1955 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1955 Tour de France was the 42nd Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 30, 1955. It consisted of 22 stages over 4495 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.446 km/h.
The race was won by Louison Bobet
, the last of his three consecutive wins.
that German cyclists rode the Tour de France.
Also new was the use of the photo finish.
, the 1955 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. Eight national teams were sent, with 10 cyclists each from France, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, and a mixed team consisting of Luxembourgian, Austrian, German and Australian cyclists. France additionally sent five regional teams from 10 cyclists each, divided into Center-North East France, West France, South East France, Ile de France and South West France.
In total, 120 cyclists started the race.
The mixed team included cyclists from West-Germany, which was the first time since the Second World War that German cyclists were allowed to ride the Tour.
The Great Britain team was the first British team in Tour history.
Louison Bobet
, the winner of the 1953 Tour de France
and the 1954 Tour de France
, had done an aggressive preparation in the early season before the Tour de France, aiming for his third victory. Bobet was the main favourite, also because he was the world champion.
, who became the first Spanish cyclist to wear the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification.
The second and third stage saw small groups escaping from the peloton. In both stages, Wout Wagtmans
and Antonin Rolland
, one of Bobet's team mates, were present. Wagtmans became leader of the general classification, with Rolland in second place.
The first attack that was important for the general classification was in the fourth stage. Rolland was part of a group of nine cyclist, that finished seven minutes before the rest. Rolland was the best-placed cyclist of those nine, and took the lead.
In the seventh stage, Rolland briefly lost that lead, because a group including Wim van Est
escaped and took more than seventeen minutes, which was just enough for Van Est to take over the lead. Van Est was sure to lose it in the next stage, which included high mountains.
In that eighth stage, Charly Gaul
attacked early in the stage. Gaul was more than 23 minutes behind in the general classification, but got over the mountains quickly and won with 13 minutes, which put him in third place.
In the ninth stage, Gaul tried to do the same again, and got over the first three mountains alone. But because of a crash on the second mountain he lost time, and did not win the stage; instead he even lost a few minutes.
During the eleventh stage, French cyclist Jean Malléjac
collapsed and remained unconscious for 15 minutes. The Tour doctor who helped recognized that Malléjac's symptoms were the same as after taking too much amphetamine
, and told the team doctors to be more careful with doping.
In that stage, Bobet got away on the Mont Ventoux
and nobody was able to follow him. He reached the top alone, and from there descended to the finish, 6 minutes ahead of Rolland, who was still the race leader. Bobet jumped to the second place in the general classification.
The next challenge for the general classification were the Pyrénees mountains. In stage 17, Gaul made the pace, and most cyclists could not follow. Bobet could hold on for a long time, but at the finish lost 84 seconds to Gaul. Because Rolland lost more than seven minutes later, Rolland took the lead.
In the eighteenth stage, it was again Gaul who attacked. This time, a small group including Bobet could follow him all the way. Rolland finished two minutes later, but was still in second place in the general classification.
The time trial in the 21st stage was won by Jean Brankart
, who jumped to second place in the general classification. Rolland lost more than nine minutes, and dropped to the fifth place in the general classification.
Bobet remained the leader, and his lead was not challenged in the last stage. Bobet became the first person in the Tour de France to win three Tours in a row.
was calculated in the same way as in 1954, following the calculation method from the Tours de France from 1905 to 1912. Points were given according to the ranking of the stage: the winner received one points, the next cyclist two points, and so on. These points were added, and the cyclist with the least points was the leader of the points classification. In 1955, this was won by Stan Ockers.
was calculated as the sum of the daily team classifications, and the daily team classification was calculated by adding the times in the stage result of the best three cyclists per team. It was won by the French team.
The British team and the regional South West France team finished with only two cyclists, so they were not eligible for the team classification.
. At the end of the Tour de France, Charly Gaul won the classification.
The race was won by Louison Bobet
Louison Bobet
Louis 'Louison' Bobet was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to 1955...
, the last of his three consecutive wins.
Changes from the 1954 Tour de France
The 1955 Tour de France was the first Tour de France since the second world warWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
that German cyclists rode the Tour de France.
Also new was the use of the photo finish.
Participants
As was the custom since the 1930 Tour de France1930 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....
, the 1955 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. Eight national teams were sent, with 10 cyclists each from France, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, and a mixed team consisting of Luxembourgian, Austrian, German and Australian cyclists. France additionally sent five regional teams from 10 cyclists each, divided into Center-North East France, West France, South East France, Ile de France and South West France.
In total, 120 cyclists started the race.
The mixed team included cyclists from West-Germany, which was the first time since the Second World War that German cyclists were allowed to ride the Tour.
The Great Britain team was the first British team in Tour history.
Louison Bobet
Louison Bobet
Louis 'Louison' Bobet was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to 1955...
, the winner of the 1953 Tour de France
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....
and the 1954 Tour de France
1954 Tour de France
The 1954 Tour de France was the 41st Tour de France, taking place from July 8 to August 1, 1954. It consisted of 23 stages over 4656 km, ridden at an average speed of 33.229 km/h....
, had done an aggressive preparation in the early season before the Tour de France, aiming for his third victory. Bobet was the main favourite, also because he was the world champion.
Race details
The first part of the first stage was won by Miguel PobletMiguel Poblet
Miguel Poblet i Orriols, born March 18, 1928 at Montcada i Reixac in the northern suburbs of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, is a Spanish former professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1944 to 1962, during which he had over 200 professional victories...
, who became the first Spanish cyclist to wear the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification.
The second and third stage saw small groups escaping from the peloton. In both stages, Wout Wagtmans
Wout Wagtmans
Wouter Wagtmans was a Dutch road bicycle racer.Together with Wim van Est he belonged to the generation that brought great popularity to cycling in the Netherlands in the 1950s. In 1947, Wagtmans started as amateur, and two years later he became Dutch champion...
and Antonin Rolland
Antonin Rolland
Antonin Rolland was a professional French cyclist from 1946 to 1963.-Teams:*1946-1948: RHONSON-DUNLOP*1949: RICCI*1950-1951: RHONSON-DUNLOP*1952-1954: TERROT-HUTCHINSON*1955: L.BOBET-BP-HUTCHINSON...
, one of Bobet's team mates, were present. Wagtmans became leader of the general classification, with Rolland in second place.
The first attack that was important for the general classification was in the fourth stage. Rolland was part of a group of nine cyclist, that finished seven minutes before the rest. Rolland was the best-placed cyclist of those nine, and took the lead.
In the seventh stage, Rolland briefly lost that lead, because a group including Wim van Est
Wim van Est
Willem van Est was a Dutch racing cyclist.He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France of 1951, and for falling into a ravine while wearing it.-Biography:...
escaped and took more than seventeen minutes, which was just enough for Van Est to take over the lead. Van Est was sure to lose it in the next stage, which included high mountains.
In that eighth stage, Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul was a professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and a better climber. His ability earned him the nickname of The Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories...
attacked early in the stage. Gaul was more than 23 minutes behind in the general classification, but got over the mountains quickly and won with 13 minutes, which put him in third place.
In the ninth stage, Gaul tried to do the same again, and got over the first three mountains alone. But because of a crash on the second mountain he lost time, and did not win the stage; instead he even lost a few minutes.
During the eleventh stage, French cyclist Jean Malléjac
Jean Malléjac
Jean Malléjac was a professional French road bicycle racer.-Career:Malléjac was born at Dirinon. Previously a worker in the munitions factory in Brest, he was professional from 1950 with the Stella-Dunlop team...
collapsed and remained unconscious for 15 minutes. The Tour doctor who helped recognized that Malléjac's symptoms were the same as after taking too much amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
, and told the team doctors to be more careful with doping.
In that stage, Bobet got away on the Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
and nobody was able to follow him. He reached the top alone, and from there descended to the finish, 6 minutes ahead of Rolland, who was still the race leader. Bobet jumped to the second place in the general classification.
The next challenge for the general classification were the Pyrénees mountains. In stage 17, Gaul made the pace, and most cyclists could not follow. Bobet could hold on for a long time, but at the finish lost 84 seconds to Gaul. Because Rolland lost more than seven minutes later, Rolland took the lead.
In the eighteenth stage, it was again Gaul who attacked. This time, a small group including Bobet could follow him all the way. Rolland finished two minutes later, but was still in second place in the general classification.
The time trial in the 21st stage was won by Jean Brankart
Jean Brankart
Jean Brankart was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer from 1953 until 1960, when Brankart had to stop his career due to heart problems...
, who jumped to second place in the general classification. Rolland lost more than nine minutes, and dropped to the fifth place in the general classification.
Bobet remained the leader, and his lead was not challenged in the last stage. Bobet became the first person in the Tour de France to win three Tours in a row.
Stages
| Stage | Date | Route | Terrain | Length | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 7 July | Le Havre – 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... |
 |
102 km (63 mi) | |
| 1b | Dieppe – 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... |
12.5 km (8 mi) | ||
| 2 | 8 July | Dieppe – 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:... |
|
204 km (127 mi) | |
| 3 | 9 July | Roubaix – Namur Namur (city) Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia.... |
|
210 km (130 mi) | |
| 4 | 10 July | Namur – 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... |
|
225 km (140 mi) | |
| 5 | 11 July | Metz – Colmar Colmar Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court.... |
|
229 km (142 mi) | |
| 6 | 12 July | Colmar – Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... |
|
195 km (121 mi) | |
| 7 | 13 July | Zürich – Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains Thonon-les-Bains is a town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:... |
|
267 km (166 mi) | |
| 8 | 14 July | Thonon-les-Bains – 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.... |
 |
253 km (157 mi) | |
| 9 | 15 July | Briançon – Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... |
|
275 km (171 mi) | |
| 10 | 16 July | Monaco – 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... |
|
240 km (149 mi) | |
| 11 | 18 July | Marseille – Avignon Avignon Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the... |
|
198 km (123 mi) | |
| 12 | 19 July | Avignon – Millau Millau Millau is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers.-History:... |
|
240 km (149 mi) | |
| 13 | 20 July | Millau – Albi | |
205 km (127 mi) | |
| 14 | 21 July | Albi – 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... |
|
156 km (97 mi) | |
| 15 | 22 July | Narbonne – 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... |
|
151 km (94 mi) | |
| 16 | 24 July | Ax-les-Thermes – 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... |
|
123 km (76 mi) | |
| 17 | 25 July | Toulouse – Saint-Gaudens | |
250 km (155 mi) | |
| 18 | 26 July | Saint-Gaudens – Pau | |
205 km (127 mi) | |
| 19 | 27 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... |
|
195 km (121 mi) | |
| 20 | 28 July | Bordeaux – Poitiers Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque... |
|
243 km (151 mi) | |
| 21 | 29 July | Châtellerault – Tours Tours Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the... |
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... |
68.6 km (43 mi) | |
| 22 | 30 July | Tours – Paris | |
229 km (142 mi) | |
Classification leadership
| Stage | General classification |
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...  |
Mountains classification | 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:... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | no award | Ile de France | ||
| 1B | ||||
| 2 | Ile de France | |||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | ||||
| 15 | ||||
| 16 | ||||
| 17 | ||||
| 18 | ||||
| 19 | ||||
| 20 | ||||
| 21 | ||||
| 22 | ||||
| Final |
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' |
France | 130h 29' 26" |
| 2 | Belgium | +4' 53" | |
| 3 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +11' 30" | |
| 4 | Italy | +12' 44" | |
| 5 | France | +13' 18" | |
| 6 | France | +15' 01" | |
| 7 | Italy | +18' 13" | |
| 8 | |
Belgium | +27' 13" |
| 9 | Belgium | +31' 10" | |
| 10 | France | +36' 27" |
| Final general classification (11–69) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | West France | +36' 52" | |
| 12 | Italy | +39' 14" | |
| 13 | Belgium | +46' 03" | |
| 14 | France | +1h 00' 05" | |
| 15 | Netherlands | +1h 04' 50" | |
| 16 | South East France | +1h 05' 18" | |
| 17 | Belgium | +1h 05' 29" | |
| 18 | North East/Center France | +1h 09' 58" | |
| 19 | Netherlands | +1h 10' 16" | |
| 20 | Spain | +1h 19' 25" | |
| 21 | Netherlands | +1h 21' 45" | |
| 22 | Spain | +1h 25' 48" | |
| 23 | Italy | +1h 36' 21" | |
| 24 | West France | +1h 40' 01" | |
| 25 | Italy | +1h 44' 45" | |
| 26 | Spain | +1h 45' 30" | |
| 27 | Netherlands | +1h 49' 49" | |
| 28 | Belgium | +1h 57' 09" | |
| 29 | Great-Britain | +1h 57' 10" | |
| 30 | Italy | +1h 58' 18" | |
| 31 | Ile de France | +2h 00' 46" | |
| 32 | France | +2h 09' 20" | |
| 33 | North East/Center France | +2h 10' 40" | |
| 34 | Italy | +2h 13' 30" | |
| 35 | North East/Center France | +2h 23' 47" | |
| 36 | Netherlands | +2h 24' 58" | |
| 37 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +2h 28' 15" | |
| 38 | Ile de France | +2h 28' 43" | |
| 39 | South East France | +2h 30' 52" | |
| 40 | Italy | +2h 31' 36" | |
| 41 | Netherlands | +2h 31' 16" | |
| 42 | Italy | +2h 36' 25" | |
| 43 | South West France | +2h 36' 33" | |
| 44 | Ile de France | +2h 38' 46" | |
| 45 | South East France | +2h 41' 07" | |
| 46 | France | +2h 52' 43" | |
| 47 | North East/Center France | +2h 54' 29" | |
| 48 | Switzerland | +2h 55' 39" | |
| 49 | France | +2h 57' 33" | |
| 50 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +3h 02' 51" | |
| 51 | North East/Center France | +3h 03' 06" | |
| 52 | South West France | +3h 05' 57" | |
| 53 | Switzerland | +3h 07' 41" | |
| 54 | Ile de France | +3h 07' 54" | |
| 55 | Belgium | +3h 10' 51" | |
| 56 | Ile de France | +3h 12' 24" | |
| 57 | Spain | +3h 18' 34" | |
| 58 | South East France | +3h 22' 29" | |
| 59 | South East France | +3h 39' 07" | |
| 60 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +3h 49' 23" | |
| 61 | Switzerland | +3h 54' 11" | |
| 62 | West France | +4h 02' 52" | |
| 63 | North East/Center France | +4h 05' 40" | |
| 64 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +4h 14' 46" | |
| 65 | Spain | +4h 26' 34" | |
| 66 | South East France | +4h 32' 23" | |
| 67 | Switzerland | +4h 34' 05" | |
| 68 | West France | +5h 06' 56" | |
| 69 | Great-Britain | +6h 06' 01" | |
Points classification
The points classificationPoints 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...
was calculated in the same way as in 1954, following the calculation method from the Tours de France from 1905 to 1912. Points were given according to the ranking of the stage: the winner received one points, the next cyclist two points, and so on. These points were added, and the cyclist with the least points was the leader of the points classification. In 1955, this was won by Stan Ockers.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' |
Belgium | 322 |
| 2 | Netherlands | 399 | |
| 3 | Spain | 409 | |
| 4 | Netherlands | 415 | |
| 5 | North East/Center France | 483 | |
| 6 | France | 503 | |
| 7 | Belgium | 563 | |
| 8 | Italy | 573.5 | |
| 9 | Italy | 638.5 | |
| 10 | Belgium | 652.5 | |
Mountains classification
Points for the mountains classification were earned by reaching the mountain tops first. The system was almost the same as in 1954: there were two types of mountain tops: the hardest ones, in category 1, gave 10 points to the first cyclist, the easier ones, in category 2, gave 6 points to the first cyclist, and the easiest ones, in category 3, gave 3 points. Charly Gaul won this classification.| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' | Luxembourg/Mixed | 84 |
| 2 | |
France | 70 |
| 3 | Belgium | 44 | |
| 4 | Spain | 31 | |
| 5 | Italy | 30 | |
| 6 | Spain | 28 | |
| 7 | Netherlands | 24 | |
| 7 | Italy | 24 | |
| 9 | France | 23 | |
| 10 | North East/Center France | 18 | |
Team classification
The team classificationTeam 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 as the sum of the daily team classifications, and the daily team classification was calculated by adding the times in the stage result of the best three cyclists per team. It was won by the French team.
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 389h 10' 14" |
| 2 | Italy | +47' 33" |
| 3 | Belgium | +1h 54' 07" |
| 4 | Netherlands | +3h 11' 42" |
| 5 | North East/Center France | +3h 46' 48" |
| 6 | Spain | +4h 35' 38" |
| 7 | South East France | +5h 57' 07" |
| 8 | West France | +6h 06' 55" |
| 9 | Switzerland | +6h 45' 13" |
| 10 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +6h 49' 08" |
| 11 | Ile de France | +7h 09' 08" |
The British team and the regional South West France team finished with only two cyclists, so they were not eligible for the team classification.
Combativity classification
In every stage, a jury gave points for the most combative cyclist. These votes were added in the combativity classificationCombativity award
The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...
. At the end of the Tour de France, Charly Gaul won the classification.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' | Luxembourg/Mixed | 256 |
| 2 | France | 220 | |
| 3 | North East/Center France | 114 | |
| 4 | Belgium | 112 | |
| 5 | North East/Center France | 107 | |