Tourmalet at the Vuelta 2023 ( Stage 13 – Formigal. Huesca la Magia – Col du Tourmalet)

Unlike in the 6th stage of Tour de France 2023, when Tourmalet was a mid-stage ascent, the 13th stage of Vuelta a Espana 2023 will end on the top of the legendary climb. 13th Stage 8 September 2023 Formigal. Huesca la Magia – Col du Tourmalet 134,7 km

A  Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees (especially, when it includes the big four, Peyresourde, Auspin, Aubisque and Tourmalet) always provides stories to tell. Belgian rider Felicien Vervaecke won the mountain competition of Tour de France twice, in 1935 and 1937. Before the 16th stage (Peyresourde, Tourmalet, Aspin, Aubisque) in 1936, he was 4… Read More »Felicien Vervaecke’s bad luck (Tour de France 1936)

The 10th stage between Luchon and Bayonne was 326 km long and included the big four: Tourmalet, Col d’Aspin, Col d’Aubisque and Peyresourde. The stage was won by Octave Lapize

Federico Bahamontes competed at Tour de France for the first time in 1954. He was picked for the race by Julián Berredero, the director of the Spanish team already during previous summer. The 161 km long 12th stage of Tour de France 1954 between Pau and Luchon visited Tourmalet, Aspin and Peyresourde. As usual, all… Read More »Vintage cycling image of the day: Federico Bahamontes on Tourmalet (Tour de France 1954)

Unlike the other two grand tours with a history started before the first world war, the first Vuelta a Espana was held in 1935. It was a spring race until the 1990s, right before (or sometimes almost at the same time as) the Giro d’Italia. Also, for almost two decades, it was really unpredictable, when… Read More »Fausto Coppi and the Vuelta a España

Eddy Merckx rode Vuelta a España only once during his extremely successful carreer, in 1973.  He won the race, managed to achieve the first ever Vuelta-Giro double in the history of road cycling races, also became the third cyclist after Jacques Anquetil and Felice Gimondi, who has won all the three grand tours at least… Read More »Eddy Merckx’s results at Vuelta a España

Winnig Vuelta a Espana with the smallest winning margin in the history of the race, French rider Éric Caritoux delivered a surprise victory in 1984. Vuelta a Espana always has provided much more opportunitiy to success for lesser known riders, especially in the era, when it was a spring race. (Vuelta a Espana moved to autumn… Read More »Smallest winning margins at Vuelta a Espana

Over the last few years, since the new golden generation arrived in the world of road cycling races, there are no more unbeatable records, or at least  very old lists with some cery new names. Since the beginning of his professional career, we always knew, Remco Evenepoel’s name will be one of those we should… Read More »Vuelta a Espana youngest winners

Take a look at the list of Vuelta a Espana winners frim the beginning to 2022.  Note, the first two decades in the history of the youngest grand tour were a bit chaotic. There were a quite a few years, when the race wasn’t held.  1935 Gustaaf Deloor1936 Gustaaf Deloor1941 Julián Berrendero1942 Julián Berrendero1945 Delio… Read More »List of Vuelta a Espana winners

The leader jersey of the Spanish cycling race Vuelta a Espana is red since 2010 only.  But  of course, leader jerseys with different colours were awarded since the beginning (1935) of the race1 Alex Zülle 482 Primoz Roglic 373 Roberto Heras 344 Delio Rodriguez 32Tony Rominger  32Gustaaf Deloor  327 Alejandro Valverde  27Julián Berrendero27Chris Froome United… Read More »Vuelta fun facts: most days in the leader jersey

Vuelta a Espana was a sping race for decades, the first autumn edition was held in 1995, and its original schedules were usually very close to Giro d’Italia. Little wonder, that the first Giro-Vuelta happened only in 1973, and the first rider to achieve it was Eddy Merkcx. (Just for the record: Fausto Coppi managed… Read More »Giro d’Italia -Vuelta a Espana double winners

A cyclist running while carrying his bike on his shoulder. Surely, you’ve seen this vintage cycling image several times. Now it’s time to learn a bit more about the protagonist of the picture. Victor Fontan (1892-1982) in the Faces from the peloton series of PelotonTales blog. A local rider World War I, like World War… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Victor Fontan (1892-1982)

In the year when Giro d’Italia organizers decided to pay Alfredo Binda for not to participate the race, a 21-year-young neo-pro rider, Luigi Marchisio had the chance of his lifetime in the Legnano team. And that’s it. This is pretty much his story, because besides winning the Giro d’Italia in 1930, he had very few… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Luigi Marchisio (1909-1992)

The youngest Giro-stage winner ever, Olimpio Bizzi (1916-1976) was active as professional cyclist between 1936 and 1952. Practically, he was racing in the shadow of the greatest generation of Italian cyclists, including Learco Guerra, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, or Giorenzo Magni Nevertheless, Bizzi had his own successes during his career. Besides some minor one-day race… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Olimpio Bizzi (1916-1976)

Thank you for being a devoted reader of PelotonTales. You are the reason why it’s worth spending so many hours to create new content and trying to improve this website. If you would show appreciation to my work, please consider supporting the blog with a small donation. Thank you! Raymond Delisle was one of those… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Raymond Delisle (1943-2013)

You would never guess in what kind of stage the  first Dutch Tour de France stage winner, Theo (Theofiel) Middelkamp (1914-2005) gained his victory. In a mountain stage in the Alps, including Télégraphe, Galibier and Lautaret. Considering that even in the early 1950s, when Wim van Est, the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow… Read More »Faces from the Peloton: Theo Middelkamp (1914-2005)

French cyclist Jean Alavoine holds a unique record in the history of Tour de France: there are 14 years between his first (1909) and his last (1923) stage victory.¹ Indeed, he was one of… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Jean Alavoine (1888-1943)

Undoubtedly, there were plenty of cyclists with unique stories in the peloton in the first few decades of road cycling races. These atlethes were not necessarily successful riders or didn’t become the bigest stars of their days, but yet, their stories are worth to be told. Actually, if we are looking deeper into the well… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Jules Deloffre, “the acrobat cyclist”

The winner of the longest ever individual time trial (139 km ) in the history of Tour de France, Raymond Impanis had a successful career. Although a bit in the shadow of the biggest names of the era. That certain individual time trial at Tour de France 1947 was one of his two TDF stage… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Raymond Impanis (1925-2010)

Fausto Coppi’s brother, Serse was born on the 19th of March in 1923 in Castellania, Italy. He started to race professionally in the Bianchi team as the most trusted domestique of his older sibling in 1946. Nevertheless, he had his own personal success either: he won Paris-Roubaix in 1949, although under disputable circumstances. Originally, André… Read More »Faces from the peloton: Serse Coppi (1923-1951)

In 1954, Louison Bobet entered the Tour de France as the reigning champion, carrying with him not only the weight of his title but also the hopes of an entire nation. The French public was eager to witness the rise of a new era in cycling, one marked by the dominance of a great French… Read More »Louison Bobet leading the group of favourites on the Aubisque (Tour de France 1954)

The Col d’Aubisque is a true veteran among the iconic ascents of the Pyrenees, steeped in cycling history and tradition. This legendary climb has been a fixture in the Tour de France since 1910, when the race ventured into the high mountains for the very first time.

Although Tour de France started outside Paris for the first time in 1926, race organizers used the good old concept to start the event in Paris even during the subsequent years. Only after World War II became a custom to start Tour de France elsewhere in France. And in 1954 the race witnessed its first… Read More »The start of Tour de France 1932

Col du Galibier is one of the oldest participats among the ascents the peloton of Tour de France used to climb in the Alps. It was already part the program of the 1911 edition when the race visited the Alps for the very first time.     In 1936, Col du Galibier, alongside with Thélégraphe… Read More »Fédérico Ezquerra on the Galibier (Tour de France 1936)

Mont Ventoux was introduced to Tour de France in 1951 (one year earlier than Alpe d’Huez and Puy de Dôme). At the first three occasions (1951, 1954 and 1955) the peloton crossed the top during  mid-race, the first summit finish was organized only in 1958. The 11th stage of the 1955 Tour de France began… Read More »Louison Bobet on Mont Ventoux (Tour de France 1955)

Felice Gimondi’s cycling career is remembered for his remarkable ability to compete at the highest level during the same era as the legendary Eddy Merckx, widely regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time. Despite Merckx’s dominance, Gimondi achieved numerous significant victories, including all three Grand Tours—Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta… Read More »What is in your bag? (Felice Gimondi and Eddy Merckx 1967)

The 1949 Tour de France marked a high point in the legendary rivalry between two Italian cycling icons, Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. Bartali had already claimed two Tour victories (1938 and 1948), while Coppi, though a three-time Giro d’Italia champion (1940, 1947, 1949), was making his Tour debut. Determined to make history, Coppi aimed… Read More »Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali during Tour de France 1949

Giusto Cerutti (1903-1993) had at least one bad day at the Tour de France in 1928.We don’t know much about the grumpy cyclist with the broken bicycle. But one thing is sure, he is the unlucky (anti)hero of one of the most searched vintage cycling images on the internet.According to  ProCyclingStats, Cerutti abandoned the race… Read More »The grumpy cyclist with the broken bicycle – Giusto Cerutti at Tour de France 1928

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