1907 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1907 Tour de France was the 5th annual Tour de France
bicycle race. From 8 July to 4 August, participants cycled 4488 km (2,788 mi). across France. The winner, Lucien Petit-Breton, completed the race at an average speed of 28.47 km/h (17.69 mi/h). For the first time, climbs in the Western Alps were included in the Tour de France. The race was dominated at the start by Emile Georget
, who won five of the first eight stages. In the ninth stage, he borrowed a bicycle from a team mate after his own broke. This was against the rules, and he was penalized; the lead then transferred to Lucien Petit-Breton
. Petit-Breton won two of the remaining stages, and the Tour.
, the winner of the 1906 Tour de France
, did not defend his title because he had committed suicide in early 1907.
The length again increased by one stage, and for the first time Switzerland was included. The mountain stages had been so successful, according to the organiser Henri Desgrange
, that the western Alps were included.
For the first time, a car with bicycle repairmen drove behind the riders, to give assistance in solving mechanical problems on bicycles.
The points system was used to determine the race's winner, the same as in the previous year: at every stage, the winner was given one point, the next cyclist two points, etc. After the eighth stage, when only 49 cyclists were still in the race, the points given in the first eight stages were redistributed among the remaining cyclists, in accordance with their positions in those stages.
. Pépin had hired two riders, Jean Dargassies
His real name was Dargaties but the Tour spelled his name wrongly and the error stuck. and Henri Gauban to ride with him. They treated the race as a pleasure ride, stopping for lunch when they chose and spending the night in the best hotels they could find. Dargassies and Gaubin became the first cyclists in the history of the Tour de France to ride not for their own placings but for their team leader's interest. During the race, they found another Tour de France competitor, Jean-Marie Teychenne, lying in a ditch. They helped him get up, fed him, and from that moment Teycheime was also helping Pépin.
As in the previous years, there were two classes of cyclists, the coureurs de vitesse and the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées. Of the 93 cyclists starting the race, 82 were in the poinçonnée category, which meant that they had to finish the race on the same bicycle as they left, and if it was broken they had to fix it without assistance. The coureurs de vitesse could get help from the car with bicycle repairmen when they had to fix a bicycle, and when a bicycle was beyond repair, they could change it to a new one.
and Emile Georget
were the main contenders. In the second stage, the Tour passed the French-German border to finish in Metz, in 1907 part of Germany. The German authorities allowed the cyclists to finish there, but did not allow the French flag to be flown, or the cars of race officials to enter the city. At the end of the stage, Georget beat Trousselier with a very small margin. After inquiry, tour organiser Desgrange decided to put both cyclists in first place. In the third stage, the Tour returned to France, and at the border, the riders were stopped by two French customs officers, the delay taking so long that the stage had to be re-started.
Emile Georget won five of the first eight stages, and had a commanding lead. In the seventh stage, Marcel Cadolle
, at that time in second place, fell and his steer penetrated his knee, after which he had to give up.
During the ninth stage, when Georget was leading the race, he broke his frame at a checkpoint. According to the rules, Georget should have fixed his bicycle alone; he knew this would take him more than five hours, so he switched bicycles with his team mate Pierre-Gonzague Privat, which was against the rules, so Georget was given a fine of 500 francs. After this stage, won by Petit-Breton, the general classification was as follows:
Unsatisfied with the fine given to Georget, Trousselier and his Alcyon team left the Tour in protest.
After the tenth stage, the organisers gave Georget an additional penalty for the bicycle change in the ninth stage. They changed the classification of the ninth stage, moving Georget from the fourth place to the 48th and last place, which effectively costed him 44 points in the general classification, moving him from first to third place. The new classification, after the tenth stage, thus became
The lead had transferred to Lucien Petit-Breton
. Although he had already finished in fifth place and fourth place in previous years, he was still relatively unknown, and had started in the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées category. Petit-Breton finished the next stages all in the top three, so no other cyclist was able to challenge him for the overall victory. At the end of the race, he had increased his lead to a margin of 19 points to Garrigou and 27 points to Georget.
The cyclists officially were not grouped in teams, but some cyclists had the same sponsor, even though they were not allowed to work together.
The total prize money was 25000 francs, of which 4000 francs were given to Petit-Breton for winning the Tour. In total, he received more than 7000 francs.
The organising newspaper l'Auto named Emile Georget
the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.
, Lucien Petit-Breton started again. He won five stages and the general classification, and became the first cyclist to win the Tour de France two times.
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...
bicycle race. From 8 July to 4 August, participants cycled 4488 km (2,788 mi). across France. The winner, Lucien Petit-Breton, completed the race at an average speed of 28.47 km/h (17.69 mi/h). For the first time, climbs in the Western Alps were included in the Tour de France. The race was dominated at the start by Emile Georget
Émile Georget
Émile Georget was a French road racing cyclist. Born in Bossay-sur-Claise, he was the younger brother of cyclist Léon Georget.He died at Châtellerault.- Tour de France :...
, who won five of the first eight stages. In the ninth stage, he borrowed a bicycle from a team mate after his own broke. This was against the rules, and he was penalized; the lead then transferred to 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...
. Petit-Breton won two of the remaining stages, and the Tour.
Changes from the 1906 Tour de France
René PottierRené 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 winner of the 1906 Tour de France
1906 Tour de France
The 1906 Tour de France was the fourth Tour de France, and second to use the point system. Taking place from 4 to 29 July 1906 the total race distance was , with the winner averaging . New in this year were the mountain climbs in the Massif Central. Like its predecessors, it still had cheating and...
, did not defend his title because he had committed suicide in early 1907.
The length again increased by one stage, and for the first time Switzerland was included. The mountain stages had been so successful, according to the organiser Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins...
, that the western Alps were included.
For the first time, a car with bicycle repairmen drove behind the riders, to give assistance in solving mechanical problems on bicycles.
The points system was used to determine the race's winner, the same as in the previous year: at every stage, the winner was given one point, the next cyclist two points, etc. After the eighth stage, when only 49 cyclists were still in the race, the points given in the first eight stages were redistributed among the remaining cyclists, in accordance with their positions in those stages.
Participants
Not all cyclists were competing for the victory, some only joined as tourists. The most notable of them was Henri PépinHenri Pépin
Henri Pépin was an affluent French racing cyclist who once hired two riders to escort him leisurely through the Tour de France, in which they ate at good restaurants and spent the night in expensive hotels...
. Pépin had hired two riders, Jean Dargassies
Jean Dargassies
Jean Dargaties, known as Jean Dargassies was a French racing cyclist who rode the first Tour de France because the man who sold him a bike told him he ought to. He rode it three times, coming 11th in 1903 and fourth in 1904...
His real name was Dargaties but the Tour spelled his name wrongly and the error stuck. and Henri Gauban to ride with him. They treated the race as a pleasure ride, stopping for lunch when they chose and spending the night in the best hotels they could find. Dargassies and Gaubin became the first cyclists in the history of the Tour de France to ride not for their own placings but for their team leader's interest. During the race, they found another Tour de France competitor, Jean-Marie Teychenne, lying in a ditch. They helped him get up, fed him, and from that moment Teycheime was also helping Pépin.
As in the previous years, there were two classes of cyclists, the coureurs de vitesse and the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées. Of the 93 cyclists starting the race, 82 were in the poinçonnée category, which meant that they had to finish the race on the same bicycle as they left, and if it was broken they had to fix it without assistance. The coureurs de vitesse could get help from the car with bicycle repairmen when they had to fix a bicycle, and when a bicycle was beyond repair, they could change it to a new one.
Race details
Early in the race, Louis Trousselier, François FaberFrançois Faber
François Faber was a Luxembourgian/French racing cyclist. He was born in France. He was the first foreigner to win the Tour de France in 1909, and his record of winning 5 consecutive stages still stands...
and Emile Georget
Émile Georget
Émile Georget was a French road racing cyclist. Born in Bossay-sur-Claise, he was the younger brother of cyclist Léon Georget.He died at Châtellerault.- Tour de France :...
were the main contenders. In the second stage, the Tour passed the French-German border to finish in Metz, in 1907 part of Germany. The German authorities allowed the cyclists to finish there, but did not allow the French flag to be flown, or the cars of race officials to enter the city. At the end of the stage, Georget beat Trousselier with a very small margin. After inquiry, tour organiser Desgrange decided to put both cyclists in first place. In the third stage, the Tour returned to France, and at the border, the riders were stopped by two French customs officers, the delay taking so long that the stage had to be re-started.
Marcel Cadolle
Marcel Cadolle was a French professional road bicycle racer.In 1907 Cadolle rode a good Tour de France, having finished in the top 6 of all of the first six stages, winning the fourth stage. Before the seventh stage, Cadolle was second in the classification...
, at that time in second place, fell and his steer penetrated his knee, after which he had to give up.
| Rank | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emile Georget | 17 |
| 2 | Lucien Petit-Breton | 37 |
| 3 | Louis Trousselier | 40 |
| 4 | Gustave Garrigou | 53 |
Unsatisfied with the fine given to Georget, Trousselier and his Alcyon team left the Tour in protest.
After the tenth stage, the organisers gave Georget an additional penalty for the bicycle change in the ninth stage. They changed the classification of the ninth stage, moving Georget from the fourth place to the 48th and last place, which effectively costed him 44 points in the general classification, moving him from first to third place. The new classification, after the tenth stage, thus became
| Rank | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucien Petit-Breton | 39 |
| 2 | Gustave Garrigou | 54 |
| 3 | Emile Georget | 64 |
The lead had transferred to 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...
. Although he had already finished in fifth place and fourth place in previous years, he was still relatively unknown, and had started in the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées category. Petit-Breton finished the next stages all in the top three, so no other cyclist was able to challenge him for the overall victory. At the end of the race, he had increased his lead to a margin of 19 points to Garrigou and 27 points to Georget.
Stage results
Only in the first and final stage, it was allowed for the cyclists to have pacers.| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainIn 1907, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate which stages included mountains. | Length | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 July | Paris–Roubaix Roubaix Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:... |
 |
272 km (169 mi) | ||
| 2 | 10 July | Roubaix–Metz Metz Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place... |
|
398 km (247.3 mi) | At first, Georget was declared winner, but after investigation by tour organiser Henri Desgrange Henri Desgrange Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins... , Trousselier was also declared winner. |
|
| 3 | 12 July | Metz–Belfort Belfort Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-... |
 |
259 km (160.9 mi) | ||
| 4 | 14 July | Belfort–Lyon Lyon Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.... |
|
309 km (192 mi) | ||
| 5 | 16 July | Lyon–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... |
|
311 km (193.2 mi) | ||
| 6 | 18 July | Grenoble–Nice Nice Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of... |
|
345 km (214.4 mi) | ||
| 7 | 20 July | Nice–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:... |
|
345 km (214.4 mi) | ||
| 8 | 22 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... |
|
303 km (188.3 mi) | ||
| 9 | 24 July | Toulouse–Bayonne Bayonne Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture... |
|
299 km (185.8 mi) | ||
| 10 | 26 July | Bayonne–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... |
|
269 km (167.1 mi) | ||
| 11 | 28 July | Bordeaux–Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... |
|
391 km (243 mi) | ||
| 12 | 30 July | Nantes–Brest Brest, France Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon... |
|
321 km (199.5 mi) | ||
| 13 | 1 August | Brest–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.... |
|
415 km (257.9 mi) | ||
| 14 | 4 August | Caen–Paris | |
251 km (156 mi) |
General classification
Even though 110 riders were on the starting list, 17 did not show up, so the race started with 93 cyclists. At the end of the Tour de France, 33 cyclists had completed all stages.The cyclists officially were not grouped in teams, but some cyclists had the same sponsor, even though they were not allowed to work together.
| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Points | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:... |
47 | Poinçonnées | |
| 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:... |
66 | Vitesse | |
| 3 | 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:... |
74 | Vitesse | |
| 4 | 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:... |
85 | Vitesse | |
| 5 | 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:... |
123 | Poinçonnées | |
| 6 | Otav | 150 | Poinçonnées | |
| 7 | Labor-Dunlop | 156 | Poinçonnées | |
| 8 | Labor-Dunlop | 184 | Vitesse | |
| 9 | – | 196 | Poinçonnées | |
| 10 | – | 227 | Poinçonnées |
The total prize money was 25000 francs, of which 4000 francs were given to Petit-Breton for winning the Tour. In total, he received more than 7000 francs.
Other classifications
Lucien Petit-Breton was also the winner of the "machines poinçonnées" category.The organising newspaper l'Auto named Emile Georget
Émile Georget
Émile Georget was a French road racing cyclist. Born in Bossay-sur-Claise, he was the younger brother of cyclist Léon Georget.He died at Châtellerault.- Tour de France :...
the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.
Aftermath
In the 1908 Tour de France1908 Tour de France
The 1908 Tour de France was the sixth Tour de France. Taking place between 13 July and 9 August 1908, the total race distance was . After his 1907 victory, Lucien Petit-Breton was considered main favourite. Winning 5 of the 14 stages and the overall classification, he showed that his 1907 victory...
, Lucien Petit-Breton started again. He won five stages and the general classification, and became the first cyclist to win the Tour de France two times.