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 1920 winner Philippe Thys became the first cyclist to win the race three times (his previous victories were dated back before First World War, in 1913 and 1914). The weather was so hot, that after 4 stages 65 of 113 cyclists had quit the race already.
The first 3-time winner of the Tour de France, Philippe Thys was born in Anderlecht on the 8th of October 1889. He won the first Belgian cyclo-cross championship (1910) and some road stage races before he turned professional. Also, he was the best independent rider at the Tour de France in 1911. Philippe Thys won … Read more
The race was 5,287 km long divided into 15 stages. It was held between 29 June and 27 July 1913. The Belgian Philippe Thys triumphed at the end, he also won Stage 6 ( Bayonne to Luchon) which included Tourmalet. This was the race when the fork of the extreme unlucky Eugene Christophe’s bike broke, … Read more