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Fernando Manzaneque on the Col d'Iseran at the Tour de France 1963

Fernando Manzaneque on the Col d’Iseran (Tour de France 1963)

Snow at the Tour de France? Yes, it happens sometimes, especially, when the race visits such high places like Col d’Iseran in the Alps. In the 16th stage of Tour de France 1963, the peloton visited the Alps. It was a 202 km long stage between Grenoble and Val d’Isere, including Col de la Croix de Fer and Col d’Iseran. The Spaniard Fernando Manzaneque won the stage ahead of Enzo Fontona and Guy Epaud. The stages in the Alps in that year delivered and epic battle between Federico Bahamontes and Jacques Anquetil. The French rider has already won Vuelta a Espana a few weeks earlier and was about to win his 4th Tour de France.… Read More »Fernando Manzaneque on the Col d’Iseran (Tour de France 1963)

Begian cycling superstar Remco Evenepoel wins the 3rd stage of Vuelta a Espana 2023 on a summit finish in Andorra

Remco Evenepoel targets Tour de France in 2024

Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel has revealed his plans for cycling season 2024. He will focus on Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour de France , the Olympic Games in Paris, and the Road World Championships. Evenepoel has big aims at his first Tour de France: he would like to gain a top 5 place in the general classification. A stage victory would be also a great success for him. Remco Evenepoel will start the season most likely at the Volta ao Algarve.  

Cyclists crossing the finish line together on the last stage of Tour de France 1938

André Leducq and Antonin Magne crossing the finish line together (Tour de France 1938)

Before Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault on the top of Alpe d’Huez, there were André Leducq and Antonin Magne in Paris. Two dominant French riders from the first part of the 1930s, both Leducq (1930 and 1932) and Magne (1931 and 1934) won the Tour de France twice. In the very last stage of Tour de France 1938, the last edition for both cyclists to ride, they broke away from the peloton and reached the Parc des Princes (Paris)   velodrome, the traditional finish of the race since 1903, together. They crissed the finish line side by side. Both of them were declared the winner of the stage. This was André Leducq’s  25th Tour de France stage… Read More »André Leducq and Antonin Magne crossing the finish line together (Tour de France 1938)

Theo Middelkamp (1914-2005), the first Dutch cyclist to win a Tour de Frsnce stage posing with fans in 1936

Faces from the Peloton: Theo Middelkamp (1914-2005)

You would never guess in what kind of stage the  first Dutch Tour de France stage winner, Theo (Theofiel) Middelkamp (1914-2005) gained his victory. In a mountain stage in the Alps, including Télégraphe, Galibier and Lautaret. Considering that even in the early 1950s, when Wim van Est, the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey crashed badly on Aubisque, there was lot of talk about his inexperience in high mountains because of coming from a country being predominantly flat, this seems to have been a great achievement for Middelkamp. Nevertheless he was a strange figure. As a child, he wanted to be a footballer, but after realising, that he would earn significantly less money… Read More »Faces from the Peloton: Theo Middelkamp (1914-2005)

Federico Bahamontes Stan Ockers, and Roger Walkowiak in the 17th stage of Tour de France 1956

Tour de France visits Turin (Tour de France 1956)

Although the first ever Italian Grand Depart of Tour de France will take place in 2024, the race visited Italy for plenty of times, usually during mountain stages in the Alps. Turin is one of the most visited Italian cities by Tour de France.  In 1956, peloton made a trip to the place in 17th stage, and the next day went back to France. Though the Alps, of course. Meanwhile, Tour de France history, (sort of)  was made. Roger Walkowiak, the French rider, with no other success during his career, took the yellow jersey, and a few days later won the Tour de France. His triumph is often dubbed as “the less deserved victory” in… Read More »Tour de France visits Turin (Tour de France 1956)

Francoise Faber, Octave Lapize, Lucien Petit-Breton, Tour de France winners, who lost their life in the First World War

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 Peloton: The Devastating Impact of World War I on the Tour de France)) has disappeared immediately, when they found themselves in the trenches, but among the millions of young men lost their life during the conflict, there were also several cyclists, even some famous ones. There were three former Tour de France winners, who have lost their lives in the… Read More »Tour de France winners died in the First World War

Eddy Merckx at the Tour de France 1970 with 8 stage victories

8 stage victories during a single Tour de France edition

There are only three riders who managed to win eight stages during a single Tour de France edition. One of them is Eddy Merckx, of course. He achieved it twice, in 1970 and 1974. The other two cyclists  are Charles Pelissier (1930) and Freddy Maertens (1976). Charles Pelissier (1930) Charles Pelissier, the youngest brother in the famous Pelissier family, who was compared to the movie star Rudolf Valentino in his book “1926” by the German scholar Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht, dominated in the flat stages in Tour de France 1930. This was the first time national teams competed the race, and the final winner was also a Frenchman,  André Leducq. Pelisser not only won 8 stages, but… Read More »8 stage victories during a single Tour de France edition

French cyclist Bernard Hinault and some yellow jerseys.

Most days in yellow jersey

The iconic yellow jersey of Tour de France was introduced to the race in 1919. Eugène Christophe  was the first rider to wear it. Of course, on the top of the list there are those riders, who won 5 times the Tour de France. Also, there are cyclists, like Fabian Cancellara or René Vietto, who never won the race, but was wearing the yellow jersey for quite long time. Intriguing fact, that both Tadej Pogacar (21) and Jonas Vingegaard (27) was /is wearing the yellow jersey on more days than Gino Bartali (20) or Fausto Coppi (19). MOST DAYS IN YELLOW JERSEY Eddy Merckx 96 Bernard Hinault 75 Miguel Indurain 60 Chris Froome 59 Jacques… Read More »Most days in yellow jersey

Legenday Tour de France mountian Alpe d'Huez first hilltop finish 1952 Fausto Coppi and Jean Robic riding together

Alpe d’Huez, the instant classic

There is a simple reason, why Alpe d’Huez was introduced to the Tour de France only in 1952, while the race visited the Alps since 1911 frequently: there is only one way up to the top, hence the stage must be finished there. But the concept of a hilltop finish wasn’t born yet. Indeed, the 10th stage in 1952, finishing on Alpe d’Huez was the first time in the history of Tour de France, when the riders crossed the finish line on the top of a climb and not in a town in a valley nearby. Thanks to the new experience, both for the riders and the audience, Alpe d’Huez became a big hit instantly.… Read More »Alpe d’Huez, the instant classic