1927 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1927 Tour de France was the 21st Tour de France
, taking place June 19 to July 17, 1927. It consisted of 24 stages over 5340 km, ridden at an average speed of 27.224 km/h.
This tour featured the first win by Nicolas Frantz
, a cyclist from Luxembourg
. Frantz had come in second in the previous tour, and went on to win the tour in 1928 as well. It also showcased the debuts of André Leducq
(4th) and Antonin Magne
(6th), two French riders who would win the Tour de France in coming years.
Because Tour director Henri Desgrange
was dissatisfied with the tactics used in the long flat stages in the previous years, the individual team start format was introduced, similar to the later team time trial. In this concept, used in stages 1 to 9, 14 and 18 to 23, teams left fifteen minutes after each other. The concept did not make the race more interesting, so after the 1929 Tour de France
, it was removed again.
In 1926, as an experiment the Tour started outside Paris, in the Alps. In 1927, this decision was reverted, and the Tour started again in Paris. The route of the 1927 Tour de France was similar to other Tours before 1926 that started in Paris, only some stages had been split, making the average stage shorter, from 338 km per stage in 1926 to 221 km per stage in 1927.
, who was the first leader of the general classification.
In the sixth stage, Francis Pélissier abandoned sick. His team mate Ferdinand Le Drogo
became the new leader.
In the seventh stage, Le Drogo was in the yellow jersey in the region where he was born. His supporters cheered for him, and he got excited and sped away from his team mates. That costed him too much energy, and he lost 20 minutes in that stage to the J.B. Louvet team, so the lead was transferred to Hector Martin
, from the J.B. Louvet team. In stage 8, the Dilecta team lost more than one hour, and they saw nothing left to win, and abandoned the race. At the end of stage 9, the when the first group of team-time-trials stopped, there were only 57 cyclists left in the race, 35 of which were touriste-routiers, and only 22 had sponsors.
The first mountain stage was stage eleven. In that stage, touriste-routier Michele Gordini escaped secretly from the peloton. When the peloton found out he was away, he had already built a 45-minute advantage, and was the virtual leader of the race. Then he suffered from mechanical problems, and was passed before the end of the stage. Frantz won the stage, and took the yellow jersey.
In stages 12 and 13, Frantz finished in the leading group. Stage 14 was run in the team-time-trial format, and did not cause big changes in the general classification. Frantz then won the fifteenth stage and finished second in the sixteenth stage, and increased his lead to more than one hour. In the seventeenth stage, Frantz lost 15 minutes to second-placed Maurice De Waele
, but because this was the last mountain stage, he had practically secured the victory.
The rest of the stages did not cause big changes in the general classification. The only exception was the 23rd stage, where De Waele lost more than half an hour, but his margin to the third-placed rider was large enough.
Notes
competition. This award was won by Michele Gordini.
The French cyclists had not been successful in the last Tour de Frances; they had their last overall victory in 1923, and 1926 did not even see a French stage victory. In 1927, the French cyclists had 5 stage victories, and two cyclists in the top ten: André Leducq
and Antonin Magne
. Leducq would later win the Tour de France in 1930
and 1932
, while Magne would win the Tour de France in 1931
and 1934
.
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 June 19 to July 17, 1927. It consisted of 24 stages over 5340 km, ridden at an average speed of 27.224 km/h.
This tour featured the first win by Nicolas Frantz
Nicolas Frantz
Nicolas Frantz , born in Mamer, Luxembourg, was a bicycle racer with 60 professional racing victories over his 12-year career . He rode for the Thomann team in 1923 and then for Alcyon-Dunlop from 1924 to 1931. He won the Tour de France in 1927 and 1928.Nicolas Frantz was the son of a prosperous...
, a cyclist from Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. Frantz had come in second in the previous tour, and went on to win the tour in 1928 as well. It also showcased the debuts of André Leducq
André Leducq
André Leducq was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France.-Career:...
(4th) and Antonin Magne
Antonin Magne
Antonin Magne was a French cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1931 and 1934. He raced as a professional from 1927 to 1939 and then became a team manager...
(6th), two French riders who would win the Tour de France in coming years.
Because Tour director 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...
was dissatisfied with the tactics used in the long flat stages in the previous years, the individual team start format was introduced, similar to the later team time trial. In this concept, used in stages 1 to 9, 14 and 18 to 23, teams left fifteen minutes after each other. The concept did not make the race more interesting, so after the 1929 Tour de France
1929 Tour de France
The 1929 Tour de France was the 23rd Tour de France, taking place from 30 June to 28 July 1929. It consisted of 22 stages over 5,286 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.320 km/h....
, it was removed again.
Changes from the 1926 Tour de France
In 1926 and previous years, in the flat stages without mountains most cyclists finished together, and the winner was determined by a bunch sprint. The Tour organisation did not like this, because they wanted the cyclists to ride individually, and have a more spectacular race. For this reason, most of the flat stages in the 1927 Tour de France were started separately, with 15 minutes in between teams, and the touriste-routiers starting last. The idea was that the stars of the race could not see their rivals, and had no choice but to ride as fast as they could on every stage.In 1926, as an experiment the Tour started outside Paris, in the Alps. In 1927, this decision was reverted, and the Tour started again in Paris. The route of the 1927 Tour de France was similar to other Tours before 1926 that started in Paris, only some stages had been split, making the average stage shorter, from 338 km per stage in 1926 to 221 km per stage in 1927.
Race details
In the first stage, the Alcyon-team suffered twenty punctures. The Dilecta-Wolber team won the first stage, led by Francis PélissierFrancis Pélissier
Francis Pélissier was a French professional road racing cyclist from Paris. He was the younger brother of Tour de France winner Henri Pélissier, and the older brother of Tour de France stage winner Charles Pélissier. He won several classic cycle races like Paris–Tours, Bordeaux–Paris and Grand...
, who was the first leader of the general classification.
In the sixth stage, Francis Pélissier abandoned sick. His team mate Ferdinand Le Drogo
Ferdinand Le Drogo
Ferdinand Le Drogo was a French professional road bicycle racer. He is most known for his silver medal in the Elite race of the 1931 Road World Championships...
became the new leader.
In the seventh stage, Le Drogo was in the yellow jersey in the region where he was born. His supporters cheered for him, and he got excited and sped away from his team mates. That costed him too much energy, and he lost 20 minutes in that stage to the J.B. Louvet team, so the lead was transferred to Hector Martin
Hector Martin
Hector Martin was a Belgian road racing cyclist, professional from 1925 to 1935, who won three stages in the 1925 Tour de France and two stages in the 1927 Tour de France, and wore the yellow jersey for a total of four days in 1927. Martin was born and died in Roeselare. He was the brother of Léon...
, from the J.B. Louvet team. In stage 8, the Dilecta team lost more than one hour, and they saw nothing left to win, and abandoned the race. At the end of stage 9, the when the first group of team-time-trials stopped, there were only 57 cyclists left in the race, 35 of which were touriste-routiers, and only 22 had sponsors.
The first mountain stage was stage eleven. In that stage, touriste-routier Michele Gordini escaped secretly from the peloton. When the peloton found out he was away, he had already built a 45-minute advantage, and was the virtual leader of the race. Then he suffered from mechanical problems, and was passed before the end of the stage. Frantz won the stage, and took the yellow jersey.
In stages 12 and 13, Frantz finished in the leading group. Stage 14 was run in the team-time-trial format, and did not cause big changes in the general classification. Frantz then won the fifteenth stage and finished second in the sixteenth stage, and increased his lead to more than one hour. In the seventeenth stage, Frantz lost 15 minutes to second-placed Maurice De Waele
Maurice De Waele
Maurice De Waele was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.De Waele placed 2nd in the 1927 Tour, an hour and fifty eight minutes Nicolas Frantz and 3rd in 1928, again won by Frantz. However, he is most famous for winning the 1929 Tour de France...
, but because this was the last mountain stage, he had practically secured the victory.
The rest of the stages did not cause big changes in the general classification. The only exception was the 23rd stage, where De Waele lost more than half an hour, but his margin to the third-placed rider was large enough.
Stage winners
| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainThere was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate which stages included mountains. | LengthThe flat stages, 1 to 9, 14 and 18 to 23, indicated by the clock icon, were run as team time trials. The other stages, indicated by the other icons, were run individually, and the mountain icon indicates that the stage included one or more mountains. | Winner (team) | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 June | Paris – Dieppe Dieppe, Seine-Maritime Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled... |
 Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
180 km (111.8 mi) | (Dilecta–Wolber) | |
| 2 | 20 June | Dieppe – 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... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
103 km (64 mi) | (Labor–Dunlop) | |
| 3 | 21 June | Le Havre – 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.... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
225 km (139.8 mi) | (J.B. Louvet) | |
| 4 | 22 June | Caen – Cherbourg | Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
140 km (87 mi) | (J.B. Louvet) | |
| 5 | 23 June | Cherbourg – Dinan Dinan Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
199 km (123.7 mi) | (Dilecta–Wolber) | |
| 6 | 24 June | Dinan – 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... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
206 km (128 mi) | (Thomann–Dunlop) | |
| 7 | 25 June | Brest – Vannes Vannes Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
207 km (128.6 mi) | (J.B. Louvet) | |
| 8 | 26 June | Vannes – Les Sables d'Olonne | Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
204 km (126.8 mi) | (J.B. Louvet) | |
| 9 | 27 June | Les Sables d'Olonne – 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... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
285 km (177.1 mi) | (Alcyon–Dunlop) | |
| 10 | 28 June | Bordeaux – 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... |
 |
189 km (117.4 mi) | ||
| 11 | 30 June | Bayonne – Luchon |  |
326 km (202.6 mi) | ||
| 12 | 2 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) | ||
| 13 | 4 July | Perpignan – Marseille Marseille Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of... |
|
360 km (223.7 mi) | ||
| 14 | 5 July | Marseille – 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.... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
120 km (74.6 mi) | (Alleluia–Wolber) | |
| 15 | 6 July | Toulon – Nice | |
220 km (136.7 mi) | ||
| 16 | 8 July | Nice – Briançon Briançon Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.... |
|
275 km (170.9 mi) | ||
| 17 | 9 July | Briançon – Evian Évian-les-Bains Évian-les-Bains or Évian is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France... |
|
283 km (175.8 mi) | ||
| 18 | 11 July | Evian – Pontarlier Pontarlier Pontarlier is a commune and one of the two sub-prefectures of the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-History:... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
213 km (132.4 mi) | (Alcyon–Dunlop) | |
| 19 | 12 July | Pontarlier – 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 .-... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
119 km (73.9 mi) | (J.B. Louvet) | |
| 20 | 13 July | Belfort – Strassbourg | Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
145 km (90.1 mi) | (J.B. Louvet) | |
| 21 | 14 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... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
165 km (102.5 mi) | (Alcyon–Dunlop) | |
| 22 | 15 July | Metz – Charleville Charleville-Mézières Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.-History:... |
Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
159 km (98.8 mi) (J.B. Louvet) | ||
| 23 | 16 July | Charleville – Dunkerque | Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
270 km (167.8 mi) | (Thomann–Dunlop) | |
| 24 | 17 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... |
|
344 km (213.8 mi) |
Notes
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | '  |
Alcyon–Dunlop | 198h 16' 42" |
| 2 | Labor–Dunlop | +1h 48' 21" | |
| 3 | Armor–Dunlop | +2h 25' 06" | |
| 4 | Thomann–Dunlop | +3h 02' 05" | |
| 5 | Alcyon–Dunlop | +4h 45' 01" | |
| 6 | Alleluia–Wolber | +4h 48' 23" | |
| 7 | J.B. Louvet | +6h 18' 36" | |
| 8 | Alleluia–Wolber | +6h 36' 17" | |
| 9 | J.B. Louvet | +7h 07' 34" | |
| 10 | J.B. Louvet | +7h 16' 02" |
| Final general classification (11–39) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Time |
| 11 | J.B. Louvet | +8h 17' 12" | |
| 12 | Armor–Dunlop | +8h 27' 49" | |
| 13 | Alcyon–Dunlop | +10h 51' 56" | |
| 14 | J.B. Louvet | +11h 01' 54" | |
| 15 | Alleluia–Wolber | +12h 12' 37" | |
| 16 | Labor–Dunlop | +13h 28' 02" | |
| 17 | J.B. Louvet | +14h 08' 18" | |
| 18 | Touriste-Routier | +14h 37' 12" | |
| 19 | Touriste-Routier | +15h 08' 03" | |
| 20 | Touriste-Routier | +15h 52' 28" | |
| 21 | Touriste-Routier | +16h 05' 01" | |
| 22 | Touriste-Routier | +16h 53' 36" | |
| 23 | Touriste-Routier | +17h 18' 48" | |
| 24 | Touriste-Routier | +17h 21' 11" | |
| 25 | Touriste-Routier | +17h 52' 52" | |
| 26 | Alleluia–Wolber | +18h 02' 10" | |
| 27 | Touriste-Routier | +20h 42' 32" | |
| 28 | Touriste-Routier | +21h 15' 02" | |
| 29 | Touriste-Routier | +22h 14' 26" | |
| 30 | Touriste-Routier | +22h 20' 35" | |
| 31 | Touriste-Routier | +22h 27' 49" | |
| 32 | Touriste-Routier | +22h 31' 18" | |
| 33 | Touriste-Routier | +22h 52' 35" | |
| 34 | Touriste-Routier | +23h 59' 59" | |
| 35 | Touriste-Routier | +25h 39' 05" | |
| 36 | Touriste-Routier | +27h 04' 27" | |
| 37 | Touriste-Routier | +27h 10' 20" | |
| 38 | Touriste-Routier | +29h 12' 19" | |
| 39 | Touriste-Routier | +30h 03' 51" | |
Other classifications
The organing newspaper, l'Auto named a meilleur grimpeur (best climber), an unofficial precursor to the modern King of the MountainsKing of the Mountains
The King of the Mountains is the title given to the best climber in a cycling road race; usually and officially known as the Mountains classification...
competition. This award was won by Michele Gordini.
Aftermath
The experiment with the team-time-trial-like stages was not considered successful; the change did not have the effect that cyclists were riding more individually, but the stronger teams became even stronger. For the 1928 Tour de France, the system was used again, but in 1929 it was reduced to a few stages, and it disappeared completely in the 1930 Tour de France.The French cyclists had not been successful in the last Tour de Frances; they had their last overall victory in 1923, and 1926 did not even see a French stage victory. In 1927, the French cyclists had 5 stage victories, and two cyclists in the top ten: André Leducq
André Leducq
André Leducq was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France.-Career:...
and Antonin Magne
Antonin Magne
Antonin Magne was a French cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1931 and 1934. He raced as a professional from 1927 to 1939 and then became a team manager...
. Leducq would later win the Tour de France in 1930
1930 Tour de France
The 1930 Tour de France was the 24th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 27 July 1930. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,822 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.000 km/h....
and 1932
1932 Tour de France
The 1932 Tour de France was the 26th Tour de France, taking place July 6 to July 31, 1932. It consisted of 21 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 29.047 km/h....
, while Magne would win the Tour de France in 1931
1931 Tour de France
The 1931 Tour de France was the 25th Tour de France, which took place from 30 June to 26 July 1931. It consisted of 24 stages over 5,091 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.735 km/h.The race was won by French cyclist Antonin Magne...
and 1934
1934 Tour de France
The 1934 Tour de France was the 28th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 29, 1934. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,363 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.360 km/h. The race was won by Antonin Magne, who had previously won the 1931 Tour de France. The French team was dominant,...
.