Tour de France editions without previous winners in the peloton

It happened three times during the 110 years of Tour de France history, that there were no previous winners in the peloton.

Obviously, in 1903 there couldn't be any, because it was the very first edition.

In 1927, it seems to have been a generational change in the peloton of Tour de France. Several riders, who were successful before and after the First World War has retired. Also, two of the TDF-winners from the decades were dead already. Henri Pelissier (winner of 1923) was killed by his lover (as an act kf self-defense). Meanwhile his ex-teammate, double TDF-winner Ottavio Bottecchia (1924 and 1925) was beaten during a training ride in June 1927 so seriously that he died a few days later. (The exact circumstances of his death are still unclear.)

Tour de France 1956 was a bit different story. Apparently, the route was considered so easy, that many of the starts didn't want to ride it. This was the year, when Roger Walkowiak won the race. His success, quite unfairly, used to be dubbed as "the less deserced Tour de France victory".

Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard celebrating his first Tour de France victory in Paris in 2022

The slowest and the fastest Tour de France

You might wonder which Tour de France edition was the slowest and wich. one the fastest. Here you have the answer.The slowest Tour de Francewas the 13th edition, held between 29th June and 27 July in 1919. The 5560 km long route of the race was divided into 15 stages. (And it wasn’t even the … Read more

Vintage cycling image from the 1920s, two cyclists with the socalled laterne rouge, the prize for the last placed rider of the race

Lanterne rouge – list of the last cyclists of every Tour de France

They used to say history remembers only the winners. Fortunately this is not the case of Tour de France history. The last ones, the receivers of the famous lanterne rouge get enough attention too. Lanterne rouge is an actual red lamp used to be served to the last rider of the race as some of … Read more

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 … Read more

Tour de France history on PelotonTales blog: Louis Trousselier, Tour de France winner 1905

Tour de France winners: Louis Trousselier (1905)

There is a story about Louis Trousselier (1881-1939), the winner of Tour de France in 1905, that’s makes him one of those very characteristic protagonists of the early days of road cycling races: he lost all his prize money earned during the Tour de France by playing dice with friends on the night of his … Read more

Henri Cornet, the younges Tour de France winner ever

Tour de France winners: Henri Cornet (1904)

Henri Cornet (1884-1941), the youngest Tour de France winner ever, had a quite short list of triumphs. Indeed, besides winning the most famous cycling race, his other big success was his victory at Paris-Roubaix in 1906. Actually Cornet wasn’t the best rider on the roads at the Tour France in 1904. It was Maurice Garin, … Read more

Maurice Garin the winner of the first Tour de France

Tour de France winners: Maurice Garin (1903)

Maurice Garin (1871-1957), the winner of the first Tour de France became a professional cyclist only accidentally. Garin was racing as amateur already (he won his first race in 1893), when he decided to start at a race near to his hometown. He learned only at the start of the race, that this was an … Read more