Francois Faber

Climbing Col d’Allos at Tour de France 1914 -Vintage cycling image of the day

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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

Tour de France winners died in the First World War

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Francoise Faber, Octave Lapize, Lucien Petit-Breton, Tour de France winners, who lost their life 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 of about Tour de France 1909

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Luxembourgian Tour de France winner Francois Faber surronded by spectators at the Tiur de France 1909

150 cyclists started the race, this was a new record. Nevertheless, although being sponsored and racing in a team was allowed, 112 participants were still independent riders. In the end, 55 cyclists managed to complete the course. Another record was broken, which still stands: François Faber won 5 consecutive stages. Faber was also the first … Read more

The slowest Tour de France ever

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Firmin Lambot, the winner of the Tour de France 1919

The slowest Tour de France in history was the 13th edition between 29th June and 27 July in 1919. The race included 5560 km, divided into 15 stages. This was the second longest Tour de France in history. Due to the recent war times (World War I between 1914 and 1918) most of the riders … Read more

Francois Faber’s Best (and Worst) Tour de France

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Francois Faber was a Luxemburgian cyclist racing as professional between 1906 and 1914. His nickname was “Le Géant de Colombes” [The Giant of Colombes] due to his height (1.86 m /6.1 ft) and the Parisian suburb where he came from. Although he was born and raised in France, officially, he was the first non-French winner of the Tour de France.

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