against trains and the very first cars to appear in the region (he beat them all, of course.) Félix-Antoine Savard, an author of the time, also described him as an able woodstove builder. Death Alexis le Trotteur was struck by a train and died while working on the construction site of the Isle-Maligne hydroelectric plant. Opinions vary as to the exact cause of his death. Some believe he tripped while trying to outrace the train; others say that, due to his physical decline, he decided to commit suicide. One of his co-workers on the site, cited by the historian Serge Gauthier, hinted as much: "I saw him ten years later in Matapédia, where he was only a construction worker like you or I. He was still well spoken of, but like a faded star. They said he could no longer run any faster than a regular horse." Another man named Jeen Sherman witnessed Alexis racing against a car. Legacy Remains In 1966 his remains were exhumed from the La Malbaie cemetery by a specialist in physical activity, Jean-Claude Larouche, in order to examine them; he confirmed that a sustained lifelong training had made him into a formidable athlete. His bones were then entrusted to the Musée du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean in Chicoutimi. An exhibition opened in 1999 called "Alexis le Trotteur: Athlete or Centaur?", in which his bones and objects having belonged to him were exhibited. Popular culture The story of Alexis le Trotteur has seen numerous adaptations into stories and novels. The historian Serge Gauthier counted books, movies, names of streets, music records and songs, a ballet, a comic book, a sports festival, etc., all bearing his name. Between 1979 and 1981 he was depicted in a four-volume comic book series published by Éditions Paulines, with writing by Blaise and artwork by Bos : L'Homme qui courait comme un cheval : Alexis le trotteur (1979), Au trot et au galop : Alexis le trotteur (1979), Alexis le trotteur contre Baba (1981), and Alexis le trotteur: le Pony express (1981). The Quebec folk music group Mes Aïeux wrote a song about him, entitled Train de vie (le Surcheval), which was released on their album En famille, drawing parallels between the life of Alexis le Trotteur and the frenetic pace of modern living. Written in first person narrative, Alexis Lapointe is one of several anecdotal portraits of artists and athletes appearing on Seamus