1904 Tour de France

May 2020 May 2019 1904 Tour de France Route of the 1904 Tour de France.png Route of the 1904 Tour de France followed clockwise, starting in Montgeron and ending in Paris Map of France with the route of the 1904 Tour de France on it, showing that the race started Montgeron (close to Paris), went clockwise through France and ended in Paris after six stages. 360px 2–24 July 1904 6 2428 km 96h 05' 55" Henri Cornet FRA Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq FRA Aloïs Catteau BEL 1903 1905 The 1904 Tour de France was the second Tour de France, held from 2 to 24 July. With a route similar to its previous edition, 1903 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin seemed to have repeated his win by a small margin over Lucien Pothier, while Hippolyte Aucouturier won four of the six stages. But the race became a victim of its own success, plagued by scandals; cyclists were accused of having taken trains during the race.http://www.rediff.com/sports/2004/jul/06tour.htm No centenary party for 1904 Tour of shame Reuters 8 July 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20121021040812/http://www.rediff.com/sports/2004/jul/06tour.htm 21 October 2012 live 18 March 2009 Twelve cyclists, including the first four of the final classification and all stage winners, were disqualified by the Union Vélocipédique Française (UVF). Henri Cornet, originally the fifth-place finisher, was awarded the victory four months after the race.http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1904/histoire.html The Tour – Year 1904 Amaury Sport Organisation 29 December 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090715153636/http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1904/histoire.html 15 July 2009 dead The problems caused the Tour de France to be provisionally cancelled, and subsequently the 1905 Tour de France was run with different rules from the 1903 and 1904 editions. Innovations and changes The initial Tour de France of 1903 had been a large success, and it was quickly decided to organise it again in 1904. The route was identical, with the same six stages. The rules were the same as in 1903, with one exception: cyclists could not enter in just one stage, but had to join for the entire race. The favourites for the victory were Garin, Pothier and Aucouturier, who had performed well in the 1903 Tour de France.http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1904.php 2ème Tour de France 1904 Mémoire du cyclisme 20 May 2009 fr https://web.archive.org/web/20090709115354/http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1904.php 9 July 2009 dead McGann McGann 2006 10–13 Among the competitors was Henri Paret who, at 50 years old, still holds the record of oldest Tour de France cyclist. http://www.topendsports.com/events/tour-de-france/trivia.htm Tour de France Trivia 22 July 2012 In the 1903 Tour de France, the organisation guaranteed that the first 50 cyclists in the final general classification would earn at least 5 francs per day. In 1904, if not more than 50 cyclists would finish, also cyclists who dropped out during the race would still get 5 francs for the days they had been in the race. This rule was added to attract cyclists who otherwise would not enter, because the Tour needed enough competitors to remain credible.Thompson 2006 152 Participants List of cyclists in the 1904 Tour de France Race incidents 1904 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 3 1904 Tour de France, Stage 4 to Stage 6 thumb|Maurice Garin, initially declared winner of the 1904 Tour de France.|alt=A man with a hat on a bicycle.In the first stage, the riders fell after only a few kilometres. Lipman broke a finger, and became the first rider to abandon this Tour. Around 100 km in the race, Lucien Pothier lost ten minutes to the main group, led by Maurice Garin, because of a broken bicycle.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k616847m.image.f4.langFR Vélocipédie Le Petit journal 3 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 4 In Cosne, at 174 km, Pothier had reached the leading group. Aucouturier had lost more than one hour at that point. Just before the next control post in Nevers, Aucouturier fell on his face, and continued the race covered in blood. In the last part of the race, Maurice Garin and Lucien Pothier rode away from the others. They were attacked by four masked men in a car, but still finished as the first two, with Garin beating Pothier by 50 m.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6168480.image.f4.langFR Vélocipédie Le Petit journal 4 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 4 The many flat tires and crashes of Aucouturier, seemingly the results of sabotage, gave him a time loss of several hours.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 After the stage, three cyclists were punished: Aucouturier and Samson received fines of 500 and 250 francs, Aucouturier for having a cyclist not in the race following him, Samson for riding in the slipstream of a car.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6168509.image.f4.langFR Vélocipédie – coureurs punis Le Petit journal 6 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 4 Chevallier, who had finished third, was disqualified for resting in a car for 45 minutes.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k616854t.image.f4.langFR Vélocipédie – Le Tour de France Le Petit journal 10 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 4 During the stage, Ferdinand Payan had been disqualified. Some sources indicate he was helped by a motor,http://www.wielercentrum.com/tourdefrance/achtergronden/tourverhalen/1904--Henri-Cornet-wint-na-diskwalificatie-van-winnaars-490.html 1904: Henri Cornet wint na diskwalificatie van winnaars tourdefrance.nl 19 March 2003 nl https://archive.today/20240524091354/https://www.webcitation.org/5gVcfEPKJ?url=http://www.tourdefrance.nl/achtergronden/tourverhalen/1904--Henri-Cornet-wint-na-diskwalificatie-van-winnaars-490.html 24 May 2024 dead 18 March 2009 others that he was helped by riders not in the race.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 In that first stage, Garin had asked the race official Lefèvre for food, which was illegal. Lefèvre, who knew that Garin was the star of the race, broke the rules and gave him the food, because he did not want to be responsible for Garin leaving the race because of hunger.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 The news that Garin had received illegal help quickly spread, and caused the fanatical crowd to take action.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 For the second stage, the organisers had made the option to postpone the start by two hours, in case the mistral wind was making cycling difficult. This was not necessary, so the riders started at midnight as planned.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k561480q.image.f5.langFR Le Tour de France Le Petit Parisien 10 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 5 During this stage, Antoine Fauré led close to his hometown, and 200 fans tried to stop the rest of the cyclists from following him. Garin hurt his hand during the incident, and Giovanni Gerbi was knocked unconscious, and had to give up with broken fingers.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 The situation was only solved after race officials fired shots in the air. Further on, nails and broken glass had been spread along the road, which caused many flat tires.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6168556.image.f4.langFR Vélocipédie – Le Tour de France Le Petit journal 11 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 5 Because of this help, Fauré was the first on top of the Col de la République, but was taken over by the favourites later. Aucouturier won the sprint.http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1904_2.php https://web.archive.org/web/20120320164805/http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1904_2.php 20 March 2012 28 October 2016 dead 2ème Tour de France 1904 – 2ème étape Mémoire du cyclisme fr When the riders reached Marseille, they complained that there had been too many incidents in this stage, and the stage results should be cancelled. In the last part, they had been stopped by a large group of cyclists. Maurice Garin had been attacked, and his arm had been injured: he finished the stage steering with only one hand. There was so much confusion at the last controle post, that the exact arrival times of the cyclists were not recorded. In the third stage, the Tour reached Nîmes, near the home town of Payan, whose fans were angry because of his disqualification. They threw rocks at the riders, and barricaded the road.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 The cyclists had troubles passing through Nîmes, and several were injured. The most important event for the general classification was when César Garin's bicycle was broken by attackers; he had to find a new bicycle, which took him 15 minutes. Further on, nails and broken glass were spread along the road. Many riders punctured, but there were no serious falls. The cyclists passed this part walking. After Nîmes, a leading group of five cyclists was formed: Maurice Garin, Pothier, Aucouturier, Cornet and Beaugendre. Aucouturier and Cornet escaped, and Aucouturier won, beating Cornet in the sprint.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k616859q.image.f4.langFR Le Tour de France Le Petit journal 15 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 4http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k561485m.image.f5.langFR Le Tour de France Le Petit Parisien 15 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 5 The fourth stage was run without the incidents that plagued the first three stages.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k561488r.image.f5.langFR Vélocipédie – Le Tour de France Le Petit Parisien 17 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 5 Pothier, Maurice and César Garin and Beaugendre reached Bordeaux together, and the stage was decided by the final kilometre in the velodrome, where Pothier recorded the fastest time. In the fifth stage, nails on the road again causing punctures. As mechanical assistance was not allowed, Cornet had to ride the last 40 km on two flat tires. Aucouturier won this stage, his third one, but was way behind in the general classification, which Garin led, with only 28 seconds margin to Pothier.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k616866x.image.f3.langFR Le Tour de France – La fin de la cinquième étape Le Petit journal 22 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 3 In the sixth stage, Aucouturier, Garin and Dortignac escaped in the last kilometres. Aucouturier signed first at the control post in Ville-d'Avray. From that point, the race was neutralised until the velodrome Parc-des-Princes, where the riders would ride the final kilometre. At the moment that the riders arrived in Paris, it started to rain. The organisers decided together with the cyclists to exclude the final kilometre from the race, and make the control post in Ville-d'Avray the end of the race. This made Aucouturier the winner of the stage.http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2866843.image.f6.langFR Vélocipédie – Le Tour de France Le Figaro 25 July 1904 16 March 2010 Gallica Bibliothèque Numérique fr 6 Maurice Garin finished second, which made him the overall winner. Initial results before disqualifications Initially, Maurice Garin was declared the winner, having led the race from start to end.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 Hippolyte Aucouturier won four stages. In total, 27 cyclists finished.http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1904.htm The Tour is finished... VeloArchive Tom James 4 April 2001 https://web.archive.org/web/20080922110223/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1904.htm 22 September 2008 dead 18 March 2009 For each cyclist, the times they had needed in each stage was added up for the general classification. The cyclist with the least accumulated time after the last stage was the winner. + Stage characteristics and winners before disqualificationsAugendre 2016 6 Stage Date Course Distance TypeTerrain In 1904, 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 1 2 July Montgeron to Lyon 467 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Maurice Garin FRA Maurice Garin FRA 2 9 July Lyon to Marseille 374 km mi on alt=Stage with mountain|20px|link= Stage with mountain(s) Hippolyte Aucouturier FRA Maurice Garin FRA 3 13 July Marseille to Toulouse 424 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Hippolyte Aucouturier FRA Maurice Garin FRA 4 17 July Toulouse to Bordeaux 268 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Lucien Pothier FRA Maurice Garin FRA 5 20 July Bordeaux to Nantes 425 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Hippolyte Aucouturier FRA Maurice Garin FRA 6 23 July Nantes to Paris 471 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Hippolyte Aucouturier FRA Maurice Garin FRA Total 2428 km 0 onAugendre 2016 108 + Final general classification before disqualificationsAugendre 2016 6 Rank Rider Time1Maurice Garin FRA 93h 06' 24"2Lucien Pothier FRA+6' 28"3César Garin ITA 1861 + 1h 51' 03"4Hippolyte Aucouturier FRA+2h 52' 26"5Henri Cornet FRA+2h 59' 27"6Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq FRA+5h 15' 36"7Philippe Jousselin FRA+8h 33' 42"8Aloïs Catteau BEL+12h 00' 56"9Camille Fily FRA+15h 36' 42"10Jean Dargassies FRA+16h 04' 01" Disqualification thumb|Henri Cornet, the winner of the 1904 Tour de France after the original top four finishers had been disqualified.|alt=A black-and-white photograph of a young man with a cap. During the race, nine riders were excluded because of, among other actions, illegal use of cars or trains. The Tour organisers were happy with the result, but the Union Vélocipédique Française (UVF) started an investigation after complaints from other cyclists. Their investigative committee heard testimony from dozens of competitors and witnesses, and, in December 1904, disqualified all the stage winners and the first four finishers (Maurice Garin, Pothier, César Garin, and Aucouturier). Ten of those disqualified were banned for one year, Maurice Garin for two years and the remaining two for life. In total, 29 riders were punished.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 The reasons for the disqualification were never made public.http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/05/sports/BIKE.php Tour's early scandal still a mystery 5 March 2008 Samuel Abt 18 March 2009 International Herald Tribune Fifth-placed Henri Cornet, aged 19, then became the youngest ever winner of the Tour.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/in_depth/2000/tour_de_france/812860.stm BBC Tour records and winners 30 June 2000 29 December 2009 Cornet had also been warned after he had received a lift by a car.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 Only 15 cyclists from the original 27 that finished were not disqualified.http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/85550 VeloNews 3 December 2008 The Explainer – Disqualified! Charles Pelkey 21 September 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090805001801/http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/85550 5 August 2009 dead Following the disqualifications, the Tour de France came nearest in history to being permanently cancelled.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jul/29/cycling.tourdefrance3 Plus ça change... they started cheating in 1904 29 July 2007 François Thomazeau Guardian 18 March 2009 The race organiser Henri Desgrange, said he would never run the race again because it had been overtaken by the "blind emotions" of those who attacked or helped riders as they passed. Desgrange was also upset that the UVF had imposed judgement on his race when he had already disciplined riders as he saw fit. An angry exchange ensued between Desgrange and the UVF but the letters and the detailed complaints that led to the UVF's actions were lost when the Tour de France archives were transported south in 1940 to avoid the German invasion and were never seen again. Until the end of his life, Garin always said that he was the rightful winner of the 1904 Tour de France, but according to Les Woodland, Garin confessed to a friend that he had cheated.McGann McGann 2006 10–13 Final results After the disqualifications, the first four cyclists of the initial classification were disqualified. In the new classification, only 15 cyclists had finished: + Stage characteristics and winners after disqualificationsAugendre 2016 6The history of the Tour de France – Year 1904 – The stage winners http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1904/vainqueurs.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 2 April 2020 2 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200402233043/http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1904/vainqueurs.html dead Stage Date Course DistanceTerrain Winner Race leader 1 2 July Montgeron to Lyon 467 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Michel Frédérick SUI Michel Frédérick SUI 2 9 July Lyon to Marseille 374 km mi on alt=Stage with mountain|20px|link= Stage with mountain(s) Alfred Faure FRA Emile Lombard BEL 3 13 July Marseille to Toulouse 424 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Henri Cornet FRA Henri Cornet FRA 4 17 July Toulouse to Bordeaux 268 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage François Beaugendre FRA François Beaugendre FRA 5 20 July Bordeaux to Nantes 425 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq FRA Henri Cornet FRA 6 23 July Nantes to Paris 471 km mi on alt=Plain stage|20px|link= Plain stage Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq FRA Henri Cornet FRA Total 2428 km 0 onAugendre 2016 108 + Final general classification after disqualifications (1–10)The history of the Tour de France – Year 1904 – Stage 6 Ville d'Avray > Paris http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1904/600/etape.html Tour de France Amaury Sport Organisation 2 April 2020 2 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200402214344/http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1904/600/etape.html dead Rank Rider Time 1Henri Cornet FRA 96h 05' 55" 2Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq FRA + 2h 16' 14" 3Aloïs Catteau BEL + 9h 01' 25" 4Jean Dargassies FRA + 13h 04' 30" 5Julien Maitron FRA + 19h 06' 15" 6Auguste Daumain FRA + 22h 44' 36" 7Louis Coolsaet BEL + 23h 44' 20" 8Achille Colas FRA + 25h 09' 50" 9René Saget FRA + 25h 55' 16" 10Gustave Drioul BEL + 30h 54' 49" Final general classification (11–15) Rank Rider Time 11Henri Paret FRA + 32h 18' 39" 12Auguste Gauthier FRA + 33h 14' 02" 13Auguste Rist FRA + 35h 01' 20" 14Damelincourt FRA + 48h 39' 03" 15Antoine Deflotriere FRA + 101h 28' 52" Aftermath Because of the scandals associated with this Tour, Desgrange wanted to stop the race. He however changed his mind, and the rules were changed to prevent cyclists from cheating: the 1905 Tour de France would be decided with a points system. Tour de France 1904 winner Cornet would enter the Tour de France for seven more times, but would never again play an important role.http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/riders/us/1280.html ASO 20 May 2009 Past results for Henri Cornet (FRA) https://web.archive.org/web/20080623100718/http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/riders/us/1280.html 23 June 2008 dead 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 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, IN 2006 978-1-59858-180-5 Thompson Christopher S. The Tour de France: A Cultural History https://books.google.com/books?id=M-vUF6Y_4RUC University of California Press Oakland, CA 2006 978-0-520-24760-4 Further reading Mapping Le Tour Ellis Bacon HarperCollins Publishers Glasgow 2014 22–23 9780007543991 872700415 Jacques Seray 1904: The Tour de France Which Was to Be the Last https://books.google.com/books?id=lFhrAAAACAAJ Ann Arbor Press 1999 0-9649835-2-4 External links 1904 Tour de France 1 3 4 6 Category:Tour de France by year Tour de France Tour de France Tour de France