The 4th Vuelta a España was held between 30 June and 19 July 1942
It was 3688 km long, divided into 17 stages.
Belgian, French and Italian riders were invited despite the ongoing 2nd World War.
The race was posponed by a week, because the foreign cyclists haven’t arrived in time.
Julián Berrendero won the general classification.
MORE CYCLING HISTORYRELATED TO THE HISTORY OF WORLD WARS IN EUROPE
The slowest and the fastest Tour de France
You might wonder which Tour de France edition was the slowest and wich. one the fastest. Here you have the answer.The slowest Tour de Francewas the 13th edition, held between 29th June and 27 July in 1919. The 5560 km long route of the race was divided into 15 stages. (And it wasn’t even the … Read more
Tour de France winners died in the First World War
As in almost every part of European life, also in the world of cycling races World War I was a significant watershed. Not only the naivity of some athletes ((who thought previously, that fighting on the battlefield would be the same like competing at the Olympics – read more about it in Graham Healy:The Shattered … Read more
5 facts about Tour de France 1919
The 13th Tour de France, held between 29 June and 27 July was the first edition after First World War. The yellow jersey was introduced during this edition of Tour de France. Most of the cyclists were racing in grey jersey, thus there must have been something, a colorful jersey for example, to distinguish the … Read more
Vuelta winners: Gustaaf Deloor
Vuelta Ciclista a España (or just La Vuelta), the third three-week race of the road cycling season is also the youngest grand tour. The first edition was held in 1935. The race started on 29th April, included 14 stages and finished on the 15th of May. Only 50 cyclists entered the event and 29 finished. … Read more
When Delio Rodríguez won 12 of the 21 stages of Vuelta a España
Vuelta a Espana was not organized for several years after the first two editions in 1935 and 1936. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) made it impossible. Thus the 3rd edition of the youngest grand tour was held between 12 June and 6 July in 1941. Middle in the Second World War (quick reminder: Operation Barbarossa, … Read more
28 June 1914 – Last Tour de France before World War I started
On the 28th of June 1914, Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. A month later the First World War broke out. When the peloton of the 12th Tour de France rolled out from Paris in the early morning on the same day, the cyclists were, of course not aware of what would … Read more
5 facts about Tour de France 1914
The 12th Tour de France started on the very same day (28th June), when Austrian-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo. 11 former or future Tour de France winners participated the race: Philippe Thys,Louis Trousselier, Lucien Petit-Breton, Octave Lapize, François Faber, Odile Defraye, Gustave Garrigou, Philippe Thys, Firmin Lambot, Léon Scieur, … Read more