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Tour de France 1911

For the first time in Tour de France history Col du Galibier is climbed in the 5th stage at Tour de France 1911

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 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… Read More »10 July 1911 The first mountain stage in the Alps at Tour de France

Cyclists at the first stage of the Tour de France 1905

Points system in general classification at the Tour de France (1905-1912)

Between 1905 and 1912 points decided who is the best rider of the peloton. The first cyclist to cross the finish line received 1 point. Other cyclists received one point more than the cyclist who passed the line directly before him, plus an additional point for every five minutes between them, with a maximum of ten points. At the next edition, time gap became irrelevant, only the position decided, ho many points the riders get. However, after the 8th stage (from a total of 13 stages), when a significant number of the riders have already left the race, points were recalculated and redistributed among the remaining competitors. This practice continued in the subsequent years. The… Read More »Points system in general classification at the Tour de France (1905-1912)

French cyclist and 2nd in overall, Paul Duboc at a checkpoint at Tour de France 1911

Vintage cycling image of the day: checkpoint at Tour de France 1911

Paul Duboc was one of the favourite of the Tour de France in 1911. Here youcan see him at one of the official checkpoints of the race. Paul Duboc (1884-1941) rode Tour de France twice (1908 and 1909) before, and earned some success (a stage victory and 4h place in overall in 1909) already, when he showed a remarkable form at the Tour de Frace 1911. He won 4 stages and finished 2nd in the general classification. But behind the pure facts, lies a weird story. On the 10th stage, in the Pyranees, Duboc led the race with 8 minutes, when he just collapsed. Due to the current rules, because he was an independent rider,… Read More »Vintage cycling image of the day: checkpoint at Tour de France 1911