1920 Tour de France

April 2019 May 2019 1920 Tour de France Route of the 1920 Tour de France.png Route of the 1920 Tour de France followed counterclockwise, starting in Paris Map of France with 15 cities marked by black dots, connected by red lines. The route formed goes from Paris, counterclockwise along France's borders, back to Paris. 360px 27 June – 27 July 1920 15 5503 km 228h 36' 13" Philippe Thys BEL yellow 1st class Hector Heusghem BEL 1st class Firmin Lambot BEL 1st class 1919 1921 The 1920 Tour de France was the 14th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 27 June to 27 July. It consisted of 15 stages over 5503 km mi, ridden at an average speed of 24.072 km/h mph.Augendre 2016 108 It was won by Belgian Philippe Thys, making him the first cyclist to win the Tour de France three times. The Belgians dominated this Tour: 12 of the 15 stages were won by Belgians, and the first eight cyclists in the final classification were Belgian. Innovations and changes The 1919 Tour de France had been more difficult than before because of the influence of World War I on the roads and the cyclists, but in 1920, things were going back to normal,https://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1920/histoire.html 1920 - 14th Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 12 June 2009 https://archive.today/20090615180705/http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/1920/us/annee.html?RaceYear=1920&x=64&y=5 15 June 2009 dead dmy-all although the overall speed was only marginally higher than in 1919, the slowest Tour de France in history.Augendre 2016 108 In 1919 only 67 cyclists started the race, but in 1920 this had increased to 113. Although the war was over, the cycling companies were not yet able to sponsor the cyclists in the way they did before the war, so they again bundled their forces under the nickname La Sportive.McGann McGann 2006 51–56 The cyclists were divided in two categories, this time named 1ère classe (first class), the professionals, and 2ème classe (second class), the amateurs.Thompson 2008 36 The 1920 Tour de France used the same formula as since 1910, that would also be used until 1924: fifteen stages, in total around 5000 km, around the perimeter of France, starting and finishing in Paris.Augendre 2016 108McGann McGann 2006 56–57 In 1919, Philippe Thys had been in poor physical condition, and he did not even finish the first stage. He was ridiculed in the newspaper, and trained hard in the winter to be in better shape in 1920.McGann McGann 2006 56–57 Participants List of cyclists in the 1920 Tour de France There were 138 cyclists signed up for the race, of which 113 started the first stage. 31 of those were in the first class, the other 82 in the second class.The history of the Tour de France – Year 1920 – The starters http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1920/partants.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 2 April 2020 Favourites were Eugène Christophe, Louis Mottiat, Philippe Thys, Gaetano Belloni, Jean Alavoine and Henri Pélissier.https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k292526m.image.r=%22Tour+de+France%22.f4.langEN Cyclisme: Le Tour de France 27 June 1920 10 August 2010 fr 4 Le Figaro Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique Race overview 1920 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 8 1920 Tour de France, Stage 9 to Stage 15 thumb|upright|Henri Pélissier, who won the third and fourth stage of the 1920 Tour de France, quit the race in the fifth stage.|alt=A man standing next to his bicycle; more men and bicycles in the background. The 1920 Tour de France is described as a boring race.http://www.wielercentrum.com/tourdefrance/achtergronden/tourverhalen/1920--Philippe-Thys-vestigt-met-derde-Tourzege-een-uniek-record-502.html nl Tourdefrance.nl 19 March 2003 12 June 2009 1920: Philippe Thys vestigt met derde Tourzege een uniek record https://archive.today/20240524101419/https://www.webcitation.org/5hYUHNYTB?url=http://www.tourdefrance.nl/achtergronden/tourverhalen/1920--Philippe-Thys-vestigt-met-derde-Tourzege-een-uniek-record-502.html 24 May 2024 dead dmy-all The weather was extremely hot, and after four stages already 65 of the 113 cyclists had quit. French favourites stopped the race early. Eugène Christophe in the 7th stage because of back pain, Jean Alavoine in the 2nd stage and Francis Pélissier in the 3rd stage. Henri Pélissier started well by winning the third stage and the fourth stage, and was the main threat for Philippe Thys who was leading the race. Then, in the 5th stage, Henri Pélissier was penalised with two minutesMcGann McGann 2006 56–57 for throwing away a flat tyre illegally. Pélissier objected to the penalty, and immediately left the race. Henri Desgrange mentioned that Henri Pélissier was not tough enough, and would never win the Tour de France. He would later win the 1923 edition. The first five stages finished in a group, and multiple cyclists were leading the race with the same aggregate time.McGann McGann 2006 56–57 In fact, twelve of the fifteen stages finished with a group. Tour organiser Henri Desgrange did not like this, as he wanted the cyclists to ride as individuals.McGann McGann 2006 56–57 Thys was leading the race after the fifth stage, in the same time as Émile Masson. In the sixth and seventh stage over the Pyrenees, Thys rode economically. He kept close to cyclists who could be a threat, but did not ride away. After those two stages, he led with almost half an hour before Hector Heusghem. The next stage he won, half an hour before Heusghem, so now his lead was one hour.McGann McGann 2006 56–57 Although Heusghem won stage nine, he did not win back any time on Thys who finished third in the same time.http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1920_9.php https://web.archive.org/web/20120222105244/http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1920_9.php 22 February 2012 28 October 2016 dead Mémoire du cyclisme 14ème Tour de France 1920 - 9ème étape fr The yellow jersey had been introduced already in 1919, but in 1920 the organisation had not awarded the jersey in the first eight stages. After Thys was still leading in stage nine, he received the yellow jersey.McGann McGann 2006 56–57 Tour organiser Desgrange was so unhappy with the lack of battle in the race, that he wanted to stop the race after the tenth stage, but was convinced to let the race continue. The Belgians had dominated the race. Honoré Barthélémy was the best French cyclist at the eighth place. He had many falls during the race, broke his wrist and dislocated his shoulder. Barthélémy turned his handlebars up, so he did not have to bend his back.McGann McGann 2006 56–57 When he reached Paris, the French crowd considered him a hero. The race was won by Belgian Philippe Thys. Thys had been in every breakaway,https://www.cyclingrevealed.com/timeline/Race%20Snippets/TdF/TdF1920.htm Thys Makes It Three Barry Boyce Cycling Revealed 12 June 2009 finished in the top five in every stage, winning four stages and coming in second seven times.http://veloarchive.com/races/tour/1920.php 1920: Thys becomes the first triple winner Tom James 15 August 2003 11 June 2009 VeloArchive Results In each stage, all cyclists started together. The cyclist who reached the finish first, was the winner of the stage. The time that each cyclist required to finish the stage was recorded. For the general classification, these times were added up; the cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader. From the ninth stage on, the leader in the general classification was identified by the yellow jersey. Stage results + Stage characteristics and winnershttp://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1920.php Mémoire du cyclisme 14ème Tour de France 1920 fr 10 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090503043454/http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1920.php 3 May 2009 dead Augendre 2016 18http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html#1920 Tour de France GC top ten Arian Zwegers CVCC 10 June 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20080516071832/http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html 16 May 2008 live The history of the Tour de France – Year 1920 – The stage winners http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1920/vainqueurs.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 2 April 2020 2 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200402233133/http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1920/vainqueurs.html dead Stage Date Course Distance TypeIn 1920, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate which stages included mountains. Winner Race leader 127 June Paris to Le Havre 388 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Louis Mottiat BEL Louis Mottiat BELAfter the first stage, Mottiat, Rossius, Thys, Goethals and Masson had the same time. Mottiat was ranked first because he had won the stage. 229 June Le Havre to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin 364 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Philippe Thys BEL Philippe Thys BELAfter the second stage, Mottiat, Rossius, Thys, Goethals and Masson had the same time. In some rankings, they share the lead, in other rankings, Thys is leading because he had the best stage rankings. 31 July Cherbourg to Brest 405 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Henri Pélissier FRA Philippe Thys BELAfter the third stage, Rossius, Thys, Goethals and Masson had the same time. In some rankings, they share the lead, in other rankings, Thys is leading because he had the best stage rankings. 43 July Brest to Les Sables d'Olonne 412 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Henri Pélissier FRA Philippe Thys BELfourfive After the fourth and fifthstage, Thys and Masson had the same time. In some rankings, they share the lead, in other rankings, Thys is leading because he had the best stage rankings. 55 July Les Sables d'Olonne to Bayonne 482 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Firmin Lambot BEL Philippe Thys BELfourfive 67 July Bayonne to Luchon 326 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Stage with mountain Firmin Lambot BEL Philippe Thys BEL 79 July Luchon to Perpignan 323 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Stage with mountain Jean Rossius BEL Philippe Thys BEL 811 July Perpignan to Aix-en-Provence 325 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Louis Heusghem BEL Philippe Thys BEL 914 July Aix-en-Provence to Nice 356 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Stage with mountain Philippe Thys BEL Philippe Thys BEL 1016 July Nice to Grenoble 333 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Stage with mountain Hector Heusghem BEL Philippe Thys BEL 1118 July Grenoble to Gex 362 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Stage with mountain Léon Scieur BEL Philippe Thys BEL 1220 July Gex to Strasbourg 354 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Philippe Thys BEL Philippe Thys BEL 1322 July Strasbourg to Metz 300 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Philippe Thys BEL Philippe Thys BEL 1424 July Metz to Dunkerque 433 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Félix Goethals FRA Philippe Thys BEL 1527 July Dunkerque to Paris 340 km mi on 20px|alt=|link= Plain stage Jean Rossius BEL Philippe Thys BEL Total 5503 km 0 onAugendre 2016 108 General classification The final general classification, calculated by adding the stages times, was won by Philippe Thys. thumb|upright|Philippe Thys, the winner of the 1920 Tour de France.|alt=A man sitting on a bicycle. + Final general classification (1–10)The history of the Tour de France – Year 1920 – Stage 15 Dunkerque > Paris http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1920/1500/etape.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 2 April 2020 2 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200402214436/http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1920/1500/etape.html dead Rank RiderClass Time1 Philippe Thys BEL 1 228h 36' 13"2 Hector Heusghem BEL 1 + 57' 21"3 Firmin Lambot BEL 1 + 1h 39' 35"4 Leon Scieur BEL 1 + 1h 44' 58"5 Émile Masson BEL 1 + 2h 56' 52"6 Louis Heusghem BEL 1 + 3h 40' 47"7 Jean Rossius BEL 1 + 3h 49' 55"8 Honore Barthelemy FRA 1 + 5h 35' 19"9 Félix Goethals FRA 1 + 9h 23' 07"10 Joseph Vandaele BEL 1 + 10h 45' 41" Final general classification (11–22) Rank RiderClass Time11 Eugène Dhers FRA 1 + 11h 15' 09"12 Joseph Pelletier FRA 2 + 20h 04' 32"13 Théo Wynsdau BEL 2 + 25h 14' 02"14 Noel Amenc FRA 2 + 33h 25' 47"15 Joseph Muller FRA 2 + 33h 48' 53"16 Henri Ferrera FRA 2 + 34h 32' 27"17 Guglielmo Ceccherelli ITA 1861 2 + 48h 40' 35"18 Marius Matheron FRA 2 + 51h 11' 04"19 Etienne Dorfeuille FRA 2 + 53h 10' 00"20 Pierre Hudsyn BEL 2 + 55h 36' 42"21 André Coutte FRA 2 + 55h 57' 46"22 Charles Raboisson FRA 2 + 69h 00' 05" Notes References 30em Bibliography Jacques Augendre Jacques Augendre http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/le-tour/2016/histoire/TDF16_GH_Interactif-PROD.pdf Guide historique Historical guide 2016 fr 27 October 2016 PDF Tour de France Paris Amaury Sport Organisation https://web.archive.org/web/20160817121602/http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/le-tour/2016/histoire/TDF16_GH_Interactif-PROD.pdf 17 August 2016 live McGann Bill McGann Carol The Story of the Tour de France: 1903–1964 1 https://books.google.com/books?id=jxq20JskqMUC Dog Ear Publishing Indianapolis 2006 978-1-59858-180-5 Thompson Christopher S. The Tour de France: A Cultural History https://books.google.com/books?id=UpzzPqexF00C University of California Press Oakland, California 2008 978-0-520-25630-9 Further reading Mapping Le Tour Ellis Bacon HarperCollins Publishers Glasgow 2014 50–51 9780007543991 872700415 External links 1920 Tour de France 1 8 9 15 Tour de France Category:Tour de France by year Tour de France Tour de France Tour de France