1937 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1937 Tour de France was the 31st 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...

, taking place June 30 to July 25, 1937. It consisted of 20 stages with a total length of 4415 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.768 km/h.

Charles Holland
Charles Holland (cyclist)
Charles Holland was a British road bicycle racer. He was one of the first two Britons to ride the Tour de France.-The early years:...

 and Bill Burl became the first British cyclists to ride the Tour. Burl lasted only two stages, but Holland rode well until he was eliminated on stage 14C after mechanical problems. The British Empire was also represented by the only non-European in the Tour: Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Pierre Gachon, who never completed the first stage. The complete Belgian team (including 1936 and 1939 winner Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...

) withdraw from the race because of "French chauvinism". Complaints from the Belgian team included of French spectators throwing stones at the Belgian team, closing train crossings, and throwing pepper in the eyes, and being punished unreasonable strictly (adding extra time in the standing) while French riders were hardly punished at all while being helped.

The race was won by French cyclist Roger Lapébie.

Changes from the 1936 Tour de France

The Tours from 1903 to 1936 had all been organised by 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...

, but during the 1936 Tour de France he had to stop due to health reasons, and Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....

 took over. The Tour in 1937 was the first Tour where Goddet was in charge, and one of the first rules that he changed was to allow gear changes.
Each team had its own car with extra material to help with mechanical problems.

Participants

The Italian team, that had been absent from the 1936 Tour de France, returned in 1937, after Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

 removed their boycott of the Tour, and selected new star Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...

, who had won the 1936
1936 Giro d'Italia
The 1936 Giro d'Italia was held from 16 May to 7 June 1936, with a total of in 19 stages, run at an average speed of . It was won by Gino Bartali.-Stages:- General classification :- Maglia rosa holders:-Other jerseys:...

 and 1937 Giro d'Italia
1937 Giro d'Italia
The 1937 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 8 May to 30 May 1937, consisting of 19 stages for a total of 3,840 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.365 km/h. It was won by Gino Bartali .-Stages:- Final classment :- Maglia rosa holders :- Sources...

, as the Italian team leader. The Italian team had 10 cyclists, just as the Belgian, German and French teams. There were also small teams of six cyclists: the Spanish, Dutch, Luxembourgian and Swiss teams. The last national team was the Great Britain-Canada team, consisting of two British cyclists and one Canadian.

The French team included Roger Lapébie
Roger Lapébie
Roger Lapébie was a French racing cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France. In addition, Lapébie won the 1934 and 1937 editions of the Critérium National. He was born at Bayonne, Aquitaine, and died in Pessac....

. Lapébie had had a difficult relation with Desgrange. This had caused Lapébie to be out of the national team in 1935, and completely absent from the Tour in 1936. In 1937, Desgrange had retired, and Lapébie was back. In the month before the Tour started, Lapébie had undergone surgery for a lumbur hernia, and there were doubts about his form.

There were also 31 cyclists riding as individuals. These individuals were responsible for their own food and accommodation.

Race details

German Erich Bautz took the lead after the fourth stage, thanks to the bonification system that could give the winner of a stage some minutes bonification time.
In the seventh stage, Bartali took the stage victory, and with that the lead in the general classification. He was nine minutes ahead of Ward Vissers, and that could just be enough for the Tour victory.
On the eighth stage, Bartali could not avoid his team mate Jules Rossi
Jules Rossi
Jules Rossi was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Rossi became an orphan at the age of six and came to France to live in the town of Nogent-sur-Marne with the rest of his family...

 who crashed right in front of him, and Bartali fell into a river. He got up and was able to finish the stage. He lost 10 minutes and kept the lead, but in the next stage he lost more than twenty minutes, and in the twelfth stage he gave up.

In the ninth stage, Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...

 took over the lead, closely followed by Mario Vicini
Mario Vicini
Mario Vicini was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Vicini won the 1940 Italian road race championship, as well as the Giro del Lazio and the Giro di Toscana. He rode the Tour de France twice, finishing 2nd and 6th...

 and Roger Lapébie
Roger Lapébie
Roger Lapébie was a French racing cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France. In addition, Lapébie won the 1934 and 1937 editions of the Critérium National. He was born at Bayonne, Aquitaine, and died in Pessac....

. At that point, the French team was already down to six cyclists. These six cyclists had a meeting, and decided that Lapébie would be the team leader, as the rest of the team was already to far behind to have any chance for the final victory.

Before the start of the fifteenth stage, Lapébie found out that the frame of his bicycle had been sabotaged, causing his handlebars to break off. Lapébie made quick repairs and just made it to the start of the stage, but his newly constructed bicycle did not have a water holder, and he had to start the stage without water. This demotivated him, and Lapébie began losing time early in the stage. That stage included four mountains, and on top of the second mountain Lapébie was already five minutes behind, and wanted to give up. A team mate inspired him to go on, and Lapébie started to win back time. When Maes punctured, Lapébie was able to reach him, and at the end of the stage only Julián Berrendero
Julian Berrendero
Julián Berrendero Martín was a Spanish road racing cyclist. He is most famous for having won the third and fourth editions of the Vuelta a España in 1941 and 1942...

 was in front of them, and Lapébie won the sprint for the second place. This rewarded him with 45 seconds bonification time. When the tour directors gave him 90 seconds penalty time for having been pushed, the margin with Maes grew to more than three minutes, but Lapébie had sensed weakness in the Belgian team, and planned to attack in the next stage. The Belgian team complained that the penalty was far too little, because Lapébie's advantage had been much more. The French team threatened to abandon the race if the penalty would be increased, and the Tour direction did not change the penalty.

In the sixteenth stage Lapébie finished ahead of Maes, and cut the margin down to only 25 seconds, but with only flat stage that could be enough for Maes. During that sixteenth stage, Maes had punctured, and had been help by two Belgian cyclists, Gustaaf Deloor
Gustaaf Deloor
Gustaaf Deloor was a Belgian road racing cyclist and the winner of the first two editions of the Vuelta a España in 1935 and 1936. The 1936 edition remains the longest winning finish time of the Vuelta in 150:07:54, the race consisted of 22 stages with a total length of 4,407 km...

 and Adolf Braeckeveldt. However, these Belgian cyclists rode as "individuals", and were not part of the Belgian team. The Tour jury then fined Maes with 15 seconds penalty time in the general classification. During the race, a train crossing had been closed just after Lapébie had passed, and just before Maes was about to pass. Maes was offended by all this, and quit the race, together with the rest of the Belgian team.

From that point on, it was easy for Lapébie to secure his victory.

Stages

Stage results
Stage Date Route TerrainThe icons shown here indicate whether the stage was run as a time trial, the stage was flat or the stage included mountains for the mountains classification. Length Winner
1 30 June Paris – Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

 
Plain stage
263 km (163.4 mi)
2 1 July Lille – Charleville
Charleville, Marne
Charleville is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....

 
Plain stage
192 km (119.3 mi)
3 2 July Charleville – 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...

 
Plain stage
161 km (100 mi)
4 3 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 .-...

 
Stage with mountain(s)
220 km (136.7 mi)
5A 4 July Belfort – Lons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier is a commune and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.-Geography:The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the "premier plateau" of the Jura massif...

 
Plain stage
175 km (108.7 mi)
5B Lons-le-Saunier – Champagnole
Champagnole
Champagnole is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-Geography:Champagnole has the publicity tag of "Pearl of the Jura" and is a small town at the geographical centre of Jura tourism. It stands on the right bank of the young River Ain at the foot of Mont Rivel...

 
Team time trial
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...

 
34 km (21.1 mi)
5C Champagnole – Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 
Plain stage
93 km (57.8 mi)
6 6 July Geneva – Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...

 
Stage with mountain(s)
180 km (111.8 mi)
7 7 July Aix-les-Bains – 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...

 
Stage with mountain(s)
228 km (141.7 mi)
8 8 July Grenoble – 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....

 
Stage with mountain(s)
194 km (120.5 mi)
9 9 July Briançon – Digne 
Stage with mountain(s)
220 km (136.7 mi)
10 11 July Digne – Nice 
Stage with mountain(s)
251 km (156 mi)
11A 13 July Nice – 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....

 
Plain stage
169 km (105 mi)
11B Toulon – 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...

 
Team time trial
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...

 
65 km (40.4 mi)
12A 14 July Marseille – 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:...

 
Plain stage
112 km (69.6 mi)
12B Nîmes – Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....

 
Plain stage
51 km (31.7 mi)
13A 15 July Montpellier – Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...

 
Plain stage
103 km (64 mi)
13B Narbonne – 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...

 
Plain stage
63 km (39.1 mi)
14A 17 July Perpignan – Bourg-Madame
Bourg-Madame
Bourg-Madame is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies right on the border with Spain. It abuts directly onto the Spanish town of Puigcerdà, and is near the Spanish exclave of Llívia....

 
Plain stage
99 km (61.5 mi)
14B Bourg-Madame – Ax-les-Thermes
Ax-les-Thermes
Ax-les-Thermes is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France.It lies at the confluence of the Ariège River with three tributaries, 26 miles SSE of Foix by rail...

 
Stage with mountain(s)
59 km (36.7 mi)
14C Ax-les-Thermes – Luchon 
Stage with mountain(s)
167 km (103.8 mi)
15 19 July Luchon – Pau 
Stage with mountain(s)
194 km (120.5 mi)
16 21 July Pau – 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...

 
Plain stage
235 km (146 mi)
17A 22 July Bordeaux – Royan
Royan
Royan is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, along the Atlantic Ocean, in southwestern France.A seaside resort, Royan is in the heart of an urban area estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle, Rochefort and Saintes...

 
Plain stage
123 km (76.4 mi)
17B Royan – Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....

 
Plain stage
37 km (23 mi)
Braeckeveldt and Wengler were both declared winner of stage 17B, and split the bonification time.
17C Saintes – 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...

 
Plain stage
67 km (41.6 mi)
18A 23 July La Rochelle – La Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon
La Roche-sur-Yon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the capital of the department. Its inhabitants are called Yonnais.-History:...

 
Team time trial
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...

 
82 km (51 mi)
18B La Roche-sur-Yon – 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:...

 
Plain stage
172 km (106.9 mi)
19A 24 July Rennes – Vire
Vire
Vire is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.- History :In 1123, Henri I Beauclerc, King of England and Duke of Normandy, had a redoubt constructed on a rocky hill top, which was surrounded by the Vire river...

 
Plain stage
114 km (70.8 mi)
19B Vire – 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....

 
Individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

 
59 km (36.7 mi)
20 25 July Caen – 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...

 
Plain stage
234 km (145.4 mi)


Stage 19B was an individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

, stages 5B, 11B and 18A were team time trial
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...

s, although the victory was still given the cyclist who crossed the line first.

Classification leadership

Stage General classification
Mountains classification Classification for individuals Team classification
Team classification
The team classification is a prize given in the Tour de France to the best team in the race. It has been awarded since 1930, and the calculation has changed throughout the years.-Calculation:...

1 no award
2
3
4  Germany
5a
5b
5c
6
7
8
9
10
11a
11b
12a
12b
13a
13b
14a
14b
14c
15
16
17a
17b
17c
18a
18b
19a
19b
20
Final

Final general classification

Leo Amberg became the first Swiss cyclist to reach the podium of the general classification in the Tour de France.
Final general classification (1–10)
RankRiderTeamTime
1
France 138h 58' 31"
2 Individual +7' 17"
3 Switzerland +26' 13"
4 Italy +26' 53"
5 France +35' 36"
6 Individual +38' 13"
7 France +1h 05' 19"
8 Individual +1h 06' 33"
9 Germany +1h 06' 41"
10 Individual +1h 24' 34"

Final team classification

The team classification
Team classification
The team classification is a prize given in the Tour de France to the best team in the race. It has been awarded since 1930, and the calculation has changed throughout the years.-Calculation:...

 was calculated in 1937 by adding up the times of the best three cyclists of a team; the team with the least time was the winner.
The time for the Spanish team, which finished with only two cyclists, was calculated by adding the time of the final rider in the general classification, plus one hour penalty time.
Team classification (1–6)
RankTeamTime
1 418h 36' 28"
2  Italy +2h 54' 18"
3  Germany +3h 12' 22"
4 +3h 57' 35"
5 +10h 04' 07"
6 +10h 42' 01"

The Belgian, Dutch, and British-Canadian teams did not finish with two or more cyclists, so they were not eligible for the team classification.

Mountains classification

For the mountain classification, 17 mountains were selected by the Tour organisation:
Mountains in the 1937 mountains classification
StageNameHeightMountain range Winner
4 Ballon d'Alsace 1178 metres (3,864.8 ft) Vosges Erich Bautz
6 Aravis 1498 metres (4,914.7 ft) Alps Gino Bartali
6 Tamié 920 metres (3,018.4 ft) Alps Félicien Vervaecke
7 Galibier 2556 metres (8,385.8 ft) Alps Gino Bartali
8 Côte de Laffrey 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) Alps Gino Bartali
9 Izoard 2361 metres (7,746.1 ft) Alps Julián Berrendero
9 Vars 2110 metres (6,922.6 ft) Alps Edward Vissers
9 Allos 2250 metres (7,381.9 ft) Alps Mario Vicini
10 Braus 1002 metres (3,287.4 ft) Alps-Maritimes Félicien Vervaecke
10 La Turbie 555 metres (1,820.9 ft) Alps-Maritimes Henri Puppo
14B Puymorens 1920 metres (6,299.2 ft) Pyrénées Julián Berrendero
14C Col de Port 1249 metres (4,097.8 ft) Pyrénées Julián Berrendero
14C Portet d'Aspet 1069 metres (3,507.2 ft) Pyrénées Julián Berrendero
15 Peyresourde 1569 metres (5,147.6 ft) Pyrénées Julián Berrendero
15 Aspin 1489 metres (4,885.2 ft) Pyrénées Yvon Marie
15 Tourmalet 2115 metres (6,939 ft) Pyrénées Sylvère Maes
15 Aubisque 1709 metres (5,607 ft) Pyrénées Sylvère Maes

After the last mountain in the fifteenth stage, the mountains classification in 1937 was won by Félicien Vervaecke
Félicien Vervaecke
Félicien Vervaecke was a Belgian professional cyclist from 1930 to 1939. In the Tour de France he showed good results, finishing three times on the podium...

. Vervaecke did not finish the Tour, but in 1937 that was not needed to win the mountains classification.
Mountains classification (1–5)
RankRiderTeamPoints
1 Belgium 114
2 Individual 96
3 Belgium 90
4 Spain 75
5 Individual 66

Aftermath

The riders in the individual category had performed very well in the 1937 Tour de France; the second-placed cyclist in the general classification had started in the individuals category, as were in total twelve cyclists in the top twenty. Still, the category was removed after 1937.
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