1921 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1921 Tour de France was the 15th Tour de France
, taking place June 26 to July 24, 1921. The total distance was 5484 km and the average speed of the riders was 24.720 km/h. The race was won by Belgian Leon Scieur
. The Belgians dominated the entire race, partly due to the absence of the French Pélissier brothers, who were on bad terms with the Tour organisation. Scieur's victory was largely uncontested; Hector Heusghem
came close after the sixth stage, but lost time later. The organisation tried to get the cyclists to attack more by several means, but this failed.
had been dominated by Belgian cyclists, who won twelve of the fifteen stages, and the top seven of the overall classification. The French cyclists Henri
and Francis Pélissier
had left the 1920 Tour de France after Henri received a penalty from the Tour organisation for throwing away a tire, and they were still fighting. Therefore, the Pélissier brothers did not join the 1921 Tour de France. Two veteran cyclists who did join the race were Ernest Paul
and Lucien Pothier
, both forty years old. Paul rode his first Tour de France in 1908
, while Pothier had started in the first Tour de France
in 1903, and finished second.
The winner of 1920, Philippe Thys
, was the dominant stage racer of the time, but he was recovering from an illness and could not compete for the victory.
The economic impact of World War I
was still not over, so as in the previous years there were not sponsored teams, but the cycling companies had bundled their forces under the nick La Sportive. The cyclists were divided in two categories, this time named 1ère class (first class), the professionals, and 2ème classe (second class), the amateurs. This year, some of the second class cyclists would finish higher than some of the first class cyclists.
The 1921 Tour de France saw the introduction of foreign press. They followed the race in their own cars.
For the first time, an inhabitant from Monaco
joined the Tour de France. Laurent Devalle needed more than twenty-seven hours for the fifth stage, and would finally give up in the eleventh stage.
, who sanctioned cyclists that were not combative enough in his view.
In the first stage, Honoré Barthélemy
had to fix a flat tire eleven times. Despite this, he still finished in second place behind Louis Mottiat
, with Léon Scieur
in third place. In the second stage, won by Romain Bellenger
, Scieur finished in second place, almost one hour before Mottiat and Barthélemy, so Scieur was leading the race. Scieur improved his lead by winning the third stage, and was already leading by 12'38" over his closest opponent, Hector Heusghem
.
In the fourth and fifth stage, both won by Mottiat, Scieur managed to increase his lead to almost half an hour.
In the sixth stage, the first real mountains were to be climbed. Hector Heusghem took off on the Tourmalet, reached the top there first, rode solo over the Aspin
and the Peyresourde and finished with a 24 minute margin. This brought the difference between Scieur and Heusghem back to slightly over four minutes. The press predicted a new duel between Scieur and Heusghem.
The seventh and eighth stage did not change this difference. In the ninth stage the race was decided, as Heusghem lost ten minutes to Scieur. From that moment it was easy for Scieur to control the race, and the other cyclists could only ride for stage victories. In the tenth stage, Scieur punctured on the climb to Allos
. It was an unwritten rule that cyclists would not attack when opponents were repairing their bicycle, but Heusghem was desperate and broke this rule. Scieur was angry, and after he completed his repair he caught back Heusghem. He then told Heusghem that this was not the way professional cyclists behaved, dropped Heusghem, and crossed the finish line first, and even added another six minutes to his lead.
The French crowd was pleased by the stage victory of Félix Goethals
in stage eleven. In the twelfth stage Heusghem won, albeit in the same time as Scieur. Henri Desgrange was angry at the cyclists for not attempting to beat Scieur, so he had the cyclists leave separately in the thirteenth stage. The "second class" cyclists started two hours earlier than the sponsored "first class" cyclists. Although the stage was won by an unsponsored cyclist from the second class, Félix Sellier
, this did not help for the general classification, as Scieur and Heusghem still finished together. The Tour organisers wanted the second class cyclists to start two hours later in the fourteenth stage, but they threatened with a strike, and the cyclists could start together. The fourteenth stage had a remarkable incident: Scieur's wheel broke, and 11 spokes were broken. According the rules, a broken item could only be replaced when repair was not possible. Because there was no Tour official close to Scieur who could verify that the wheel was broken beyond repair, Scieur strapped the broken wheel to his back and rode with it for more than 300 kilometres (186.4 mi), which left scars on his back that remained there for years. In the last stage, Scieur finished a few minutes behind Heusghem, but his victory was never in danger.
, when Henri won the race as the first French cyclist in eleven years.
The winner in 1921, Scieur, would start the Tour three more times, but would never win a stage again and never complete 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 June 26 to July 24, 1921. The total distance was 5484 km and the average speed of the riders was 24.720 km/h. The race was won by Belgian Leon Scieur
Léon Scieur
Léon Scieur was a Belgian cyclist who won the 1921 Tour de France, along with stages 3 and 10. His first great victory was the 1920 Liège–Bastogne–Liège; he won a stage and finished fourth in the 1919 and 1920 Tours de France.-Origins:Léon Scieur was the son of a farmer in Florennes, near...
. The Belgians dominated the entire race, partly due to the absence of the French Pélissier brothers, who were on bad terms with the Tour organisation. Scieur's victory was largely uncontested; Hector Heusghem
Hector Heusghem
Hector Heusghem was a Belgian cyclist who finished second in the 1920 and 1921 Tour de France. He also won three stages, in 1920 at Aix-en-Provence and Grenoble, in 1921 in Luchon....
came close after the sixth stage, but lost time later. The organisation tried to get the cyclists to attack more by several means, but this failed.
Changes from the 1920 Tour de France
The 1920 Tour de France1920 Tour de France
The 1920 Tour de France was the 14th Tour de France, taking place from June 27 to July 27, 1920. It consisted of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of . It was won by Belgian Philippe Thys, making him the first cyclist to win the Tour de France three times...
had been dominated by Belgian cyclists, who won twelve of the fifteen stages, and the top seven of the overall classification. The French cyclists Henri
Henri Pélissier
Henri 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...
and Francis Pélissier
Francis Pélissier
Francis Pélissier was a French professional road racing cyclist from Paris. He was the younger brother of Tour de France winner Henri Pélissier, and the older brother of Tour de France stage winner Charles Pélissier. He won several classic cycle races like Paris–Tours, Bordeaux–Paris and Grand...
had left the 1920 Tour de France after Henri received a penalty from the Tour organisation for throwing away a tire, and they were still fighting. Therefore, the Pélissier brothers did not join the 1921 Tour de France. Two veteran cyclists who did join the race were Ernest Paul
Ernest Paul
Ernest Paul was a French professional road bicycle racer. He was a half brother of Tour de France-winner François Faber. Ernest Paul rode the Tour de France seven times, finished six times, and won two stages...
and Lucien Pothier
Lucien Pothier
Lucien Pothier was a successful early twentieth century French racing cyclist who participated in the 1903 Tour de France and finished second....
, both forty years old. Paul rode his first Tour de France in 1908
1908 Tour de France
The 1908 Tour de France was the sixth Tour de France. Taking place between 13 July and 9 August 1908, the total race distance was . After his 1907 victory, Lucien Petit-Breton was considered main favourite. Winning 5 of the 14 stages and the overall classification, he showed that his 1907 victory...
, while Pothier had started in the first 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....
in 1903, and finished second.
The winner of 1920, Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys
Philippe Thys was a Belgian cyclist and three times winner of the Tour de France.-Professional career:...
, was the dominant stage racer of the time, but he was recovering from an illness and could not compete for the victory.
The economic impact of 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...
was still not over, so as in the previous years there were not sponsored teams, but the cycling companies had bundled their forces under the nick La Sportive. The cyclists were divided in two categories, this time named 1ère class (first class), the professionals, and 2ème classe (second class), the amateurs. This year, some of the second class cyclists would finish higher than some of the first class cyclists.
The 1921 Tour de France saw the introduction of foreign press. They followed the race in their own cars.
For the first time, an inhabitant from Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
joined the Tour de France. Laurent Devalle needed more than twenty-seven hours for the fifth stage, and would finally give up in the eleventh stage.
Race details
Overall, the Tour did not have any major events. This troubled the Tour organizer and newspaper owner 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...
, who sanctioned cyclists that were not combative enough in his view.
In the first stage, Honoré Barthélemy
Honore Barthelemy
Honoré Barthélémy was a French road bicycle racer who took part and finished fifth overall and won four stages in the 1919 Tour de France. He was born in Paris, France....
had to fix a flat tire eleven times. Despite this, he still finished in second place behind Louis Mottiat
Louis Mottiat
Louis 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...
, with Léon Scieur
Léon Scieur
Léon Scieur was a Belgian cyclist who won the 1921 Tour de France, along with stages 3 and 10. His first great victory was the 1920 Liège–Bastogne–Liège; he won a stage and finished fourth in the 1919 and 1920 Tours de France.-Origins:Léon Scieur was the son of a farmer in Florennes, near...
in third place. In the second stage, won by Romain Bellenger
Romain Bellenger
Romain Bellenger was a French road racing cyclist who came third in the 1923 Tour de France and eighth in the 1924 Tour de France and won three stages.- Major achievements :19191920...
, Scieur finished in second place, almost one hour before Mottiat and Barthélemy, so Scieur was leading the race. Scieur improved his lead by winning the third stage, and was already leading by 12'38" over his closest opponent, Hector Heusghem
Hector Heusghem
Hector Heusghem was a Belgian cyclist who finished second in the 1920 and 1921 Tour de France. He also won three stages, in 1920 at Aix-en-Provence and Grenoble, in 1921 in Luchon....
.
In the fourth and fifth stage, both won by Mottiat, Scieur managed to increase his lead to almost half an hour.
In the sixth stage, the first real mountains were to be climbed. Hector Heusghem took off on the Tourmalet, reached the top there first, rode solo over the Aspin
Aspin-en-Lavedan
Aspin-en-Lavedan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
and the Peyresourde and finished with a 24 minute margin. This brought the difference between Scieur and Heusghem back to slightly over four minutes. The press predicted a new duel between Scieur and Heusghem.
The seventh and eighth stage did not change this difference. In the ninth stage the race was decided, as Heusghem lost ten minutes to Scieur. From that moment it was easy for Scieur to control the race, and the other cyclists could only ride for stage victories. In the tenth stage, Scieur punctured on the climb to Allos
Allos
Allos is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
. It was an unwritten rule that cyclists would not attack when opponents were repairing their bicycle, but Heusghem was desperate and broke this rule. Scieur was angry, and after he completed his repair he caught back Heusghem. He then told Heusghem that this was not the way professional cyclists behaved, dropped Heusghem, and crossed the finish line first, and even added another six minutes to his lead.
The French crowd was pleased by the stage victory of Félix Goethals
Félix Goethals
Félix Goethals was a French professional road bicycle racer, who won seven stages in total in the Tour de France. His best final classification was a ninth place in 1920.- Palmarès :191319141920...
in stage eleven. In the twelfth stage Heusghem won, albeit in the same time as Scieur. Henri Desgrange was angry at the cyclists for not attempting to beat Scieur, so he had the cyclists leave separately in the thirteenth stage. The "second class" cyclists started two hours earlier than the sponsored "first class" cyclists. Although the stage was won by an unsponsored cyclist from the second class, Félix Sellier
Félix Sellier
Félix Sellier was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.-Stage victory in 1921 Tour de France:...
, this did not help for the general classification, as Scieur and Heusghem still finished together. The Tour organisers wanted the second class cyclists to start two hours later in the fourteenth stage, but they threatened with a strike, and the cyclists could start together. The fourteenth stage had a remarkable incident: Scieur's wheel broke, and 11 spokes were broken. According the rules, a broken item could only be replaced when repair was not possible. Because there was no Tour official close to Scieur who could verify that the wheel was broken beyond repair, Scieur strapped the broken wheel to his back and rode with it for more than 300 kilometres (186.4 mi), which left scars on his back that remained there for years. In the last stage, Scieur finished a few minutes behind Heusghem, but his victory was never in danger.
Stage winners
| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainIn 1921, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate which stages included mountains. | Length | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 June | 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... – 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... |
 |
388 km (241.1 mi) | ||
| 2 | 28 June | Le Havre – Cherbourg | |
364 km (226.2 mi) | ||
| 3 | 30 June | Cherbourg – 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... |
|
405 km (251.7 mi) | ||
| 4 | 2 July | Brest – Les Sables-d'Olonne Les Sables-d'Olonne Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in western France, by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Vendée department.-Events:... |
|
412 km (256 mi) | ||
| 5 | 4 July | Les Sables-d'Olonne – 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... |
|
482 km (299.5 mi) | ||
| 6 | 6 July | Bayonne – Luchon |  |
326 km (202.6 mi) | ||
| 7 | 8 July | Luchon – Perpignan Perpignan -Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the... |
|
323 km (200.7 mi) | ||
| 8 | 10 July | Perpignan – Toulon Toulon Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence.... |
|
411 km (255.4 mi) | ||
| 9 | 12 July | Toulon – 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... |
|
272 km (169 mi) | ||
| 10 | 14 July | Nice – 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... |
|
333 km (206.9 mi) | ||
| 11 | 16 July | Grenoble – Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... |
|
325 km (201.9 mi) | ||
| 12 | 18 July | Geneva – Strasbourg Strasbourg Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,... |
|
371 km (230.5 mi) | ||
| 13 | 20 July | Strasbourg – Metz Metz Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place... |
|
300 km (186.4 mi) | ||
| 14 | 22 July | Metz – Dunkerque | |
433 km (269.1 mi) | ||
| 15 | 24 July | Dunkerque – 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... |
|
340 km (211.3 mi) |
General classification
The final general classification, calculated by adding the stages times, was won by Léon Scieur, who received 15.000 Francs. Originally, the two results of the two classes were separated, and the winner of the second class, Victor Lenaers, reportedly won 20.000 Francs in total during this race.| Rank | Rider | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
1 | 221h 50' 26" |
| 2 | 1 | +18' 36" | |
| 3 | 1 | +2h 01' 00" | |
| 4 | 1 | +2h 39' 18" | |
| 5 | 1 | +4h 33' 19" | |
| 6 | 2 | +4h 53' 23" | |
| 7 | 2 | +5h 01' 54" | |
| 8 | 2 | +7h 56' 27" | |
| 9 | 1 | +8h 26' 25" | |
| 10 | 1 | +8h 42' 26" |
| Final general classification (11–38) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Class | Time |
| 11 | 1 | +8h 51' 24" | |
| 12 | 2 | +9h 44' 36" | |
| 13 | 2 | +11h 58' 24" | |
| 14 | 2 | +12h 37' 23" | |
| 15 | 2 | +12h 59' 08" | |
| 16 | 2 | +13h 56' 45" | |
| 17 | 2 | +15h 02' 22" | |
| 18 | 2 | +19h 09' 18" | |
| 19 | 2 | +22h 49' 12" | |
| 20 | 2 | +22h 53' 43" | |
| 21 | 2 | +25h 25' 34" | |
| 22 | 2 | +25h 53' 44" | |
| 23 | 2 | +27h 05' 40" | |
| 24 | 2 | +27h 07' 44" | |
| 25 | 2 | +27h 57' 32" | |
| 26 | 2 | +31h 09' 48" | |
| 27 | 2 | +32h 26' 34" | |
| 28 | 2 | +32h 43' 15" | |
| 29 | 2 | +34h 29' 08" | |
| 30 | 2 | +34h 50' 25" | |
| 31 | 2 | +36h 18' 06" | |
| 32 | 2 | +41h 45' 11" | |
| 33 | 2 | +49h 37' 25" | |
| 34 | 2 | +57h 07' 39" | |
| 35 | 2 | +57h 45' 21" | |
| 36 | 2 | +58h 00' 09" | |
| 37 | 2 | +60h 34' 50" | |
| 38 | 2 | +62h 19' 57" | |
Aftermath
As in the years before, the Belgian cyclists had dominated the entire race. The French press and audience did not like this, and wanted the brothers Pélissier, who did not join because of a fight with the Tour organisers, to enter the race again. They would ultimately do this in 19231923 Tour de France
The 1923 Tour de France was the 17th Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 22, 1923. It consisted of 15 stages over 5386 km, ridden at an average speed of 24.233 km/h. The race was won by Henri Pélissier with a convincing half hour lead to his next opponent, Italian Ottavio...
, when Henri won the race as the first French cyclist in eleven years.
The winner in 1921, Scieur, would start the Tour three more times, but would never win a stage again and never complete the race.