1920 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1920 Tour de France was the 14th Tour de France
, taking place from June 27 to July 27, 1920. It consisted of 15 stages over 5503 kilometres (3,419.4 mi), ridden at an average speed of 24.072 kilometres per hour (15 mph). 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.
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, although the overall speed was only marginally higher than in 1919, the slowest Tour de France in history. 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 nick La Sportive. The cyclists were divided in two categories, this time named 1ère classe (first class), the professionals, and 2ème classe (second class), the amateurs.
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. 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.
Favourites were Christophe, Mottiat, Thys, Belloni, Alavoine and Henri Pelissier.
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 penalized with two minutes for throwing away a flat tire illegally. Pélissier objected to the penalty, and immediately stopped the race. 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. 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. Thys was leading the race after the fifth stage, in the same time as Emile Masson
.
In the sixth and seventh stage over the Pyrénées
, 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. Although Heusghem won stage nine, he did not win back any time on Thys who finished third in the same time.
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. 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. When he reached Paris, the French crowd considered him a hero.
The race was won by Belgian Thys. Thys had been in every breakaway, finished in the top five in every stage, winning four stages and coming in second seven 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...
, taking place from June 27 to July 27, 1920. It consisted of 15 stages over 5503 kilometres (3,419.4 mi), ridden at an average speed of 24.072 kilometres per hour (15 mph). It was won by Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys was a Belgian cyclist and three times winner of the Tour de France.-Professional career:...
, making him the first cyclist to win the Tour de France
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...
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.
Changes from the 1919 Tour de France
The 1919 Tour de France1919 Tour de France
The 1919 Tour de France was the 13th Tour de France, taking place from 29 June to 27 July 1919 over a total distance of . It was the first Tour de France after World War I, and was won by Firmin Lambot...
had been more difficult than before because of the influence of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on the roads and the cyclists, but in 1920, things were going back to normal, although the overall speed was only marginally higher than in 1919, the slowest Tour de France in history. 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 nick La Sportive. The cyclists were divided in two categories, this time named 1ère classe (first class), the professionals, and 2ème classe (second class), the amateurs.
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. 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.
Participants
There were 138 cyclists enscribed 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.Favourites were Christophe, Mottiat, Thys, Belloni, Alavoine and Henri Pelissier.
Race details
The 1920 Tour de France is described as a boring race. 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 penalized with two minutes for throwing away a flat tire illegally. Pélissier objected to the penalty, and immediately stopped the race. 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. In fact, twelve of the fifteen stages finished with a group. 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...
did not like this, as he wanted the cyclists to ride as individuals. Thys was leading the race after the fifth stage, in the same time as Emile Masson
Emile Masson (cyclist)
Emile Masson was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Massopn won two stages in the 1922 Tour de France. His son, Émile Masson Jr., also became a successful cyclist.- Palmarès :19191922...
.
In the sixth and seventh stage over the Pyrénées
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, 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
Hector Heusghem
Hector Heusghem was a Belgian cyclist who finished second in the 1920 and 1921 Tour de France. He also won three stages, in 1920 at Aix-en-Provence and Grenoble, in 1921 in Luchon....
. The next stage he won, half an hour before Heusghem, so now his lead was one hour. Although Heusghem won stage nine, he did not win back any time on Thys who finished third in the same time.
The yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
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. 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. When he reached Paris, the French crowd considered him a hero.
The race was won by Belgian Thys. Thys had been in every breakaway, finished in the top five in every stage, winning four stages and coming in second seven times.
Results
Stage winners
| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainIn 1920, 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 | 27 June | Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... – Le Havre Le Havre Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total... |
 |
388 km (241.1 mi) | After the first stage, Mottiat, Rossius, Thys, Goethals and Masson had the same time. Mottiat was ranked first because he had won the stage. | |
| 2 | 29 June | Le Havre – Cherbourg | |
364 km (226.2 mi) | After 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. | |
| 3 | 1 July | Cherbourg – 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... |
|
405 km (251.7 mi) | After 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. | |
| 4 | 3 July | Brest – Les Sables d'Olonne | |
412 km (256 mi) | ||
| 5 | 5 July | Les Sables d'Olonne – 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... |
|
482 km (299.5 mi) | ||
| 6 | 7 July | Bayonne – Luchon |  |
326 km (202.6 mi) | ||
| 7 | 9 July | Luchon – Perpignan Perpignan -Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the... |
|
323 km (200.7 mi) | ||
| 8 | 11 July | Perpignan – Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is... |
|
325 km (201.9 mi) | ||
| 9 | 14 July | Aix-en-Provence – 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... |
|
356 km (221.2 mi) | ||
| 10 | 16 July | Nice – 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... |
|
333 km (206.9 mi) | ||
| 11 | 18 July | Grenoble – Gex Gex, Ain Gex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.It lies from the Swiss border and from Geneva. It is a sous-préfecture of Ain.-History:... |
|
362 km (224.9 mi) | ||
| 12 | 20 July | Gex – Strassbourg | |
354 km (220 mi) | ||
| 13 | 22 July | Strassbourg – 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... |
|
300 km (186.4 mi) | ||
| 14 | 24 July | Metz – Dunkerque | |
433 km (269.1 mi) | ||
| 15 | 27 July | Dunkerque – Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... |
|
340 km (211.3 mi) |
General classification
The final general classification, calculated by adding the stages times, was won by Philippe Thys.| Rank | Rider | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
1 | 231h 07' 15" |
| 2 | 1 | +57' 21" | |
| 3 | 1 | +1h 39' 35" | |
| 4 | 1 | +1h 44' 58" | |
| 5 | 1 | +2h 56' 52" | |
| 6 | 1 | +3h 40' 47" | |
| 7 | 1 | +3h 49' 55" | |
| 8 | 1 | +5h 35' 19" | |
| 9 | 1 | +9h 23' 07" | |
| 10 | 1 | +10h 45' 41" |
| Final general classification (11–22) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Class | Time |
| 11 | 1 | +11h 15' 09" | |
| 12 | 2 | +20h 04' 32" | |
| 13 | 2 | +25h 14' 02" | |
| 14 | 2 | +33h 25' 47" | |
| 15 | 2 | +33h 48' 53" | |
| 16 | 2 | +34h 32' 27" | |
| 17 | 2 | +48h 40' 35" | |
| 18 | 2 | +51h 11' 04" | |
| 19 | 2 | +53h 10' 00" | |
| 20 | 2 | +55h 36' 42" | |
| 21 | 2 | +55h 57' 46" | |
| 22 | 2 | +69h 00' 05" |