1956 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd Tour de France
, taking place from July 5 to 28, 1956. It consisted of 22 stages over 4498 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.268 km/h.
There was no previous Tour winner competing for the 1956 Tour, which had only previously happened in 1903
and 1927
. An unknown rider from a regional team, Roger Walkowiak
on the Northeast-Center French team, ended up winning the Tour. Many Tour fans dismissed the win as being lucky or unworthy at the time, which Walkowiak took hard; this made him not often speak of his win.
The Tour was ridden at the fastest average speed so far, over 36 km/h. Walkowiak became only the second rider, after Firmin Lambot
in the 1922 Tour de France
, to win without taking a single stage, and is the only Tour de France winner to date who never won a stage in any year.
, the 1956 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. Seven national teams were sent, with 10 cyclists each from France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Luxembourg/Mixed (the latter a combined team of seven Luxembourgian cyclists added with one Portuguese, on British and one Italian cyclist). France additionally sent five regional teams from 10 cyclists each, divided into Center-North East France, South East France, West France, Ile de France and South West France. In total, 120 cyclists started the race.
The winner of the three previous editions, Louison Bobet
, was absent because he had surgery. Because there were less climbs and no mountain top finishes, cycling experts expected this edition to be too easy. No other former Tour de France winner started the race. This was the third time in history that the race started without former winners, after the initial 1903 Tour de France
and the 1927 Tour de France
.
Because Bobet was not there, the race was open, and there were many riders thought able to win the Tour. The most favourite of these was probably Charly Gaul
, who had won the 1956 Giro d'Italia
, although he was in a weak team, and would also be aiming for the mountains classification.
, one of the best sprinters of that time. In the third stage, a small group escaped and finished with a margin of fifteen minutes; Gilbert Desmet
became the new leader.
The time trial of stage four was won by Gaul. In the second part of the fourth stage, Roger Hassenforder
escaped, and a took a group with him, including Darrigade. Desmet was not in that group, and lost more than 15 minutes, which made Darrigade leader again.
In the seventh stage, the peloton broke in two, and a large group of 31 cyclists finished more than 18 minutes ahead. This group included Roger Walkowiak
, who had also been in the escaped group in the fourth stage, and became the new leader. Walkowiak's team manager, Sauveur Ducazeaux
, advised Walkowiak that it would be too tough to try to remain the leader for the rest of the race, and suggested that Walkowiak lose the first place, and aim to regain it later in the race.
In the tenth stage, Walkowiak lost time, and Gerrit Voorting
who had also been part of the large breakaway group in stage seven, became the new leader. Voorting lost the lead in the next stage to Darrigade, who himself lost the lead to Jan Adriaensens
in the twelfth stage.
In the fifteenth stage, the entire Belgian team was weak. Most Tour followers thought it was due to a doping practice that went wrong, but officially it was attributed to food poisoning. Adriaensens lost more than nine minutes, which made Wout Wagtmans
the new leader.
During the seventeenth stage, there was yet another escape, which included leader Wagtmans and Walkowiak, in fifth position in the general classification. The riders in second, third and fourth place were not in the escape, so Walkowiak moved up to the second place, more than four minutes behind Wagtmans.
The eighteenth stage was the last chance for the climbing specialists to win back time, and so Gaul, Bahamontes and Ockers were aiming to win back time. Gaul escaped, and won the stage alone, with Ockers in second place. During the last climb, Bahamontes dismounted and threw his bike down the ravine, wanting to stop the race. The Spanish team was able to retrieve the bike, and convince Bahamontes to continue. Bahamontes finished the race in the group behind Ockers. The surprise of the day was that Walkowiak had been able to remain with Bahamontes, whereas Wagtmans (normally a decent climber) lost eight minutes more. Walkowiak took the first place in the general classification, with a margin of almost 4 minutes to Gilbert Bauvin
.
In the time trial of stage 20, Bauvin performed very well, finishing in fifth place. Walkowiak ended in 24th place, but this was enough to keep a 1'25" lead.
In the 21st stage, Roger Hassenforder
won his fourth stage of this Tour, after a solitary breakaway of 187 km.
in 1956 was calculated in the same way as since the introduction in 1953, 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 1956, this was won by Stan Ockers with 280 points. Over 22 stages (including one split stage), this meant that his average stage finish was approximately place 13.
Every team finished with at least three cyclists, so all teams were included in the team classification.
. André Darrigade won this classification.
. Walkowiak was considered an unworthy winner, and never again was able to repeat such a win. His name entered the French language in the phrase "á la Walko", which means "won by an undeserving or unknown rider".
The press gave many reasons for Walkowiak's victory: the French national team had had internal problems, Gaul and Bahamontes had been occupied with the mountains classification and Ockers with the team classification.
Not all considered him onworthy; Five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault
praised his win saying: There are people who say that Walkowiak should not have won the Tour. They should have been on that Tour! He took the jersey, he lost it and he regained it. He was not a thief. The Tour is not a gift.
Walkowiak was unhappy about how the people reacted to his Tour win, and for many years did not want to discuss it.
The French team manager Marcel Bidot
later criticized Darrigade for not helping Bauvin in the last stages; he thought that with the help of Darrigade, Bauvin might have been able to win back the 85 seconds on Walkowiak and win the race.
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 July 5 to 28, 1956. It consisted of 22 stages over 4498 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.268 km/h.
There was no previous Tour winner competing for the 1956 Tour, which had only previously happened in 1903
1903 Tour de France
The 1903 Tour de France was the first Tour de France, a cycling race set up and sponsored by the newspaper , ancestor of the current daily, . It ran from 1 July to 19 July in six stages over , and was won by Maurice Garin....
and 1927
1927 Tour de France
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....
. An unknown rider from a regional team, Roger Walkowiak
Roger Walkowiak
Roger Walkowiak is a French former road bicycle racer who unexpectedly won the 1956 Tour de France. He was a professional rider from 1950 until 1960.-The 1956 Tour de France:...
on the Northeast-Center French team, ended up winning the Tour. Many Tour fans dismissed the win as being lucky or unworthy at the time, which Walkowiak took hard; this made him not often speak of his win.
The Tour was ridden at the fastest average speed so far, over 36 km/h. Walkowiak became only the second rider, after Firmin Lambot
Firmin Lambot
Firmin Lambot was a Belgian bicycle racer who twice won the Tour de France.Born in the small town of Florennes, Lambot worked as a saddler. He worked 12 hours a day, starting at 6am. He bought his first bicycle at 17 and began riding 50 km a day to and from work. His first race was in a local...
in the 1922 Tour de France
1922 Tour de France
The 1922 Tour de France was the 16th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 23, 1922. The 1922 Tour consisted of 15 stages covering a total of . The race was won by the Belgian cyclist Firmin Lambot...
, to win without taking a single stage, and is the only Tour de France winner to date who never won a stage in any year.
Changes from the 1955 Tour de France
In the previous years, a flat tyre had to be repaired, but from 1956 on, it was allowed to change wheels.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 1956 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. Seven national teams were sent, with 10 cyclists each from France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Luxembourg/Mixed (the latter a combined team of seven Luxembourgian cyclists added with one Portuguese, on British and one Italian cyclist). France additionally sent five regional teams from 10 cyclists each, divided into Center-North East France, South East France, West France, Ile de France and South West France. In total, 120 cyclists started the race.
The winner of the three previous editions, 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...
, was absent because he had surgery. Because there were less climbs and no mountain top finishes, cycling experts expected this edition to be too easy. No other former Tour de France winner started the race. This was the third time in history that the race started without former winners, after the initial 1903 Tour de France
1903 Tour de France
The 1903 Tour de France was the first Tour de France, a cycling race set up and sponsored by the newspaper , ancestor of the current daily, . It ran from 1 July to 19 July in six stages over , and was won by Maurice Garin....
and the 1927 Tour de France
1927 Tour de France
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....
.
Because Bobet was not there, the race was open, and there were many riders thought able to win the Tour. The most favourite of these was probably 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...
, who had won the 1956 Giro d'Italia
1956 Giro d'Italia
The 1956 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 19 May to 10 June 1956, consisting of 23 stages. This 39th edition was won by the Luxemburgish Charly Gaul....
, although he was in a weak team, and would also be aiming for the mountains classification.
Race details
The first stage was won by André DarrigadeAndré Darrigade
André Darrigade was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1951 and 1966. Darrigade, a road sprinter won the 1959 World Championship and 22 stages of the Tour de France. Five of those were on the first day. The record has never been equalled.-Origins:André Darrigade was born at Narosse,...
, one of the best sprinters of that time. In the third stage, a small group escaped and finished with a margin of fifteen minutes; Gilbert Desmet
Gilbert Desmet
Gilbert Desmet , nicknamed Smetje van Lichtervelde, is a retired Belgian cyclist, professional from 1952 to 1967. In the 1956 Tour de France, he wore the yellow jersey for 2 days, and in the 1963 Tour de France he wore it for 9 days. Desmet won 101 professional courses, including Paris–Tours, La...
became the new leader.
The time trial of stage four was won by Gaul. In the second part of the fourth stage, Roger Hassenforder
Roger Hassenforder
Roger Hassenforder is a former French professional racing cyclist from Alsace.-Biography:Hassenforder was a professional cyclist from 1952 to 1965. He was known as the joker of the cyclists and therefore was nicknamed "boute-en-train". He was known for his interviews during the course...
escaped, and a took a group with him, including Darrigade. Desmet was not in that group, and lost more than 15 minutes, which made Darrigade leader again.
In the seventh stage, the peloton broke in two, and a large group of 31 cyclists finished more than 18 minutes ahead. This group included Roger Walkowiak
Roger Walkowiak
Roger Walkowiak is a French former road bicycle racer who unexpectedly won the 1956 Tour de France. He was a professional rider from 1950 until 1960.-The 1956 Tour de France:...
, who had also been in the escaped group in the fourth stage, and became the new leader. Walkowiak's team manager, Sauveur Ducazeaux
Sauveur Ducazeaux
Sauveur Ducazeaux was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won one stage in the 1936 Tour de France. After his cycling career, he became a team captain. In 1956, he was the team captain of Roger Walkowiak, who surprisingly won the 1956 Tour de France.- Palmarès :19331936- External links :*...
, advised Walkowiak that it would be too tough to try to remain the leader for the rest of the race, and suggested that Walkowiak lose the first place, and aim to regain it later in the race.
In the tenth stage, Walkowiak lost time, and Gerrit Voorting
Gerrit Voorting
Gerardus Petrus Voorting is a retired racing cyclist from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. There he won the silver medal in the men's individual road race...
who had also been part of the large breakaway group in stage seven, became the new leader. Voorting lost the lead in the next stage to Darrigade, who himself lost the lead to Jan Adriaensens
Jan Adriaensens
Jan Adriaensens is a former Belgian road bicycle racer. He finished twice on the podium of the Tour de France, with a third place in 1956 and in 1960...
in the twelfth stage.
In the fifteenth stage, the entire Belgian team was weak. Most Tour followers thought it was due to a doping practice that went wrong, but officially it was attributed to food poisoning. Adriaensens lost more than nine minutes, which made 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...
the new leader.
During the seventeenth stage, there was yet another escape, which included leader Wagtmans and Walkowiak, in fifth position in the general classification. The riders in second, third and fourth place were not in the escape, so Walkowiak moved up to the second place, more than four minutes behind Wagtmans.
The eighteenth stage was the last chance for the climbing specialists to win back time, and so Gaul, Bahamontes and Ockers were aiming to win back time. Gaul escaped, and won the stage alone, with Ockers in second place. During the last climb, Bahamontes dismounted and threw his bike down the ravine, wanting to stop the race. The Spanish team was able to retrieve the bike, and convince Bahamontes to continue. Bahamontes finished the race in the group behind Ockers. The surprise of the day was that Walkowiak had been able to remain with Bahamontes, whereas Wagtmans (normally a decent climber) lost eight minutes more. Walkowiak took the first place in the general classification, with a margin of almost 4 minutes to Gilbert Bauvin
Gilbert Bauvin
Gilbert Bauvin is a former professional French road bicycle racer. He was a professional from 1950 to 1960...
.
In the time trial of stage 20, Bauvin performed very well, finishing in fifth place. Walkowiak ended in 24th place, but this was enough to keep a 1'25" lead.
In the 21st stage, Roger Hassenforder
Roger Hassenforder
Roger Hassenforder is a former French professional racing cyclist from Alsace.-Biography:Hassenforder was a professional cyclist from 1952 to 1965. He was known as the joker of the cyclists and therefore was nicknamed "boute-en-train". He was known for his interviews during the course...
won his fourth stage of this Tour, after a solitary breakaway of 187 km.
Stages
The 1956 Tour de France started on 5 July, and had two rest days, in Bordeaux and Aix-les-Provence.| Stage | Date | Route | Terrain | Length | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 July | Reims – Liège Liège Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.... |
 |
223 km (139 mi) | |
| 2 | 6 July | Liège – 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... |
|
217 km (135 mi) | |
| 3 | 7 July | Lille – Rouen Rouen Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages... |
|
225 km (140 mi) | |
| 4a | 8 July | Rouen – Circuit des Essarts |  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... |
15.1 km (9 mi) | |
| 4b | Rouen – 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.... |
|
125 km (78 mi) | ||
| 5 | 9 July | Caen – Saint-Malo Saint-Malo Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season... |
|
189 km (117 mi) | |
| 6 | 10 July | Saint-Malo – Lorient Lorient Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis... |
|
192 km (119 mi) | |
| 7 | 11 July | Lorient – Angers Angers Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins.... |
|
244 km (152 mi) | |
| 8 | 12 July | Angers – 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... |
|
180 km (112 mi) | |
| 9 | 13 July | La Rochelle – 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... |
|
219 km (136 mi) | |
| 10 | 15 July | 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... |
|
201 km (125 mi) | |
| 11 | 16 July | Bayonne – Pau |  |
255 km (158 mi) | |
| 12 | 17 July | Pau – Luchon | |
130 km (81 mi) | |
| 13 | 18 July | Luchon – 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... |
|
176 km (109 mi) | |
| 14 | 19 July | Toulouse – 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.... |
|
231 km (144 mi) | |
| 15 | 20 July | Montpellier – 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... |
|
204 km (127 mi) | |
| 16 | 22 July | Aix-en-Provence – Gap Gap, Hautes-Alpes Gap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River... |
|
203 km (126 mi) | |
| 17 | 23 July | Gap – Turin Turin Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... |
|
234 km (145 mi) | |
| 18 | 24 July | Turin – 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... |
|
250 km (155 mi) | |
| 19 | 25 July | Grenoble – Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon... |
|
173 km (107 mi) | |
| 20 | 26 July | Saint-Étienne – 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.... |
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... |
73 km (45 mi) | |
| 21 | 27 July | Lyon – Montluçon Montluçon Montluçon is a commune in central France. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais... |
|
237 km (147 mi) | |
| 22 | 28 July | Montluçon – 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... |
|
331 km (206 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:... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | no award | Luxembourg/Mixed | ||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4A | ||||
| 4B | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | West France | |||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | ||||
| 15 | ||||
| 16 | ||||
| 17 | ||||
| 18 | ||||
| 19 | ||||
| 20 | ||||
| 21 | ||||
| 22 | ||||
| Final |
General classification
Of the 120 cyclists that started the 1956 Tour de France, 88 finished the race.| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
North East-Center | 124h 01'16" |
| 2 | France | +1'25" | |
| 3 | Belgium | +3'44" | |
| 4 | Spain | +10'14" | |
| 5 | Italy | +10'25" | |
| 6 | Netherlands | +10'59" | |
| 7 | South East France | +14'01" | |
| 8 | |
Belgium | +16'52" |
| 9 | France | +22'59" | |
| 10 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +26'03" |
| Final general classification (11–88) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | Netherlands | +27'16" | |
| 12 | France | +30'15" | |
| 13 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +32'14" | |
| 14 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +33'54" | |
| 15 | Netherlands | +38'40" | |
| 16 | France | +39'51" | |
| 17 | Belgium | +41'47" | |
| 18 | West France | +42'28" | |
| 19 | South East France | +47'19" | |
| 20 | Belgium | +49'53" | |
| 21 | Belgium | +50'56" | |
| 22 | Italy | +54'56" | |
| 23 | Italy | +56'58" | |
| 24 | Italy | +59'58" | |
| 25 | West France | +1h 03'53" | |
| 26 | Italy | +1h 07'25" | |
| 27 | Italy | +1h 09'13" | |
| 28 | Netherlands | +1h 09'27" | |
| 29 | Spain | +1h 22'24" | |
| 30 | Netherlands | +1h 24'10" | |
| 31 | South West France | +1h 24'58" | |
| 32 | Belgium | +1h 25'15" | |
| 33 | Belgium | +1h 25'59" | |
| 34 | France | +1h 26'32" | |
| 35 | France | +1h 29'52" | |
| 36 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +1h 32'57" | |
| 37 | West France | +1h 34'02" | |
| 38 | Ile de France | +1h 39'57" | |
| 39 | Belgium | +1h 41'06" | |
| 40 | Ile de France | +1h 43'41" | |
| 41 | Italy | +1h 45'55" | |
| 42 | Italy | +1h 46'58" | |
| 43 | North East-Center | +1h 48'51" | |
| 44 | Ile de France | +1h 49'25" | |
| 45 | Belgium | +1h 51'32" | |
| 46 | France | +1h 53'38" | |
| 47 | Switzerland | +1h 55'40" | |
| 48 | Italy | +1h 57'20" | |
| 49 | France | +1h 57'32" | |
| 50 | West France | +1h 59'20" | |
| 51 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +2h 06'19" | |
| 52 | North East-Center | +2h 10'24" | |
| 53 | South East France | +2h 11'01" | |
| 54 | France | +2h 16'36" | |
| 55 | Italy | +2h 17'54" | |
| 56 | West France | +2h 20'53" | |
| 57 | South East France | +2h 22'47" | |
| 58 | Spain | +2h 23'57" | |
| 59 | West France | +2h 29'28" | |
| 60 | Switzerland | +2h 29'56" | |
| 61 | South West France | +2h 30'45" | |
| 62 | Switzerland | +2h 31'07" | |
| 63 | West France | +2h 32'40" | |
| 64 | Switzerland | +2h 34'09" | |
| 65 | Spain | +2h 34'28" | |
| 66 | Ile de France | +2h 38'49" | |
| 67 | South West France | +2h 47'30" | |
| 68 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +2h 47'37" | |
| 69 | South East France | +2h 48'08" | |
| 70 | Spain | +2h 50'24" | |
| 71 | North East-Center | +2h 52'37" | |
| 72 | Ile de France | +2h 55'51" | |
| 73 | South West France | +2h 57'18" | |
| 74 | Spain | +2h 59'16" | |
| 75 | South East France | +3h 02'03" | |
| 76 | West France | +3h 03'33" | |
| 77 | Spain | +3h 05'19" | |
| 78 | South West France | +3h 07'01" | |
| 79 | South West France | +3h 09'12" | |
| 80 | North East-Center | +3h 11'07" | |
| 81 | Spain | +3h 16'56" | |
| 82 | North East-Center\ | +3h 19'07" | |
| 83 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +3h 23'06" | |
| 84 | South West France | +3h 38'29" | |
| 85 | South West France | +3h 52'47" | |
| 86 | Netherlands | +4h 02'22" | |
| 87 | Switzerland | +4h 07'53" | |
| 88 | South East France | +4h 10'18" | |
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...
in 1956 was calculated in the same way as since the introduction in 1953, 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 1956, this was won by Stan Ockers with 280 points. Over 22 stages (including one split stage), this meant that his average stage finish was approximately place 13.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Belgium | 280 |
| 2 | West France | 464 | |
| 3 | Netherlands | 465 | |
| 4 | France | 489 | |
| 5 | France | 510 | |
| 6 | Netherlands | 546 | |
| 7 | Belgium | 578 | |
| 8 | Italy | 596 | |
| 9 | South East France | 624 | |
| 10 | Luxembourg/Mixed | 628 | |
Mountains classification
Points for the mountains classification were earned by reaching the mountain tops first. The system was almost the same as in 1955: there were three 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 | 71 | |
| 2 | Spain | 67 | |
| 3 | South West Franc | 65 | |
| 4 | |
Belgium | 55 |
| 5 | Belgium | 30 | |
| 6 | |
Northeast-Center France | 22 |
| 7 | Luxembourg/Mixed | 15 | |
| 8 | South East France | 14 | |
| 9 | France | 13 | |
| 9 | Belgium | 13 | |
| 9 | Spain | 13 | |
Team classification
The team classification 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 Belgian team, with a large margin over the Italian team.| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 369h 47' 42" |
| 2 | Italy | +1h 01' 04" |
| 3 | Netherlands | +1h 13' 11" |
| 4 | France | +1h 24' 08" |
| 5 | West France | +1h 44' 12" |
| 6 | South East France | +1h 57' 39" |
| 7 | Spain | +3h 04' 35" |
| 8 | Luxembourg/Mixed | +3h 12' 59" |
| 9 | Northeast-Center France | +3h 55' 25" |
| 10 | South East France | +4h 43' 10" |
| 11 | Ile de France | +5h 33' 50" |
| 12 | Switzerland | +6h 41' 33" |
Every team finished with at least three cyclists, so all teams were included in the team classification.
Combativity classification
After each stage, a jury voted for the most combative cyclist of that stage. Those 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 :...
. André Darrigade won this classification.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 175 | |
| 2 | West France | 142 | |
| 3 | Luxembourg/Mixed | 119 | |
| 4 | Italy | 118 | |
| 5 | Ile de France | 106 | |
| 6 | West France | 100 | |
| 7 | Northeast-Center France | 98 | |
| 8 | South East France | 92 | |
| 9 | South East France | 83 | |
| 10 | France | 77 | |
Other classifications
After every stage, the jury also gave a prize to the cyclist with the most bad luck. The award for most bad luck during the entire Tour de France went to Fernand Picot.Aftermath
The cycling fans had not been happy to see unknown Walkowiak win the race, and he was not cheered for when the race finished in the Parc des PrincesParc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
. Walkowiak was considered an unworthy winner, and never again was able to repeat such a win. His name entered the French language in the phrase "á la Walko", which means "won by an undeserving or unknown rider".
The press gave many reasons for Walkowiak's victory: the French national team had had internal problems, Gaul and Bahamontes had been occupied with the mountains classification and Ockers with the team classification.
Not all considered him onworthy; Five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
praised his win saying: There are people who say that Walkowiak should not have won the Tour. They should have been on that Tour! He took the jersey, he lost it and he regained it. He was not a thief. The Tour is not a gift.
Walkowiak was unhappy about how the people reacted to his Tour win, and for many years did not want to discuss it.
The French team manager Marcel Bidot
Marcel Bidot
Marcel Bidot was a French professional road bicycle racer who won two stages of the Tour de France and became manager of the French national team...
later criticized Darrigade for not helping Bauvin in the last stages; he thought that with the help of Darrigade, Bauvin might have been able to win back the 85 seconds on Walkowiak and win the race.