After the introduction of the Pyrenees to the race in 1910, the next big challenge of Tour de France was how to include the "giants of the Alps" into the program. The story behind using Galibier, Thelegraphe, Aravis, and Lautarer was far less dramatic than the organizers' first encounter with Col du Tourmalet.
Nevertheless, the 5th stage of Tour de France 1911 between Chamonix and Grenoble was 366 km long and it took 13 hours and 35 minutes for stage winner Émile Georget to finish it. Paul Duboc was 15 minutes, Gustave Garrigou, the leader of the general classification 26 minutes behind him. (Please note, this was the time, between 1905 and 1912, when the general classification based on points instead of the time gaps between the riders.)
These three cyclists were, by the way, the only riders did not dismount their bike on Galibier.
The peloton spent also the next two stages in the Alps. In the 6th stage (12 July 1911), they climbed Laffrey, Bayard, and Allos. Another two days later, in the 7th stage Castillon and Braus. Both stahes were over 300 km long.
There wasn't any big change in the general classification until Stage 10, when Paul Duboc was (possibly) poisoned by a rival cyclist, and lost the chance to win the race, despite having two victories during the reamining stages.
Tour de France returned to Galibier also in the subsequent year. Galibier, often dubbed as "the giant of the Alps" is one of the most climbed ascents in the history of Tour de France with over 60 appearances.
The peloton of Tour de France 2024 will met the Giant too, in a very early phase of the race. The 4th stage of Tour de France 2024 will finish in Valloire, but only after they would climb the three categorized climbs of the day, with Col du Galibier among them.
Galibier on the 4th day! (Tour de France 2024 Stage 4 Pinerolo-Valloire 138 km)
Galibier on the 4th day of Tour de France 2024 Stage 4 2 July 2024 Pinerolo -Valloire 138 km Whioe waiting for next year’s Tour de France, PelotonTales blog focus a bit more on the stories, when Tour de France went abroad. Beginning with the first time the race finished in a foreign … Read more
MORE POSTS ABOUT COL DU GALIBIER
Fédérico Ezquerra on the Galibier (Tour de France 1936)
Col du Galibier was part of the 7th stage alongside with Thélégraphe and Lautaret at the Tour de France in 1936. (Usually, when the peloton climbs Galibier, they climb also Thélégraphe and Lautaret.) The 230 km long stage ended in Grenoble (hilltop finishes were introduced to Tour de France only in 1952), and a whole … Read more
Federico Bahamontes on the Galibier (Tour de France 1954)
Federico Bahamontes rode Tour de France for the very first time in 1954. Of course, the real race for him started in the Pyrenees. On the 12th stage, which included Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde, he arrived at the finish with Jean Malléjac and Gilbert Bauvin, who won the stage with 1 sec ahead of Bahamontes, … Read more
10 July 1911 The first mountain stage in the Alps at Tour de France
After the introduction of the Pyrenees to the race in 1910, the next big challenge of Tour de France was how to include the “giants of the Alps” into the program. The story behind using Galibier, Thelegraphe, Aravis, and Lautarer was far less dramatic than the organizers’ first encounter with Col du Tourmalet. Nevertheless, the … Read more
MORE POSTS ABOUT TOUR DE FRANCE IN THE ALPS
Climbing Col d’Allos at Tour de France 1914 -Vintage cycling image of the day
Tour de France 1914 started on the same day, 28th June, as the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated in Sarajevo. When the riders lined up in the middle of the nigh for the start of the first stage in Paris, they knew nothing about that this day … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more