Between 1920 and 1931 he won four UCI Motor-paced World Championships in the professionals division and finished four times in second or third place.

[1][2] He won his first bicycle race at the age 14, and around that time worked at an ice cream shop making use of his beautiful handwriting.

During his career he won 15 national titles (1913–1931) and one unofficial European championship.

He was nicknamed "sioux" (by Michel Berthet) due to his dark skin color and nose shape, which was flattened in a fall in 1912.

He retired in 1933 and moved to Verneuil-sur-Avre, France, and ran a sawmill nearby.