1906 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1906 Tour de France was the fourth Tour de France
, and second to use the point system. Taking place from 4 to 29 July 1906 the total race distance was 4545 kilometres (2,824.1 mi), with the winner averaging 24.463 kilometres per hour (15.2 mph). New in this year were the mountain climbs in the Massif Central
. Like its predecessors, it still had cheating and sabotage taking place. Four competitors were disqualified for taking trains as a shortcut and spectators threw nails in the road. However, this did not stop René Pottier
from taking a big lead in the first stages. Free of tendinitis that plagued his 1905 chances, he dominated the entire race.
had been happy with the increased length of the 1905 Tour de France
, and decided to put even more stages in the 1906 version.
The introduction of mountain stages had also been successful, so this year not only the Vosges
were included, but also the Massif Central
.
The increased length made it possible to follow the borders of France, and in 1906 the perimeter was closely followed.
The points system in the 1905 Tour de France had been successful enough in reducing cheating, so the Tour organisers used it again in the 1906 Tour de France, with a few changes: whereas in 1905, time differences still had some effect on the points distribution, in 1906 time differences were unimportant, and points were only given for the order in which the cyclists finished. The winner of the stage received one point, the second rider two points, et cetera. After the eighth stage, only 16 cyclists were remaining, and the results from the first eight stages were recalculated, with only the remaining cyclists, and the points were redistributed among the remaining riders in accordance with their positions in those stages.
The first stage ended in Lille and the second stage started in Douai; this was the first time that a stage did not start where the previous stage ended.
Also for the first time, the Tour went outside France: in the second stage, Germany (Alsace-Lorraine
was then part of Germany) was visited.
The 1906 Tour also saw the introduction of the flamme rouge (red flame), a red flag that indicates that the cyclists only have one kilometre to go.
, winner of the 1904 Tour de France
. Four cyclists were Belgian, one was Luxembourgian (later winner François Faber
), one was German, and the rest were French. Louis Trousselier, winner of the 1905 Tour de France
, was present. The riders were not grouped in teams, but some cyclists had the same sponsor, even though they were not allowed to work together. Before the race started, most was expected from Cadolle, Aucouturier, Georget, Pottier, Trousselier, Dortignac and Petit-Breton.
As in 1905, the cyclists were divided in two categories, the coureurs de vitesse and the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées, where the riders in the first category were allowed to change bicycles, which could be an advantage in the mountains, where they could use a bicycle with lower gears. In 1905, sponsors had not been so enthusiastic about entering their cyclists in this category, but in 1906 they had learned that it had a commercial advantage to have cyclists starting in the poinçonnées category, because the average French citizen could identify more with them. In 1906, more than half of the cyclists started in the poinçonnées category, including Lucien Petit-Breton, one of the pre-favourites.
As in previous years, the spectators tried to assist their preferred riders by trying to impede their opponents. On the first stage, nails had been thrown on the road, and all cyclists except Lucien Petit-Breton
punctured. This stage was won by Emile Georget
in a sprint.
In the second stage, René Pottier
, who had shown his climbing abilities in the previous edition, aimed for the victory. He was stopped after 175 kilometres (108.7 mi) with mechanical failure, and he lost 58 minutes. The other main contenders worked together to stay away from Pottier, but Pottier chased them for 200 kilometres (124.3 mi), caught them 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) before the finish, and even left them behind, winning the stage with a margin of 1'30" on Petit-Breton and more than 9 minutes on the rest.
In the third stage, four cyclists (Julien Gabory, Henri Gauban, Gaston Tuvache and Maurice Carrere) were disqualified for taking the train. The Ballon d'Alsace
, which had been the first real mountain in the Tour de France the previous year, was featured again. Just as the year before, it was mounted first by Pottier. The stage was also won by Pottier, more than 45 minutes ahead of the rest.
Pottier also won the fourth stage. In the fifth stage, he was leading by one hour at the halfway point. A cycling legend says that he decided to stop, entered a bar and ordered a bottle of wine, and drank it almost completely. When he saw the first other cyclists passing by, Pottier mounted his bicycle again, went after them, and won the stage.
By this point, Pottier was leading the overall classification firmly. The winner of the 1905 Tour de France, Louis Trousselier, had had a bad first half of the Tour, and was many points behind. Trousselier rediscovered his form in the second half of the race, won the 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th stages, and was challenging the second place of Georges Passerieu
. Passerieu defended his position by winning the 12th stage. In the last stage, Pottier showed his strength by winning the stage, after finishing together in Paris with Passerieu.
After the 13th stage, the race was followed by two timed exhibition laps on the Velodrome in Paris, the result of which was not counted for the overall classification. The winner was Emile Georget
, who finished the 1332 metres (4,370.1 ft) in 2:07.20.
The organising newspaper l'Auto named René Pottier
the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.
René Pottier would not defend his title in the 1907 Tour de France
, because he would commit suicide before, after discovering that his wife had had an affair while he was riding the Tour. Petit-Breton and Georget would start again in the 1907 Tour and duel for the overall victory, which would be won by Petit-Breton.
To honor Pottier's achievements on the Ballon d'Alsace, a monument was placed for him on top of that mountain.
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...
, and second to use the point system. Taking place from 4 to 29 July 1906 the total race distance was 4545 kilometres (2,824.1 mi), with the winner averaging 24.463 kilometres per hour (15.2 mph). New in this year were the mountain climbs in the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
. Like its predecessors, it still had cheating and sabotage taking place. Four competitors were disqualified for taking trains as a shortcut and spectators threw nails in the road. However, this did not stop René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
from taking a big lead in the first stages. Free of tendinitis that plagued his 1905 chances, he dominated the entire race.
Changes from the 1905 Tour de France
Tour organiser Henri DesgrangeHenri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins...
had been happy with the increased length of the 1905 Tour de France
1905 Tour de France
The 1905 Tour de France was the third Tour de France, held from 9 July to 30 July 1905, organized by the newspaper L'Auto. Following the disqualifications after the 1904 Tour de France, there were changes in the rules, the most important one being the general classification not made by time but by...
, and decided to put even more stages in the 1906 version.
The introduction of mountain stages had also been successful, so this year not only the Vosges
Vosges mountains
For the department of France of the same name, see Vosges.The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. They extend along the west side of the Rhine valley in a northnortheast direction, mainly from Belfort to Saverne...
were included, but also the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
.
The increased length made it possible to follow the borders of France, and in 1906 the perimeter was closely followed.
The points system in the 1905 Tour de France had been successful enough in reducing cheating, so the Tour organisers used it again in the 1906 Tour de France, with a few changes: whereas in 1905, time differences still had some effect on the points distribution, in 1906 time differences were unimportant, and points were only given for the order in which the cyclists finished. The winner of the stage received one point, the second rider two points, et cetera. After the eighth stage, only 16 cyclists were remaining, and the results from the first eight stages were recalculated, with only the remaining cyclists, and the points were redistributed among the remaining riders in accordance with their positions in those stages.
The first stage ended in Lille and the second stage started in Douai; this was the first time that a stage did not start where the previous stage ended.
Also for the first time, the Tour went outside France: in the second stage, Germany (Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
was then part of Germany) was visited.
The 1906 Tour also saw the introduction of the flamme rouge (red flame), a red flag that indicates that the cyclists only have one kilometre to go.
Participants
There were 100 cyclists signed up for the race, but only 76 of them came to the start. One of the absentees was Henri CornetHenri Cornet
Henri Jardry called Henri Cornet was a French cyclist who won the 1904 Tour de France. He is its youngest winner, just short of his 20th birthday.-Background:...
, winner of the 1904 Tour de France
1904 Tour de France
The 1904 Tour de France was the second Tour de France, held from 2 July to 24 July. With a route similar to its previous edition, 1903 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin seemed to have repeated his win by a small margin over Lucien Pothier, while Hippolyte Aucouturier won four of the six stages...
. Four cyclists were Belgian, one was Luxembourgian (later winner 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...
), one was German, and the rest were French. Louis Trousselier, winner of the 1905 Tour de France
1905 Tour de France
The 1905 Tour de France was the third Tour de France, held from 9 July to 30 July 1905, organized by the newspaper L'Auto. Following the disqualifications after the 1904 Tour de France, there were changes in the rules, the most important one being the general classification not made by time but by...
, was present. The riders were not grouped in teams, but some cyclists had the same sponsor, even though they were not allowed to work together. Before the race started, most was expected from Cadolle, Aucouturier, Georget, Pottier, Trousselier, Dortignac and Petit-Breton.
As in 1905, the cyclists were divided in two categories, the coureurs de vitesse and the coureurs sur machines poinçonnées, where the riders in the first category were allowed to change bicycles, which could be an advantage in the mountains, where they could use a bicycle with lower gears. In 1905, sponsors had not been so enthusiastic about entering their cyclists in this category, but in 1906 they had learned that it had a commercial advantage to have cyclists starting in the poinçonnées category, because the average French citizen could identify more with them. In 1906, more than half of the cyclists started in the poinçonnées category, including Lucien Petit-Breton, one of the pre-favourites.
Race details
Lucien Petit-Breton
Lucien Georges Mazan was a French racing cyclist .He was born in Plessé, Loire-Atlantique , a part of Brittany, now part of Pays de la Loire. When he was six he moved with his parents to Buenos Aires where he took Argentine nationality...
punctured. This stage was won by Emile Georget
Émile Georget
Émile Georget was a French road racing cyclist. Born in Bossay-sur-Claise, he was the younger brother of cyclist Léon Georget.He died at Châtellerault.- Tour de France :...
in a sprint.
In the second stage, René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
, who had shown his climbing abilities in the previous edition, aimed for the victory. He was stopped after 175 kilometres (108.7 mi) with mechanical failure, and he lost 58 minutes. The other main contenders worked together to stay away from Pottier, but Pottier chased them for 200 kilometres (124.3 mi), caught them 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) before the finish, and even left them behind, winning the stage with a margin of 1'30" on Petit-Breton and more than 9 minutes on the rest.
In the third stage, four cyclists (Julien Gabory, Henri Gauban, Gaston Tuvache and Maurice Carrere) were disqualified for taking the train. The Ballon d'Alsace
Ballon d'Alsace
Ballon d'Alsace is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the Vosges, the Rhine valley, and the Black Forest.A road leads over a pass near the peak at ....
, which had been the first real mountain in the Tour de France the previous year, was featured again. Just as the year before, it was mounted first by Pottier. The stage was also won by Pottier, more than 45 minutes ahead of the rest.
Pottier also won the fourth stage. In the fifth stage, he was leading by one hour at the halfway point. A cycling legend says that he decided to stop, entered a bar and ordered a bottle of wine, and drank it almost completely. When he saw the first other cyclists passing by, Pottier mounted his bicycle again, went after them, and won the stage.
By this point, Pottier was leading the overall classification firmly. The winner of the 1905 Tour de France, Louis Trousselier, had had a bad first half of the Tour, and was many points behind. Trousselier rediscovered his form in the second half of the race, won the 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th stages, and was challenging the second place of Georges Passerieu
Georges Passerieu
Georges Passerieu was a British-born French professional road bicycle racer, who won seven stages in the Tour de France, and reached the podium twice. He also was the winner of Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Tours.-Biography:Passerieu first rode the Tour in 1906, after he had just become a professional...
. Passerieu defended his position by winning the 12th stage. In the last stage, Pottier showed his strength by winning the stage, after finishing together in Paris with Passerieu.
Results
Stage results
| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainIn 1906, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate that only the third and fifth stage included mountains. | Length | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 July | Paris–Lille Lille Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium... |
 |
275 km (170.9 mi) | ||
| 2 | 6 July | Douai Douai -Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying... –Nancy |
|
400 km (248.5 mi) | ||
| 3 | 8 July | Nancy–Dijon Dijon Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area.... |
 |
416 km (258.5 mi) | ||
| 4 | 10 July | Dijon–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... |
|
311 km (193.2 mi) | ||
| 5 | 12 July | Grenoble–Nice Nice Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of... |
|
345 km (214.4 mi) | ||
| 6 | 14 July | Nice–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... |
|
292 km (181.4 mi) | ||
| 7 | 16 July | Marseille–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... |
|
480 km (298.3 mi) | ||
| 8 | 18 July | Toulouse–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... |
|
300 km (186.4 mi) | ||
| 9 | 20 July | Bayonne–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... |
|
338 km (210 mi) | ||
| 10 | 22 July | Bordeaux–Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... |
|
391 km (243 mi) | ||
| 11 | 24 July | Nantes–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... |
|
321 km (199.5 mi) | ||
| 12 | 26 July | Brest–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.... |
|
415 km (257.9 mi) | ||
| 13 | Caen–Paris | |
259 km (160.9 mi) |
After the 13th stage, the race was followed by two timed exhibition laps on the Velodrome in Paris, the result of which was not counted for the overall classification. The winner was Emile Georget
Émile Georget
Émile Georget was a French road racing cyclist. Born in Bossay-sur-Claise, he was the younger brother of cyclist Léon Georget.He died at Châtellerault.- Tour de France :...
, who finished the 1332 metres (4,370.1 ft) in 2:07.20.
General classification
Hundred cyclist had entered for the 1906 Tour de France; only 82 of them showed up at the start. Only 49 cyclists finished the first stage, and the number of active cyclists quickly fell to 37 in stage two, 29 in stage three, until 16 after stage eight. At that point, the points given in the first eight stages were redistributed among the remaining riders in accordance with their positions in those stages. At the end of the Tour de France, only 14 cyclists finished.| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peugeot Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... |
31 | |
| 2 | Peugeot Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... |
39 | |
| 3 | Peugeot Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... |
61 | |
| 4 | Peugeot Peugeot (cycling team) Peugeot team was a French professional cycling team that promoted and rode Peugeot racing bikes.It is listed as the most successful cycling team of all time, on www.cyclingranking.com, with a large margin on the second placed team, Alcyon.-History:... |
65 | |
| 5 | Alcyon–Dunlop Alcyon (cycling team) 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.- History :... |
80 | |
| 6 | Alcyon–Dunlop Alcyon (cycling team) 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.- History :... |
129 | |
| 7 | Labor | 137 | |
| 8 | Alcyon–Dunlop Alcyon (cycling team) 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.- History :... |
152 | |
| 9 | Labor | 156 | |
| 10 | Alcyon–Dunlop Alcyon (cycling team) 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.- History :... |
168 |
Other classifications
Lucien Petit-Breton was the winner of the "machines poinçonnées" category.The organising newspaper l'Auto named René Pottier
René Pottier
René Pottier was a French racing cyclistPottier won Bordeaux–Paris in 1903 before turning professional. He came second in Paris–Roubaix 1905 and Bordeaux–Paris 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris–Roubaix, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.He was considered the finest climber of the Tour...
the meilleur grimpeur. This unofficial title is the precursor to the mountains classification.
Aftermath
The Tour organisers did not make many changes the rules or route for the next race, because they had worked in the 1906 Tour de France. The revised points system would be kept in this form until 1911, only to be changed a little bit in 1912 before being replaced by the time system in 1913. The flamme rouge that was introduced in 1906 to indicate the final kilometre of a stage was kept and is still in use.René Pottier would not defend his title in the 1907 Tour de France
1907 Tour de France
The 1907 Tour de France was the 5th annual Tour de France bicycle race. From 8 July to 4 August, participants cycled 4488 km . across France. The winner, Lucien Petit-Breton, completed the race at an average speed of 28.47 km/h . For the first time, climbs in the Western Alps were...
, because he would commit suicide before, after discovering that his wife had had an affair while he was riding the Tour. Petit-Breton and Georget would start again in the 1907 Tour and duel for the overall victory, which would be won by Petit-Breton.
To honor Pottier's achievements on the Ballon d'Alsace, a monument was placed for him on top of that mountain.