Word is that Lyotard used metal from some rejected Mirage fighter landing gear axle steel stock that JP Routens were milling for the French government. Little that Lyotard know that the scrap steel they bought from JPR were purposely overheated for heat treatment error caused failure tests. The warehouse manager at JPR (known as "Le Bastarde" to JPR workers at that time) who sold the bad steel stock to Lyortard through the "back door" figured the new pedal axles should last long enough that he will be long gone before anyone knew what was going on with the pedals.
He lived on the profits from the bad metal sales to Lyotard in comfort at the Costa Del Sol Spanish Riviera vacation area till his demise one summer in the 80's from a massive heart attack he suffered while watching "The Badger" get beat by the pesky American in the TDF, named Greg!
Ironically, the police who investigated the sudden death, found a Peugeot bike parked in his garage..........with one Lyotard rat trap pedal mysteriously bent downwards...... a possible clue to the timing of the man's heart failure??

Chombi