Complex sentence: Cycle racing had begun in 1869 (Paris-Rouen), so in 1873 Truffaut lent the 18 year old Clement an iron bicycle with solid rubber tires to race in Angers where he finished 6th and was exhilarated to bits to read his name in the newspapers.
Split into simpler sentences: Cycle racing had begun in 1869 (Paris-Rouen), so in 1873 Truffaut lent the 18 year old Clement an iron bicycle with solid rubber tires to race in Angers. He finished 6th and was exhilarated to bits to read his name in the newspapers.