn than his usual work, blending humor and surrealism. This is not Fabre's first physically demanding performance: in May 2016 he crawled like a worm in a double-breasted suit in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, and in autumn 2015 he performed a 24-hour uninterrupted theater piece at the Romaeuropa Festival. The exhibition 'Jan Fabre – Stigmata' runs from September 28, 2016 to January 15, 2017 at MAC Lyon.