1923 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
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 Bottecchia
. In total, 139 cyclists entered the race, of which 48 finished.
Pélissier's victory was the first French victory since 1911, as the Tour de France had been dominated by Belgian cyclists since then.
and Francis Pélissier
had stopped the 1920 Tour de France after Henri received a penalty from the Tour organisation for throwing away a tire. This had caused a fight between the Pélissier brothers and tour organiser Henri Desgrange
, and because of this fight, the Pélissier brother had been absent in the 1921 and 1922 Tours de France. In 1921, Henri Desgrange wrote in his newspaper: "Pélissier doesn't know how to suffer. He will never win the Tour" Still, Henri Pélissier was the most talented French racer of his period, and in 1923 had won every major race except the Tour de France. The Tour de France had been dominated by Belgian cyclists in the last years, which was not good for the popularity of the race in France. The organiser knew that Pélissier in the race would increase the interest in the race, but did not want to apologize to Pélissier. Therefore, Desgrange wrote in l'Auto that Henri Pélissier was too old to win the Tour de France, and that Pélissier would therefore probably never start in the Tour de France. This was the reason for Pélissier to enter the race the same day.
In the 1922 Tour de France, Hector Heusghem
had lost the race because he received a one-hour penalty for illegally changing his bicycle. The rules about reparations were changed in the 1923 Tour: technical assistance from team directors was allowed. It was still not allowed to change equipment with other cyclists.
Another introduction was the time bonus for stage winners. After each stage, the overall time of the stage winner was reduced with two minutes.
The sponsors, who had joined forces in the previous tours under the name La Sportive, were now financially stable enough to have their own teams. Automoto
, sponsor of the team with the Pélissier brothers, had commercial interests in Italy, so wanted to have Italian cyclists in the team. Several Italian cyclists were hired, who were supposed to come to France. Only one Italian cyclist showed up, Ottavio Bottecchia
, who had started as a professional the year before. The sponsor then decided that the marketing plan would not work with only one Italian cyclist, and wanted to send him back. At the last minute, Bottecchia was allowed to stay on the team.
, who had also won the first stage of the 1922 Tour de France.
In the second stage, Ottavio Bottecchia
, at that moment a little-known Italian cyclist, won the sprint. Bottecchia had finished in second place in the first stage, and now took over the lead. He was the first Italian cyclist to wear the yellow jersey
.
In the third stage, the Pélissier brothers showed their dominance. The race was won by Henri, with Francis in second place. Bottecchia had a flat tire after 300 km in the race and lost some minutes, but he fought back and only lost 37 second on the finish line.
In the fourth stage, Henri Pélissier received a two-minute penalty, for throwing away a tyre. Bottecchia punctured again and lost the lead to Romain Bellenger
.
In the Pyrénées
, French Jean Alavoine
was the dominant cyclist, as he won three stages. In the sixth stage, Robert Jacquinot
, who was primarily known as a sprinter, rode away and topped the first three mountains first. He seemed to go on and win the stage and took over the lead, but the last mountain was too much for Jacquinot, and he fell off his bike climbing the Peyresourde. Alavoine passed Jacquinot and went on to win the stage, while Bottecchia won back enough time to regain his lead from Bellenger, who lost a lot of time. When Alavoine won his third stage in Nice, Bottecchia was leading the race, with Alavoine in second place and Henri Pélissier in third place, almost half an hour behind.
In the tenth stage, the high alps were climbed. Francis Pélissier was riding with an injured knee, but together with Lucien Buysse
, he was planning to help Henri Pélissier take over the lead from their team mate Bottecchia. Although the race was neutralized on the Vars
, Henri Pélissier still won the stage with a large margin to Alavoine and Bottecchia, and took over the lead. The experience of Pélissier helped him: Bottecchia was riding in too big a gear, which Pélissier saw. In order to change gears, Bottecchia would have had to dismount his bicycle, so Pélissier sped away, and Bottecchia could not follow. In the eleventh stage, the Pélissier brothers left all other cyclists behind, with only Bellenger staying within ten minutes. Alavoine had to abandon the race after an accident, which put Bottecchia in second place. At that point, all the stages left were flat stages where it is difficult to win much time, and with an almost 30 minutes lead over his team mate Bottecchia, Pélissier was assured of the victory.
At the end of the race, the winner Henri Pélissier declared that Bottecchia would be the winner of the next Tour. This prediction was right; Bottecchia won the 1924
and the 1925 Tour de France
.
The introduction of time bonuses for stage winners was considered a success and has been used for many Tours after 1923, although the details have changed since.
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 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
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...
with a convincing half hour lead to his next opponent, Italian Ottavio Bottecchia
Ottavio Bottecchia
Ottavio Bottecchia was an Italian cyclist and the first Italian winner of the Tour de France. He was found dead by the roadside; the reason remains a mystery.-Origins:...
. In total, 139 cyclists entered the race, of which 48 finished.
Pélissier's victory was the first French victory since 1911, as the Tour de France had been dominated by Belgian cyclists since then.
Changes from the 1922 Tour de France
The French cyclists HenriHenri 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 stopped the 1920 Tour de France after Henri received a penalty from the Tour organisation for throwing away a tire. This had caused a fight between the Pélissier brothers and tour organiser Henri Desgrange
Henri 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...
, and because of this fight, the Pélissier brother had been absent in the 1921 and 1922 Tours de France. In 1921, Henri Desgrange wrote in his newspaper: "Pélissier doesn't know how to suffer. He will never win the Tour" Still, Henri Pélissier was the most talented French racer of his period, and in 1923 had won every major race except the Tour de France. The Tour de France had been dominated by Belgian cyclists in the last years, which was not good for the popularity of the race in France. The organiser knew that Pélissier in the race would increase the interest in the race, but did not want to apologize to Pélissier. Therefore, Desgrange wrote in l'Auto that Henri Pélissier was too old to win the Tour de France, and that Pélissier would therefore probably never start in the Tour de France. This was the reason for Pélissier to enter the race the same day.
In the 1922 Tour de France, 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....
had lost the race because he received a one-hour penalty for illegally changing his bicycle. The rules about reparations were changed in the 1923 Tour: technical assistance from team directors was allowed. It was still not allowed to change equipment with other cyclists.
Another introduction was the time bonus for stage winners. After each stage, the overall time of the stage winner was reduced with two minutes.
Participants
In previous years, the cyclists had been divided in two classes, the sponsored class and the unsponsored class. In 1923, this system changed, and three categories were used: the "first category", of the top cyclist, the "second category", of lesser but still sponsored cyclists, and the touriste-routiers, the quasi-amateurs.The sponsors, who had joined forces in the previous tours under the name La Sportive, were now financially stable enough to have their own teams. Automoto
Automoto
Automoto was a French motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1902, which joined with the Peugot group in 1930 and was fully absorbed by 1962. Prior to World War II Automoto sourced engines from Chaise, Zurcher, J.A.P., and Villers. AMC engines were also used after 1945....
, sponsor of the team with the Pélissier brothers, had commercial interests in Italy, so wanted to have Italian cyclists in the team. Several Italian cyclists were hired, who were supposed to come to France. Only one Italian cyclist showed up, Ottavio Bottecchia
Ottavio Bottecchia
Ottavio Bottecchia was an Italian cyclist and the first Italian winner of the Tour de France. He was found dead by the roadside; the reason remains a mystery.-Origins:...
, who had started as a professional the year before. The sponsor then decided that the marketing plan would not work with only one Italian cyclist, and wanted to send him back. At the last minute, Bottecchia was allowed to stay on the team.
Race details
The first stage was won by Robert JacquinotRobert Jacquinot
Robert Jacquinot was a French road racing cyclist, who won two stages in the 1922 Tour de France and 2 stages in the 1923 Tour de France, and wore the yellow jersey for a total of four days. He was born in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis and died in Bobigny.- Palmarès :1922...
, who had also won the first stage of the 1922 Tour de France.
In the second stage, Ottavio Bottecchia
Ottavio Bottecchia
Ottavio Bottecchia was an Italian cyclist and the first Italian winner of the Tour de France. He was found dead by the roadside; the reason remains a mystery.-Origins:...
, at that moment a little-known Italian cyclist, won the sprint. Bottecchia had finished in second place in the first stage, and now took over the lead. He was the first Italian cyclist to wear the yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
.
In the third stage, the Pélissier brothers showed their dominance. The race was won by Henri, with Francis in second place. Bottecchia had a flat tire after 300 km in the race and lost some minutes, but he fought back and only lost 37 second on the finish line.
In the fourth stage, Henri Pélissier received a two-minute penalty, for throwing away a tyre. Bottecchia punctured again and lost the lead to 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...
.
In the Pyrénées
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, French Jean Alavoine
Jean Alavoine
Jean Alavoine was a French professional cyclist, who won 17 stages in the Tour de France - only 8 riders have won more stages - and wore the yellow jersey for 5 days. In Daniel Marszalek's list of best road riders in history, he is ranked 96th....
was the dominant cyclist, as he won three stages. In the sixth stage, Robert Jacquinot
Robert Jacquinot
Robert Jacquinot was a French road racing cyclist, who won two stages in the 1922 Tour de France and 2 stages in the 1923 Tour de France, and wore the yellow jersey for a total of four days. He was born in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis and died in Bobigny.- Palmarès :1922...
, who was primarily known as a sprinter, rode away and topped the first three mountains first. He seemed to go on and win the stage and took over the lead, but the last mountain was too much for Jacquinot, and he fell off his bike climbing the Peyresourde. Alavoine passed Jacquinot and went on to win the stage, while Bottecchia won back enough time to regain his lead from Bellenger, who lost a lot of time. When Alavoine won his third stage in Nice, Bottecchia was leading the race, with Alavoine in second place and Henri Pélissier in third place, almost half an hour behind.
In the tenth stage, the high alps were climbed. Francis Pélissier was riding with an injured knee, but together with Lucien Buysse
Lucien Buysse
Lucien Buysse was a Belgian cyclist and a champion of the Tour de France.Born in Wontergem, Buysse began racing professionally in 1914, when he entered the Tour de France but did not finish. He resumed his career after World War I, entering but abandoning the Tour again in 1919 but placing third...
, he was planning to help Henri Pélissier take over the lead from their team mate Bottecchia. Although the race was neutralized on the Vars
Vars, Hautes-Alpes
Vars is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.It is famous for its ski resort.-Population:-References:*...
, Henri Pélissier still won the stage with a large margin to Alavoine and Bottecchia, and took over the lead. The experience of Pélissier helped him: Bottecchia was riding in too big a gear, which Pélissier saw. In order to change gears, Bottecchia would have had to dismount his bicycle, so Pélissier sped away, and Bottecchia could not follow. In the eleventh stage, the Pélissier brothers left all other cyclists behind, with only Bellenger staying within ten minutes. Alavoine had to abandon the race after an accident, which put Bottecchia in second place. At that point, all the stages left were flat stages where it is difficult to win much time, and with an almost 30 minutes lead over his team mate Bottecchia, Pélissier was assured of the victory.
Stage winners
| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainThere 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 | 24 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... |
 |
381 km (236.7 mi) | ||
| 2 | 26 June | Le Havre – Cherbourg | |
371 km (230.5 mi) | ||
| 3 | 28 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 | 30 June | Brest – Les Sables d'Olonne | |
412 km (256 mi) | ||
| 5 | 2 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 | 4 July | Bayonne – Luchon |  |
326 km (202.6 mi) | ||
| 7 | 6 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 | 8 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.... |
|
427 km (265.3 mi) | ||
| 9 | 10 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... |
|
281 km (174.6 mi) | ||
| 10 | 12 July | Nice – 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.... |
|
275 km (170.9 mi) | ||
| 11 | 14 July | Briançon – 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... |
|
260 km (161.6 mi) | ||
| 12 | 16 July | Geneva – Strassbourg | |
377 km (234.3 mi) | ||
| 13 | 18 July | Strassbourg – 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 | 20 July | Metz – Dunkerque | |
433 km (269.1 mi) | ||
| 15 | 22 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... |
|
343 km (213.1 mi) |
General classification
For his overall victory, Henri Pélissier received 10000 francs. In total, Henri Pélissier won 17638 francs in the 1923 Tour de France, almost ninety times the standard monthly wage at that time.| Rank | Rider | Category | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
1 | Automoto | 222h 15' 30" |
| 2 | 1 | Automoto | + 30 '41" | |
| 3 | 1 | Peugeot–Wolber | + 1h 04 '43" | |
| 4 | 1 | Peugeot–Wolber | + 1h 29 '16" | |
| 5 | 1 | Armor | + 2h 06 '40" | |
| 6 | 2 | Griffon | + 2h 28 '43" | |
| 7 | 1 | Peugeot–Wolber | + 2h 39 '49" | |
| 8 | 1 | Automoto | + 2h 40 '11" | |
| 9 | 2 | Armor | + 2h 59 '09" | |
| 10 | 1 | Griffon | + 3h 16 '56" |
| Final general classification (11–48) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Category | Team | Time |
| 11 | 1 | Peugeot-Wolber | + 3h 26 '46" | |
| 12 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 35 '06" | ||
| 13 | 1 | Thomann | + 4h 21 '38" | |
| 14 | 1 | Griffon | + 5h 00 '04" | |
| 15 | 2 | Davy | + 5h 09 '59" | |
| 16 | 1 | Peugeot–Wolber | + 5h 35 '57" | |
| 17 | 2 | Christophe | + 6h 35 '06" | |
| 18 | 2 | Alleluia | + 6h 56 '41" | |
| 19 | Touriste-Routier | + 7h 13 '56" | ||
| 20 | 2 | Lapize | + 7h 30 '47" | |
| 21 | 2 | Christophe | + 8h 03 '43" | |
| 22 | 2 | Thomann | + 8h 17 '38" | |
| 23 | 1 | Automoto | + 9h 43 '12" | |
| 24 | Touriste-Routier | + 10h 00 '00" | ||
| 25 | 1 | Peugeot–Wolber | + 10h 41 '52" | |
| 26 | 2 | Christophe | + 11h 00 '47" | |
| 27 | Touriste-Routier | + 11h 05 '53" | ||
| 28 | 1 | Alcyon | + 12h 01 '57" | |
| 29 | Touriste-Routier | + 13h 18 '28" | ||
| 30 | Touriste-Routier | + 17h 20 '20" | ||
| 31 | Touriste-Routier | + 19h 01 '46" | ||
| 32 | Touriste-Routier | + 22h 05 '39" | ||
| 33 | Touriste-Routier | + 24h 17 '53" | ||
| 34 | Touriste-Routier | + 25h 32 '25" | ||
| 35 | Touriste-Routier | + 32h 27 '02" | ||
| 36 | Touriste-Routier | + 33h 38 '43" | ||
| 37 | Touriste-Routier | + 33h 42 '23" | ||
| 38 | Touriste-Routier | + 34h 01 '56" | ||
| 39 | Touriste-Routier | + 35h 07 '38" | ||
| 40 | Touriste-Routier | + 39h 45 '41" | ||
| 41 | Touriste-Routier | + 40h 57 '43" | ||
| 42 | Touriste-Routier | + 40h 57 '56" | ||
| 43 | Touriste-Routier | + 41h 58 '42" | ||
| 44 | Touriste-Routier | + 42h 18 '20" | ||
| 45 | Touriste-Routier | + 42h 59 '39" | ||
| 46 | Touriste-Routier | + 43h 32 '35" | ||
| 47 | Touriste-Routier | + 44h 53 '46" | ||
| 48 | Touriste-Routier | + 48h 31 '07" | ||
Aftermath
Henri Pélissier was the first French winner of the Tour de France since 1911, and ended a series of seven Belgian victories. Desgrange, who had been in a fight with Pélissier for three years, wrote "The mountains seemed to sink lower, sunk by the victorious thrust of his muscle. More than a score of times on the most vicious gradients, hands on the tops of the bars, he looked down at the valley bottoms, like an eagle staring at his prey". The French victory was good for the organising newspaper l'Auto: the circulation increased to almost half a million copies, while it peaked at one million the morning after Pélissier's victory.At the end of the race, the winner Henri Pélissier declared that Bottecchia would be the winner of the next Tour. This prediction was right; Bottecchia won the 1924
1924 Tour de France
The 1924 Tour de France was the 18th edition of the Tour de France and was won by Ottavio Bottecchia. He was the first Italian cyclist to win the Tour and the first rider to hold the yellow jersey the entire event. The race was held over 5,425 km with an average speed of 23.972 km/h...
and the 1925 Tour de France
1925 Tour de France
The 1925 Tour de France was the 19th edition and was held from June 21 to July 19, 1925 over 5430 kilometers in 18 stages. Italian cyclist Ottavio Bottecchia successfully defended his 1924 victory to win his second consecutive Tour de France...
.
The introduction of time bonuses for stage winners was considered a success and has been used for many Tours after 1923, although the details have changed since.