1962 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1962 Tour de France was the 49th 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 24 to July 15, 1962. It was composed of 22 stages over 4274 km, ridden at an average speed of 37.306 km/h. After more than 30 years, the Tour was again contested by trade teams. French Jacques Anquetil defended his title successfully, winning his third Tour de France.

Changes from the 1961 Tour de France

From 1930 to 1961, the Tour de France was contested by national teams, but in 1962, the trade teams returned. Each team consisted of ten cyclists, but should not be too international: at least six cyclists should have the same nationality, or only two nationalities should be present.

The calculation for the mountains classification was changed, and the fourth category was added.

Émilion Amaury, owner of le Parisien Libéré, became financially involved in the Tour. He made Félix Lévitan
Félix Lévitan
Félix Lévitan was the third organiser of the Tour de France, a role he shared for much of the time with Jacques Goddet...

 co-organizer of the Tour, and it was decided that Levitan would focus on the financial issues, and Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....

 on the sporting issues.

Participants

Every team was required to have a dominant nationality, with six or more cyclists from that nationality. There were fifteen teams:

With at least six French cyclists:
  • ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson
  • Liberia-Grammont-Clement
  • Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune
  • VC XII-Leroux-Gitane-Dunlop
  • Margnat-Paloma-d'Alessandro
  • Peugeot-BP-Dunlop
  • Mercier-BP-Hutchinson


With at least six Italian cyclists:
  • Ignis-Moschettieri
  • G.S. Ghighi
  • G.S. Ghazzola-Fiorelli-Hutchinson
  • Legnano-Pirelli
  • G.S. Philco
  • Carpano


With at least six Belgian cyclists:
  • Wiel's-Groene Leeuw
  • Faema-Flandria-Clement

For the first time, the French cyclists were outnumbered; there were 52 Italian cyclists and 50 French cyclists.

The defending champion, Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...

, was part of the ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson team. This team also included Rudi Altig
Rudi Altig
Rudi Altig is a former professional track and road racing cyclist who won the 1962 Vuelta a España and the world championship in 1966. He is now a television commentator.-Amateur career:...

, and during the 1962 Vuelta a España
1962 Vuelta a España
The 1962 Vuelta a España was the 17th Vuelta a España, taking place from April 27 to May 13, 1962. It consisted of 17 stages over 2806 km, ridden at an average speed of 35.684 km/h....

, Altig had beaten his team leader, so observers expected some internal team struggle. The team manager of the Saint Raphael team was Anquetil's former rival Raphael Géminiani
Raphael Geminiani
Raphaël Géminiani is a French former road bicycle racer. He had six podium finishes in the Grand Tours. He is one of four children of Italian immigrants who moved to Clermont-Ferrand. He worked in a cycle shop and started racing as a boy...

, and Anquetil had unsuccessfully requested his sponsors to replace Géminiani for the Tour.

Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor , is a former professional bicycle racer. He was known as the eternal second, because he finished the Tour de France in second place three times, and in third place five times, including his final Tour at the age of 40...

, the new star who had not started the 1961 Tour because of the national team format, started this time in the Mercier team. He started the race injured, as he had broken his hand recently, and was riding with a cast.

Race details

The first stage was won by Altig, and pre-race favourites Poulidor and Bahamontes already lost more than 8 minutes.
In the second stage finished in the hown town of the world champion Rik Van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...

. Van Looy took a wrong turn in his home town, and lost the chance of winning the stage. André Darrigade took over the lead, but Altig took it back in the third stage.

In the sixth stage, a big group escaped from the peloton. Altig and Anquetil were not there, but they had sent their team mate Ab Geldermans to protect the team's interests. Geldermans was the best placed man in the break, and their margin was so large that Geldermans became the new leader.

In first part of the eighth stage, another large group escaped, and Darrigade became the new leader. The second part of the eighth stage was a time trial, won by Anquetil.

Because of a successful breakaway in the ninth stage, Darrigade lost the lead to Willy Schroeders
Willy Schroeders
Willy Schroeders is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He was professional from 1955 to 1965...

. Schroeders kept the lead until the first mountain stage, stage 12. In that stage, he could not keep up with the best climbers, and lost the lead to Tommy Simpson, who became the first British cyclist to wear the yellow jersey.

Simpson lost the lead the next stage, in a mountain time trial won by Bahamontes. Jozef Planckaert finished in second place, and became the new leader.

In the night after that stage, Hans Junkermann
Hans Junkermann
Hennes "Hans" Junkermann is a retired German professional racing cyclist who won 35 road races in 18 seasons from 1956 to 1973....

, riding for the Wiel's team, became ill. Junkermann was in seventh place in the general classification, and his team requested the start to be delayed by ten minutes, which the organisation allowd. After that stage, stage 14, had started, Junkermann quickly fell to the back, and had to give up. He was not the only one: twelve riders fell ill and said 'bad fish' was the cause. Tour doctor Pierre Dumas
Pierre Dumas
Pierre Dumas was a French doctor who pioneered drug tests in the Olympic Games and cycling. He was doctor of the Tour de France from 1952 to 1969 and head of drug-testing at the race until 1977.-Background:...

 realized they had all been given the same drug by the same soigneur. Fourteen riders abandoned the Tour that day, including the former leader, Willy Schroeder, the 1960 winner Gastone Nencini and a future leader, Karl-Heinz Kunde. Jacques Goddet wrote that he suspected doping but nothing was proven - other than that none of the hotels had served fish the previous night. The newspapers ridiculed the riders, and this made the riders furious. They threatened to strike, but the journalist Jean Bobet
Jean Bobet
Jean Bobet is a French former road bicycle racer. He is the younger brother of Louison Bobet. Less talented, he did nevetheless win the world students' championship as an amateur and then, as a professional, Paris–Nice in 1955, Genoa-Nice in 1956 and the Circuit du Morbihan in 1953. He came third...

, a former cyclist, was able to talk them into continuing.

The next stages were not important for the general classification, and the next important attacks were expected in stage 18 in the alps. Instead, the riders were going slow. In the first 4 hours, they only raced 100 km. Later, some attacks took place, but they failed for flat tires, and the defending tactics of the other riders. So in the end, Emile Daems
Emile Daems
Emile Daems is a former professional road racing cyclist from Genval, Belgium.- Major achievements :1960...

, who was a sprinter and not a climber, was able to win this mountain stage.

The nineteenth stage followed the same route as the 21st stage in the 1958 Tour de France
1958 Tour de France
The 1958 Tour de France was the 45th Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 19, 1958. The total race distance was 24 stages over 4,319 km, at an average speed of 36.919 km/h....

, where Gaul had won the race. Poulidor's injured hand was better now, and his team manager 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...

 told him that the time was ready to attack. Poulidor was almost ten minutes behind in the general classification, so he would probably be allowed some freedom. Poulidor attacked, and stayed away alone, jumping to the third place in the general classification. After that nineteenth stage, Belgian Jef Planckaert
Jef Planckaert
Joseph "Jef" Planckaert was a Belgian racing cyclist. He is seen as one of the best Belgian cyclists of the 50's and 60's of the twentieth century....

 was leading the race. In the time trial in stage 20, he lost condiderable time, and Anquetil took over the lead. Anquetil stayed the leader until the end, and won his third Tour.

Stages

The 1962 Tour de France started on 24 June in Nancy, and had no restdays.
Stage results
Stage Date Route Terrain Length Winner
1 24 June Nancy–Spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...

 
Plain stage
253 km (157.2 mi)
2a 25 June Spa–Herentals
Herentals
Herentals is a city and municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and Noorderwijk. On January 1, 2006 Herentals had a total population of 26,071...

 
Plain stage
147 km (91.3 mi)
2b Herentals
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...

 
147 km (91.3 mi) Flandria
3 26 June Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...

Plain stage
210 km (130.5 mi)
4 27 June Amiens–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...

Plain stage
196.5 km (122.1 mi)
5 28 June Pont l'Evêque
Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados
Pont-l'Évêque is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France. It has given its name to a type of soft cheese .-Population:-Transport:* A13 autoroute* A132 autoroute...

–Saint Malo
Plain stage
215 km (133.6 mi)
6 29 June Dinard
Dinard
Dinard is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a popular holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents...

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...

Plain stage
235.5 km (146.3 mi)
7 30 June Quimper–Saint Nazaire
Plain stage
201 km (124.9 mi)
8a 1 July Saint Nazaire–Luçon
Luçon
Luçon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the seat of the Diocese of Luçon and Luçon Cathedral.-References:*...

Plain stage
155 km (96.3 mi)
8b Luçon–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...

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...

 
43 km (26.7 mi)
9 2 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...

Plain stage
214 km (133 mi)
10 3 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...

Plain stage
184.5 km (114.6 mi)
11 4 July Bayonne–Pau
Plain stage
155.5 km (96.6 mi)
12 5 July Pau–Saint-Gaudens
Stage with mountain(s)
207.5 km (128.9 mi)
13 6 July Luchon–Superbagnères
Superbagnères
Superbagnères is a ski resort above the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon in the French department of Haute-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region.-Overview:...

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...

 
18.5 km (11.5 mi)
14 7 July Luchon–Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...

Stage with mountain(s)
215 km (133.6 mi)
15 8 July Carcassonne–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
196.5 km (122.1 mi)
16 9 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...

Plain stage
185 km (115 mi)
17 10 July Aix-en-Provence–Juan-les-Pins
Juan-les-Pins
Juan-les-PinsCountry:Region:Department: Alpes-MaritimesArrondissement: GrasseCanton: Vallauris-Antibes-OuestMunicipality: AntibesPopulation:?Coordinates:Time zone:CET, UTC+1Elevation:10 amslPostal code:06600...

Plain stage
201 km (124.9 mi)
18 11 July Juan-les-Pins–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)
241.5 km (150.1 mi)
19 12 July Briançon–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)
204.5 km (127.1 mi)
20 13 July Bourgoin–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
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 km (42.3 mi)
21 14 July Lyon–Pougues-les-Eaux
Pougues-les-Eaux
Pougues-les-Eaux is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was . On 1 January 2007, the estimate was .-References:*...

Plain stage
232 km (144.2 mi)
22 15 July Pougues-les-Eaux – Paris
Plain stage
271 km (168.4 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 Saint Raphaël
2a
2b
3
4
5
6
7
8a
8b
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Final Saint Raphaël

General classification

Anquetil won with an average speed of 37.306 km/h, which was a new record.
Final general classification (1–10)
Rank Name Team Time
1 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 114h 31' 54"
2 Flandria-Faema +4' 59"
3 Mercier +10' 24"
4 Carpano +13' 01"
5 ACCB-Saint Raphaël +14' 04"
6 VC XII +17' 09"
7 Legnano +17' 50"
8 Ignis +19' 00"
9 G.S. Gazzola +19' 11"
10 Wiels +23' 04"

Points classification

The 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...

 was won by Rudi Altig.
Final points classification (1–10)
RankRiderTeamPoints
1 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 173
2 G.S Philco 144
3 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 140
4 Ignis 135
5 VC XIII 131
6 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 99
7 Wiels 83
8 Flandria-Faema 77
9 Flandria-Faema 76
10 Mercier 73

Mountains classification

The Mountains classification was won by Féderico Bahamontes.
Final mountains classification (1–10)
RankRiderTeamPoints
1 Margnat 137
2 Legnano 77
3 Mercier 70
4 G.S. Gazzola 58
5 Flandria-Faema 37
6 Wiels 35
7 VC XIII 33
8 Margnat 32
9 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 31
10 G.S Philco 18

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 won by Saint Raphaël. In 1962, the team classification was calculated by the number of team stage victories.
Final team classification
RankTeamPoints
1 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 6
2 Mercier 3
2 Faema 3
2 Wiels-Groene Leeuw 3
5 Gitane 2
5 Philco 2
7 Ignis 1
7 Gazola 1
7 Margnat-Paloma 1

The other teams received no points.

External links

  • Documentary film about the Tour de France 1962 by Louis Malle
    Louis Malle
    Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...

    (in french)
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