Alcyon (cycling team)
Encyclopedia
Alcyon is a former French
professional cycling team
that was active from 1906 to 1955. It was owned by Alcyon
, a French bicycle, automobile and motorcycle manufacturer.
four times before World War I
with François Faber
in 1909
, Octave Lapize
in 1910
, Gustave Garrigou
in 1911
and Odile Defraye
in 1912
. Alcyon won the team prize at the Tour de France
from 1909 to 1912 and then from 1927 to 1929..
Immediately after the First World War, Alcyon like many other bicycle companies joined a Consortium that employed many riders under the La Sportive name
. This consortium would win the Tour de France
from 1919 to 1921. The Consortium stopped in 1922 and the member companies which included Automoto, Peugeot and Alcyon re-started up their separate cycling teams. Alcyon grew into a very strong team that dominated the Tour de France with three wins in with Nicolas Frantz
in 1927
and in 1928
and Maurice De Waele
in 1929
.
Alcyon dominated the Tour de France during the 1920s. In the 1929 edition, Maurice Dewaele won the race despite the fact that he was sick when the race went through the Alps. This was because no one attacked the Alcyon rider there. The organisers of the Tour de France
decided in 1930 that the race would be disputed by national teams. It has been said that this was done to break the domination of some of the commercial teams, most notably Alcyon As a result, Alcyon was unable to continue to dominate the race. However Alycon-Dunlop riders riding for the French national team were able to dominate the race, such as André Leducq
, an Alycon-Dunlop rider who won the very first Tour that was disputed by national teams. Leducq would win the Tour again in 1932, while another Alycon rider, Georges Speicher won the Tour again in 1933.Belgians
Romain Maes
and Sylvère Maes
were riders of the team when they won the Tour de France
in 1935
, 1936
and 1939
.
After World War II
, the team name changed to Alcyon-BP (1946–1949), which was followed by Alcyon-Dunlop (1950–1954). The team appears to have stopped sponsoring after 1958, although it appears that a team existed for 1961 with was managered by former rider Georges Speicher and Paul Wiegant.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
professional cycling team
Cycling team
A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races whether recreational or professional - and the supporting personnel...
that was active from 1906 to 1955. It was owned by Alcyon
Alcyon
The Alcyon was a French bicycle, automobile and motorcycle manufacturer between 1890 and 1957.- Origins :Alcyon originated from about 1890 when Edmond Gentil started the manufacture of bicycles in Neuilly, Seine. In 1902, this was complemented by motorcycle production and in 1906, the first cars...
, a French bicycle, automobile and motorcycle manufacturer.
History
The team won the Tour de FranceTour 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...
four times before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with François Faber
François Faber
François Faber was a Luxembourgian/French racing cyclist. He was born in France. He was the first foreigner to win the Tour de France in 1909, and his record of winning 5 consecutive stages still stands...
in 1909
1909 Tour de France
The 1909 Tour de France was the seventh Tour de France, taking place from 5 July to 1 August 1909. It consisted of 14 stages over , ridden at an average 28.658 km/h. The results were computed by points accorded finishing positions on each stage, the rider with fewest points at the end of the...
, Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist.Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres, he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels.In his first...
in 1910
1910 Tour de France
The 1910 Tour de France was the 8th Tour de France, taking place 3 July to 31 July 1910. It consisted of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of 28.680 km/h. It was the first Tour to enter the Pyrenees mountains. Two main candidates for the victory were 1909 winner François Faber, a...
, Gustave Garrigou
Gustave Garrigou
Cyprien Gustave Garrigou was one of the best professional racing cyclists of his era. He rode the Tour de France eight times and won once...
in 1911
1911 Tour de France
The 1911 Tour de France was the 9th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 30 July 1911. It was composed of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of 27.322 km/h. The results were computed by giving each rider points according to his finishing position on each stage, and the rider with...
and Odile Defraye
Odile Defraye
Odile Defraye was a Belgian road racing cyclist who won three stages and the overall title of the 1912 Tour de France, which was the last tour decided by a points system instead of overall best time...
in 1912
1912 Tour de France
The 1912 Tour de France was the 10th anniversary of the Tour de France. It consisted of 15 stages for a total of . The Tour took place from 30 June to 28 July 1912. The riders rode at an average speed of 27.763 km/h. After 4 stage wins during the Tour of Belgium, the Alcyon team hired Odile...
. Alcyon won the team prize at the 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...
from 1909 to 1912 and then from 1927 to 1929..
Immediately after the First World War, Alcyon like many other bicycle companies joined a Consortium that employed many riders under the La Sportive name
La Sportive (cycling team)
La Sportive is a former French professional cycling team from 1918 to 1921. It won the team classification in the Tour de France three times, in 1919–1921.-History:...
. This consortium would win the 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...
from 1919 to 1921. The Consortium stopped in 1922 and the member companies which included Automoto, Peugeot and Alcyon re-started up their separate cycling teams. Alcyon grew into a very strong team that dominated the Tour de France with three wins in with Nicolas Frantz
Nicolas Frantz
Nicolas Frantz , born in Mamer, Luxembourg, was a bicycle racer with 60 professional racing victories over his 12-year career . He rode for the Thomann team in 1923 and then for Alcyon-Dunlop from 1924 to 1931. He won the Tour de France in 1927 and 1928.Nicolas Frantz was the son of a prosperous...
in 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....
and in 1928
1928 Tour de France
The 1928 Tour de France was the 22nd Tour de France, taking place June 17 to July 15, 1928. It consisted of 22 stages over 5,476 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.4 km/h...
and Maurice De Waele
Maurice De Waele
Maurice De Waele was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.De Waele placed 2nd in the 1927 Tour, an hour and fifty eight minutes Nicolas Frantz and 3rd in 1928, again won by Frantz. However, he is most famous for winning the 1929 Tour de France...
in 1929
1929 Tour de France
The 1929 Tour de France was the 23rd Tour de France, taking place from 30 June to 28 July 1929. It consisted of 22 stages over 5,286 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.320 km/h....
.
Alcyon dominated the Tour de France during the 1920s. In the 1929 edition, Maurice Dewaele won the race despite the fact that he was sick when the race went through the Alps. This was because no one attacked the Alcyon rider there. The organisers of the 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...
decided in 1930 that the race would be disputed by national teams. It has been said that this was done to break the domination of some of the commercial teams, most notably Alcyon As a result, Alcyon was unable to continue to dominate the race. However Alycon-Dunlop riders riding for the French national team were able to dominate the race, such as André Leducq
André Leducq
André Leducq was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France.-Career:...
, an Alycon-Dunlop rider who won the very first Tour that was disputed by national teams. Leducq would win the Tour again in 1932, while another Alycon rider, Georges Speicher won the Tour again in 1933.Belgians
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Romain Maes
Romain Maes
Romain Maes was a Belgian cyclist who won the 1935 Tour de France after wearing the yellow jersey of leadership from beginning to end....
and 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...
were riders of the team when they won the 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...
in 1935
1935 Tour de France
The 1935 Tour de France was the 29th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 28, 1935. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,338 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.650 km/h. Although the French team was favourite, Belgian Romain Maes took the lead in the first stage, and never gave it away...
, 1936
1936 Tour de France
The 1936 Tour de France was the 30th Tour de France, taking place July 7 to August 2, 1936. It was composed of 21 stages with a total length of 4,418 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.108 km/h. Because of health problems, Henri Desgrange stopped as Tour director, and was succeeded by...
and 1939
1939 Tour de France
The 1939 Tour de France was the 33rd Tour de France, taking place from 10 to 30 July 1939. The total distance was 4,224 km and the average speed of the riders was 31.986 km/h....
.
After World War II
World 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...
, the team name changed to Alcyon-BP (1946–1949), which was followed by Alcyon-Dunlop (1950–1954). The team appears to have stopped sponsoring after 1958, although it appears that a team existed for 1961 with was managered by former rider Georges Speicher and Paul Wiegant.
Famous riders
- Jean AertsJean AertsJean Aerts was a Belgian road bicycle racer who specialized as a sprinter. Aerts became the first man to win both the world amateur and professional road race championships...
- Albert Beckaert
- Marcel BuysseMarcel BuysseMarcel Buysse was a Belgian racing cyclist.After finishing fourth in the 1912 Tour de France, Buysse led the general classification for two days until a broken handlebar cost him dearly...
- Marcel Cadolle
- Eugène ChristopheEugene ChristopheEugène Christophe was a French road bicycle racer and pioneer of cyclo-cross. He was a professional from 1904 until 1926. In 1919 he became the first rider to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France .Eugène Christophe rode 11 Tours de France and finished eight...
- Odile DefrayeOdile DefrayeOdile Defraye was a Belgian road racing cyclist who won three stages and the overall title of the 1912 Tour de France, which was the last tour decided by a points system instead of overall best time...
- François FaberFrançois FaberFrançois Faber was a Luxembourgian/French racing cyclist. He was born in France. He was the first foreigner to win the Tour de France in 1909, and his record of winning 5 consecutive stages still stands...
- Nicolas FrantzNicolas FrantzNicolas Frantz , born in Mamer, Luxembourg, was a bicycle racer with 60 professional racing victories over his 12-year career . He rode for the Thomann team in 1923 and then for Alcyon-Dunlop from 1924 to 1931. He won the Tour de France in 1927 and 1928.Nicolas Frantz was the son of a prosperous...
- Gustave GarrigouGustave GarrigouCyprien Gustave Garrigou was one of the best professional racing cyclists of his era. He rode the Tour de France eight times and won once...
- Octave LapizeOctave LapizeOctave Lapize was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist.Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres, he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels.In his first...
- André LeducqAndré LeducqAndré Leducq was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France.-Career:...
- Sylvere MaesSylvère MaesSylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...
- Louis MottiatLouis MottiatLouis Mottiat was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Because of his endurance he was nicknamed 'the iron man'. His career was interrupted by World War I.- Palmarès :19101911191219131914...
- Henri PelissierHenri PélissierHenri Pélissier was a French racing cyclist from Paris and champion of the 1923 Tour de France. In addition to his 29 career victories, he was known for his long-standing feud with Tour founder Henri Desgrange and for protesting against the conditions endured by riders in the early years of the Tour...
- Alberic Schotte
- Georges SpeicherGeorges SpeicherGeorges Speicher was a French cyclist who won the 1933 Tour de France along with three stage wins, and the 1933 World Cycling Championship.- Palmarès :19311932...
- Eloi MeulenbergEloi MeulenbergEloi Meulenberg was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He is most known for his gold medal in the Elite race of the 1937 Road World Championships and his 9 stage wins in the Tour de France.- Palmares :19351936...
- Edward Van Dijck
- Cyrolle Van Hauwaert
- René Vermandel
Important Victories
- Bordeaux–Paris 1906, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1923, 1926, 1939, 1946 Cyclo Cross Championship 1953 Cyclo-Cross Championship 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, Cyclo Cross Championship 1924, 1940
- Flèche Wallonne 1947
- Giro di Lombardia 1913
- Gent Wevelgem 1946, 1947, 1950, 1955
- GP des Nations 1941, 1942
- Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne 1949, 1955
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1936, 1937, 1945, 1953
- Milan – San Remo 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1955
- Omloop Het Volk 1945, 1946
- Paris–Brussels 1909, 1914, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1931, 1936, 1937, 1946, 1947
- Paris–Nice 1934
- Paris–Roubaix 1908, 1910, 1925, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1944, 1945, 1953
- Paris–Tours 1909, 1910, 1912, 1924, 1929, 1934, 1935, 1936 , 1938, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947 Road Race Championship 1908, 1909, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1942, 1946, 1947 Road Race Championship 1909, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1942, 1943, 1944 Road Race Championship 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937, 1938 Road Race Championship 1937
- Ronde van Vlaanderen 1914, 1934, 1939, 1948
- Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen 1924, 1934, 1952, 1955
- Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe 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...
General ClassificationGeneral ClassificationThe general classification in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races...
1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1927, 1928 - Vuelta a EspañaVuelta a EspañaThe Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
General ClassificationGeneral ClassificationThe general classification in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races...
1947 World Road Race Championship 1933, 1935, 1937, 1948