 He swore he would send a telegram to Minart urging him to drop the idea, saying it was dangerous to send a race the way he had just ridden.But that evening a meal and drinks with the team from Roubaix changed his mind.Vienne was a successful textile industrialist — described as "fabulously rich" — and a sports entrepreneur, building not only the velodrome but a successful torodrome (bullfighting ring).