1905 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1905 Tour de France was the third Tour de France
, held from 9 July to 30 July 1905, organized by the newspaper L'Auto. Following the disqualifications after the 1904 Tour de France
, there were changes in the rules, the most important one being the general classification not made by time but by points. The race saw the introduction of mountains in the Tour de France, and René Pottier
excelled in the first mountain, although he could not finish the race.
Due in part to some of the rule changes, the 1905 Tour de France had less cheating and sabotage than in previous years, though they were not completely eliminated. It was won by Louis Trousselier, who also won four of the eleven stages.
, some cyclists were disqualified, most notably the top four cyclists of the original overall classification, Maurice Garin
, Lucien Pothier
, César Garin and Hippolyte Aucouturier
. Maurice Garin was originally banned for two years and Pothier for life, so they were ineligible to start the 1905 Tour de France. Of these four, only Aucouturier (who had been "warned" and had a "reprimand inflicted" on him), started the 1905 Tour. They were disqualified by the Union Vélocipédique Française, based on accusations of cheating when there were no race officials around. In 1904 Tour, it was difficult to observe the cyclists continuously, as significant portions of the race were run overnight, and the long stages made it difficult to have officials everywhere.
Because these disqualifications had almost put an end to the Tour de France, the 1905 event had been changed in important ways, to make the race easier to supervise:
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. In this way, a cyclist could not get more than 11 points more than the cyclist that crossed the finish line just before him.
As an example for this point system, the result for the first seven cyclists in the first stage is in this table:
The other important introduction were the mountains. One of Desgrange's staffers, Alphonse Steinès, took Desgrange for a trip along the Col Bayard
at 1246 metres (4,087.9 ft) and the Ballon d'Alsace
at 1178 metres (3,864.8 ft), that had an average gradient of 5.2% with 10% at some places, to convince Desgrange to use these climbs in the route. Desgrange accepted it, saying that Steinès would take the blame if the mountains would be too hard to climb. In the two previous editions, the highest point was the Col de la République at 1145 metres (3,756.6 ft). In 1905, Desgrange chose to ignore to mention this mountain, and focus on the introduction of the Ballon d'Alsace, because he saw that he had missed the opportunity of publicity before.
There were two categories of riders, the coureurs de vitesse and the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées. The riders in the first category were allowed to change bicycles, which could be an advantage in the mountains, where they could use a bicycle with lower gears. The riders in the machines poinçonnées category had to use the same bicycle in the entire race, and to verify this, their bicycles were marked.
and future winners René Pottier
and Lucien Petit-Breton
. The riders were not grouped in teams, but most of them rode with an individual sponsor. Two of the cyclists—Catteau
and Lootens
—were Belgian, all other cyclists were French. Leading up to the start of the Tour, Wattelier, Trousselier, Pottier and Augereau were all considered the most likely contenders to win the event.
punctured due to 125 kg of nails spread along the road. The first stage was won by Louis Trousselier. Trousselier was serving the army, and had requested his commander leave for the Tour de France; this was allowed for 24 hours. After he won the first stage and led the classification, his leave was extended until the end of the Tour. From 60 starting cyclists, only 15 cyclists reached the finish line within the time limit; 15 more reached the finish after the limit and the rest took the train.
The Tour organizer Desgrange wanted to stop the race, but was persuaded by the cyclists not to do so, and allowed all cyclists to continue with 75 points.
In the second stage, the first major climb, the Ballon d'Alsace
, made its debut. Four riders were the fasted climbers: Trousselier, René Pottier
, Cornet and Aucouturier. Of those four, Trousselier and Aucouturier were the first to be dropped, and Cornet had to drop in the final kilometers. The top was therefore reached first by René Pottier, without dismounting, at an average speed of 20 km/h. Cornet, who reached the top second, had to wait 20 minutes for his bicycle with higher gear, because his support car had broken down.
Later Aucouturier caught Pottier, and dropped him, and won the stage. Pottier became second in the stage and led the classification. Seven cyclists did not reach the finish in time, but they were again allowed to start the next stage.
In the third stage, Pottier had to abandon due to tendinitis. The lead was back with Trousselier, who also won the stage.
In the fourth stage, the Côte de Laffrey
and the Col Bayard
were climbed, the second and third mountains of the Tour de France. Julien Maitron
reached both tops first, but Aucouturier won the stage. Trousselier finished in second place, still leading the overall classification, although with the same number of points as Aucouturier.
In the fifth stage, Trousselier won, and because Aucouturier finished in twelfth place, Trousselier had a big lead in the general classification. After the fifth stage, Aucouturier could no longer challenge Trousselier for the lead.
In the seventh stage to Bordeaux, Trousselier punctured after only a few kilometers. The rest of the cyclists quickly sped away from him, and Trousselier had to follow them alone for 200 km. A few kilometers before Bordeaux, Trousselier caught up with the rest, and even managed to win the sprint. Louis Trousselier kept his lead until the end of the race, winning five stages. Trousselier was accused of bad sportsmanship: he reportedly smashed the inkstands of a control post to prevent his opponents from signing. Unlike the 1904 Tour de France, no stage winners, nor anyone from the top ten of the general classification, were disqualified.
The organising newspaper L'Auto named René Pottier
the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.
, after which it was reverted to the time system. In 1953
, for the 50-years anniversary of the Tour de France, the points system was reintroduced as the points classification
, and the winner was given a green jersey
. This points classification has been active ever since.
The introduction of mountains in the Tour de France had also been successful. After the introduction of the Vosges in the 1905 Tour de France, in 1906 the Massif Central
were climbed, followed by the Pyrenees
in 1910 and the Alps
in 1911.
The winner Trousselier received 6950 Francs
for his victory. The night after he won, he drank and gambled with friends, and lost all the money. In later years, Trousselier would not win a Tour de France again, but he still won eight more stages and finished on the podium in the next year.
The unofficial mountain champion of the 1905 Tour de France, Pottier, would be more successful in the next year, when he won the overall classification and five stages.
For L'Auto, the newspaper that organized the Tour de France, the race was a success; the circulation had increased to 100,000.
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, held from 9 July to 30 July 1905, organized by the newspaper L'Auto. Following the disqualifications after the 1904 Tour de France
1904 Tour de France
The 1904 Tour de France was the second Tour de France, held from 2 July 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...
, there were changes in the rules, the most important one being the general classification not made by time but by points. The race saw the introduction of mountains in the Tour de France, and René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
excelled in the first mountain, although he could not finish the race.
Due in part to some of the rule changes, the 1905 Tour de France had less cheating and sabotage than in previous years, though they were not completely eliminated. It was won by Louis Trousselier, who also won four of the eleven stages.
Changes from the 1904 Tour de France
After the 1904 Tour de France1904 Tour de France
The 1904 Tour de France was the second Tour de France, held from 2 July 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...
, some cyclists were disqualified, most notably the top four cyclists of the original overall classification, Maurice Garin
Maurice Garin
Maurice-Francois Garin was a road bicycle racer best known for winning the inaugural Tour de France in 1903, and for being stripped of his title in the second Tour in 1904 along with eight others, for cheating.-Origins:Garin was born the son of Maurice Clément Garin and Maria Teresa...
, Lucien Pothier
Lucien Pothier
Lucien Pothier was a successful early twentieth century French racing cyclist who participated in the 1903 Tour de France and finished second....
, César Garin and Hippolyte Aucouturier
Hippolyte Aucouturier
Hippolyte Aucouturier was a French professional road bicycle racer. Aucouturier, a professional between 1900 and 1908, won two stages at the first Tour de France in 1903 and won three stages and finished second in the 1905 Tour de France. He also won Paris–Roubaix twice, in 1903 and 1904...
. Maurice Garin was originally banned for two years and Pothier for life, so they were ineligible to start the 1905 Tour de France. Of these four, only Aucouturier (who had been "warned" and had a "reprimand inflicted" on him), started the 1905 Tour. They were disqualified by the Union Vélocipédique Française, based on accusations of cheating when there were no race officials around. In 1904 Tour, it was difficult to observe the cyclists continuously, as significant portions of the race were run overnight, and the long stages made it difficult to have officials everywhere.
Because these disqualifications had almost put an end to the Tour de France, the 1905 event had been changed in important ways, to make the race easier to supervise:
- The stages were shortened so that no night riding occurred.
- The number of stages increased to 11 stages, almost double from the previous year.
- The winner was selected on points, not time.
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. In this way, a cyclist could not get more than 11 points more than the cyclist that crossed the finish line just before him.
As an example for this point system, the result for the first seven cyclists in the first stage is in this table:
| Cyclist | Time | Difference with previous finisher |
Extra points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Trousselier | 11h 25' | — | 1 | 1 |
| Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq | +3' | 3' | 1 | 2 |
| René Pottier | +4' | 1' | 1 | 3 |
| Hippolyte Aucouturier | +26' | 22' | 5 | 8 |
| Henri Cornet | +26' | 0' | 1 | 9 |
| Augustin Ringeval | +1h 40' | 74' | 11 | 20 |
| Emile Georget | +2h 40' | 60' | 11 | 31 |
The other important introduction were the mountains. One of Desgrange's staffers, Alphonse Steinès, took Desgrange for a trip along the Col Bayard
Col Bayard
Col Bayard is a mountain pass through the Dauphiné Alps in the department of Isère in France.It connects the communities of La Mure and Gap.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe* List of mountain passes...
at 1246 metres (4,087.9 ft) and the Ballon d'Alsace
Ballon d'Alsace
Ballon d'Alsace is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the Vosges, the Rhine valley, and the Black Forest.A road leads over a pass near the peak at ....
at 1178 metres (3,864.8 ft), that had an average gradient of 5.2% with 10% at some places, to convince Desgrange to use these climbs in the route. Desgrange accepted it, saying that Steinès would take the blame if the mountains would be too hard to climb. In the two previous editions, the highest point was the Col de la République at 1145 metres (3,756.6 ft). In 1905, Desgrange chose to ignore to mention this mountain, and focus on the introduction of the Ballon d'Alsace, because he saw that he had missed the opportunity of publicity before.
There were two categories of riders, the coureurs de vitesse and the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées. The riders in the first category were allowed to change bicycles, which could be an advantage in the mountains, where they could use a bicycle with lower gears. The riders in the machines poinçonnées category had to use the same bicycle in the entire race, and to verify this, their bicycles were marked.
Participants
Before the race started, 78 riders had signed up for the race. Eighteen of those did not start the race, so the Tour began with 60 riders, including former winner Henri CornetHenri Cornet
Henri Jardry called Henri Cornet was a French cyclist who won the 1904 Tour de France. He is its youngest winner, just short of his 20th birthday.-Background:...
and future winners René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
and Lucien Petit-Breton
Lucien Petit-Breton
Lucien Georges Mazan was a French racing cyclist .He was born in Plessé, Loire-Atlantique , a part of Brittany, now part of Pays de la Loire. When he was six he moved with his parents to Buenos Aires where he took Argentine nationality...
. The riders were not grouped in teams, but most of them rode with an individual sponsor. Two of the cyclists—Catteau
Aloïs Catteau
Aloïs Catteau was an early twentieth century Belgian road racing cyclist who participated in the 1903 Tour de France and finished tenth. His best result was the 1904 Tour de France, where he finished 3rd....
and Lootens
Julien Lootens
Julien Lootens was an early twentieth century Belgian cyclist who participated in the 1903 Tour de France and finished seventh. He was a professional cyclist between 1901 and 1921....
—were Belgian, all other cyclists were French. Leading up to the start of the Tour, Wattelier, Trousselier, Pottier and Augereau were all considered the most likely contenders to win the event.
Race details
Despite the rule changes, there were still protesters among the spectators; in the first stage all riders except Jean-Baptiste DortignacqJean-Baptiste Dortignacq
Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq was a French road bicycle racer between 1900 and 1910. Dortignacq won seven stages in four Tour de France events...
punctured due to 125 kg of nails spread along the road. The first stage was won by Louis Trousselier. Trousselier was serving the army, and had requested his commander leave for the Tour de France; this was allowed for 24 hours. After he won the first stage and led the classification, his leave was extended until the end of the Tour. From 60 starting cyclists, only 15 cyclists reached the finish line within the time limit; 15 more reached the finish after the limit and the rest took the train.
The Tour organizer Desgrange wanted to stop the race, but was persuaded by the cyclists not to do so, and allowed all cyclists to continue with 75 points.
Ballon d'Alsace
Ballon d'Alsace is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the Vosges, the Rhine valley, and the Black Forest.A road leads over a pass near the peak at ....
, made its debut. Four riders were the fasted climbers: Trousselier, René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
, Cornet and Aucouturier. Of those four, Trousselier and Aucouturier were the first to be dropped, and Cornet had to drop in the final kilometers. The top was therefore reached first by René Pottier, without dismounting, at an average speed of 20 km/h. Cornet, who reached the top second, had to wait 20 minutes for his bicycle with higher gear, because his support car had broken down.
Later Aucouturier caught Pottier, and dropped him, and won the stage. Pottier became second in the stage and led the classification. Seven cyclists did not reach the finish in time, but they were again allowed to start the next stage.
In the third stage, Pottier had to abandon due to tendinitis. The lead was back with Trousselier, who also won the stage.
In the fourth stage, the Côte de Laffrey
Rampe de Laffrey
The Rampe de Laffrey is a section of France's Route nationale 85, today called the Route Napoléon, located in the department of Isère between the communes of Laffrey and Vizille, about fifteen kilometers southeast of Grenoble...
and the Col Bayard
Col Bayard
Col Bayard is a mountain pass through the Dauphiné Alps in the department of Isère in France.It connects the communities of La Mure and Gap.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe* List of mountain passes...
were climbed, the second and third mountains of the Tour de France. Julien Maitron
Julien Maitron
Julien Maitron was a French professional road bicycle racer, who competed in the 1904 to 1912 Tour de Frances. He won one stage in the 1910 Tour de France, and had his best overall position in the 1904 Tour de France when he finished fifth.- Palmarès :1910- External links :*...
reached both tops first, but Aucouturier won the stage. Trousselier finished in second place, still leading the overall classification, although with the same number of points as Aucouturier.
In the seventh stage to Bordeaux, Trousselier punctured after only a few kilometers. The rest of the cyclists quickly sped away from him, and Trousselier had to follow them alone for 200 km. A few kilometers before Bordeaux, Trousselier caught up with the rest, and even managed to win the sprint. Louis Trousselier kept his lead until the end of the race, winning five stages. Trousselier was accused of bad sportsmanship: he reportedly smashed the inkstands of a control post to prevent his opponents from signing. Unlike the 1904 Tour de France, no stage winners, nor anyone from the top ten of the general classification, were disqualified.
Stage results
In the first and last stage, the cyclists were allowed to use pacers. All the 11 stages were won by only three cyclists:| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainIn 1905, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate that the stage included mountains. | Length | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 July | Paris–Nancy |  |
340 km (211.3 mi) | ||
| 2 | 11 July | Nancy–Besançon Besançon Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008... |
 |
299 km (185.8 mi) | ||
| 3 | 14 July | Besançon–Grenoble Grenoble Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère... |
|
327 km (203.2 mi) | ||
| 4 | 16 July | Grenoble–Toulon Toulon Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence.... |
|
348 km (216.2 mi) | ||
| 5 | 18 July | Toulon–Nîmes Nîmes Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:... |
|
192 km (119.3 mi) | ||
| 6 | 20 July | Nîmes–Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... |
|
307 km (190.8 mi) | ||
| 7 | 22 July | Toulouse–Bordeaux Bordeaux Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture... |
|
268 km (166.5 mi) | ||
| 8 | 24 July | Bordeaux–La Rochelle La Rochelle La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988... |
|
257 km (159.7 mi) | ||
| 9 | 26 July | La Rochelle–Rennes Rennes Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:... |
|
263 km (163.4 mi) | ||
| 10 | 28 July | Rennes–Caen Caen Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel.... |
|
167 km (103.8 mi) | ||
| 11 | 29 July | Caen–Paris | |
253 km (157.2 mi) |
General classification
| Final general classification (1–10) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Points |
| 1 | Peugeot-Wolber Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... |
35 | |
| 2 | Peugeot-Wolber Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... |
61 | |
| 3 | Saving | 64 | |
| 4 | JC Cycles | 123 | |
| 5 | JC Cycles | 155 | |
| 6 | JC Cycles | 202 | |
| 7 | Griffon | 231 | |
| 8 | JC Cycles | 248 | |
| 9 | Peugeot-Wolber Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... /Griffon |
255 | |
| 10 | JC Cycles | 304 |
Other classifications
Pautrat was the winner of the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées category, having used the same bicycle through the whole event.The organising newspaper L'Auto named René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.
Aftermath
The tour organizers liked the effect of the points system, and it remained active until the 1912 Tour de France1912 Tour de France
The 1912 Tour de France was the 10th anniversary of the Tour de France. It consisted of 15 stages for a total of . The Tour took place from 30 June to 28 July 1912. The riders rode at an average speed of 27.763 km/h. After 4 stage wins during the Tour of Belgium, the Alcyon team hired Odile...
, after which it was reverted to the time system. In 1953
1953 Tour de France
The 1953 Tour de France was the 40th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 26, 1953. It consisted of 22 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.593 km/h....
, for the 50-years anniversary of the Tour de France, the points system was reintroduced as the points classification
Points classification in the Tour de France
The points classification in the Tour de France is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition...
, and the winner was given a green jersey
Green jersey
The green jersey is a term used in road bicycle racing and Grand Tour stage races in particular. The green jersey is a distinctive racing jersey worn by the leader in a subsidiary competition....
. This points classification has been active ever since.
The introduction of mountains in the Tour de France had also been successful. After the introduction of the Vosges in the 1905 Tour de France, in 1906 the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
were climbed, followed by the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
in 1910 and the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
in 1911.
The winner Trousselier received 6950 Francs
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
for his victory. The night after he won, he drank and gambled with friends, and lost all the money. In later years, Trousselier would not win a Tour de France again, but he still won eight more stages and finished on the podium in the next year.
The unofficial mountain champion of the 1905 Tour de France, Pottier, would be more successful in the next year, when he won the overall classification and five stages.
For L'Auto, the newspaper that organized the Tour de France, the race was a success; the circulation had increased to 100,000.