1932 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1932 Tour de France was the 26th Tour de France
, taking place July 6 to July 31, 1932. It consisted of 21 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 29.047 km/h.
André Leducq
, who also won six stages, won the race, thanks to the bonification system; had the bonification system not existed, the margin between Leducq and Kurt Stöpel
had only been three seconds.
, there had been a time bonification system, which gave 3 minutes of bonification to the winner of the stage, if he finished more than three minutes ahead of the second cyclist in that stage. In 1932, this bonification system changed: now the winner of the stage received 4 minutes, the second-placed cyclist 2 minutes and the third-placed cyclist 1 minute, plus an extra three minutes if the margin was more than three minutes. The bonification system was invented to give sprinters, who lost a lot of time in the mountains, a chance to battle for the general classification.
The number of stages decreased from 24 to 21. The total distance also decreased, so the average length per stage remained about the same, 215 km (compared to 160–170 km in modern Tours).
Charles Pélissier
, who had won 13 stages in the 1930 and 1931 Tours, and Antonin Magne
, the winner of 1931, were absent from the French team. Still, there were so many good French cyclists in that time that the French team was still considered superior.
The Italian team included three Giro d'Italia
winners: the winner from the 1930 Giro d'Italia
, Luigi Marchisio
; the winner from the 1931 Giro d'Italia
, Francesco Camusso
and the winner from the 1932 Giro d'Italia
, Antonio Pesenti
.
The Belgium team had Jef Demuysere
, who had fought for the victory in the previous Tour until the end and had become second, and two-time world champion Georges Ronsse
.
won the stage, with Jef Demuysere
in second place. In the second stage, there were struggles in the Belgian team between the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking cyclists. Aerst, Dutch-speaking, did not get the support from his French-speaking team mates, and lost ten minutes in that stage, together with the Italian favourites. German Kurt Stöpel won the stage, and donned the yellow jersey, thanks to the bonification. Stöpel was the first German cyclist to lead the general classification in the Tour de France. In the third stage, the longest stage of this Tour with 387 km, Stöpel lost the lead to André Leducq.
Leducq kept the lead for the rest of the race, winning six stages along the way.
In the fifth stage, Spanish Vicente Trueba
escaped and reached the top of the Col d'Aubisque
first. On the way down, Benoît Fauré
overtook him, and reached the Tourmalet first. But he didn't win the stage, as Italian Antonio Pesenti
caught him. Behind the leaders in the stage, Leducq was fighting for the leading position in the general classification. He was not a good climber, but was one of the best descenders.
One one stage, Leducq flatted, and received a wheel from his team mate Georges Speicher
, who would win the next Tour.
In the tenth stage, Leducq almost lost the lead. Camusso had escaped, and Stöpel had followed him. Leducq lost more than five minutes in the stage, and even more due to the bonification time. After that stage, Stöpel was within three minutes of Leducq, and Camusso within six minutes.
In the eleventh stage, Leducq could have lost the race. Benoît Fauré
, a French cyclist riding as a touriste-routier, escaped, and was followed by Francesco Camusso. At one point, they were so far ahead that Camusso was the virtual leader, but eventually they were caught back.
Leducq also crossed the finishline first in the eighteenth stage, but the jury relegated him because he had been pushed by Albert Barthélemy.
Leducq and Stöpel finished in the same group for most of the stages. Only in four stages was there a time difference:
Without the bonification system, the time difference between Leducq and Stöpel was three seconds. Leducq received 31 bonification minutes (six first places, two second places and three third place), while Stöpel received only 7 bonification minutes (one first place and three third places).
was the first German to reach the podium of the Tour de France. He would be the only German on the podium until Jan Ullrich
became 2nd in 1996
.
, this time won by the Italian team.
The team classification was calculated in 1932 by adding up the times of the best three cyclists of a team; the team with the least time was the winner.
competition. This award was won by Vicente Trueba
.
kept riding the Tour de France until 1938
, but he never managed to win again, although he had three more stage victories. In total, he won 25 Tour de France stages, that was a record until it was broken by Eddy Merckx
. Since then, only Bernard Hinault
has won more than 25 stage victories.
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 July 6 to July 31, 1932. It consisted of 21 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 29.047 km/h.
André Leducq
André Leducq
André Leducq was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France.-Career:...
, who also won six stages, won the race, thanks to the bonification system; had the bonification system not existed, the margin between Leducq and Kurt Stöpel
Kurt Stöpel
Kurt Stöpel was a German professional road bicycle racer. In the 1932 Tour de France, Stöpel won the second stage and was leading the general classification for one day, and finished in second place in the final general classification...
had only been three seconds.
Changes from the 1931 Tour de France
In the 1931 Tour de France1931 Tour de France
The 1931 Tour de France was the 25th Tour de France, which took place from 30 June to 26 July 1931. It consisted of 24 stages over 5,091 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.735 km/h.The race was won by French cyclist Antonin Magne...
, there had been a time bonification system, which gave 3 minutes of bonification to the winner of the stage, if he finished more than three minutes ahead of the second cyclist in that stage. In 1932, this bonification system changed: now the winner of the stage received 4 minutes, the second-placed cyclist 2 minutes and the third-placed cyclist 1 minute, plus an extra three minutes if the margin was more than three minutes. The bonification system was invented to give sprinters, who lost a lot of time in the mountains, a chance to battle for the general classification.
The number of stages decreased from 24 to 21. The total distance also decreased, so the average length per stage remained about the same, 215 km (compared to 160–170 km in modern Tours).
Participants
For the third year, the race was run in the national team format, with five different teams. Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and France each sent a team with eight cyclists, while Germany and Austria sent a combined team, with seven German cyclists and one Austrian cyclist. In addition, 40 cyclists joined as touriste-routiers.Charles Pélissier
Charles Pélissier
Charles Pélissier was a French racing cyclist, professional between 1922 and 1939, who won 16 stages in the Tour de France. The number of eight stages won in the 1930 Tour de France is still a record, shared with Eddy Merckx and Freddy Maertens...
, who had won 13 stages in the 1930 and 1931 Tours, and 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...
, the winner of 1931, were absent from the French team. Still, there were so many good French cyclists in that time that the French team was still considered superior.
The Italian team included three Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
winners: the winner from the 1930 Giro d'Italia
1930 Giro d'Italia
The 1930 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 17 May to 8 June 1930. It consisted of 15 stages for a total of 3,907 km, ridden at an average speed of 27.04 km/h. It was won by Luigi Marchisio....
, Luigi Marchisio
Luigi Marchisio
Luigi Marchisio was an Italian professional road racing cyclist.Marchisio was born at Castelnuovo, Piedmont. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1930 Giro d'Italia, the youngest victor ever at the time...
; the winner from the 1931 Giro d'Italia
1931 Giro d'Italia
The 1931 Giro d'Italia was held from 10 May to 31 May 1931. It was won by the Italian Francesco Camusso. This 20th edition covered 3,012 km, at an average speed of 29.33 km/h, for a total of 12 stages....
, Francesco Camusso
Francesco Camusso
Francesco Camusso was an Italian professional road racing cyclist.Camusso was born in Cumiana, Piedmont, and is ranked among the best Italian climbers ever. In his second year as professional, he won the 1931 Giro d'Italia...
and the winner from the 1932 Giro d'Italia
1932 Giro d'Italia
The 1932 Giro d'Italia was held from 14 May to 5 June 1932. It was won by the Italian Antonio Pesenti. This 21st edition covered 3,235 km, at an average speed of 30.59 km/h, for a total of 13 stages....
, Antonio Pesenti
Antonio Pesenti
Antonio Pesenti was an Italian professional road racing cyclist.He was born in Zogno, near Bergamo. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1932 Giro d'Italia. He also classified 3rd and 4th overall in the 1931 and 1932 Tour de France, respectively.He died at Bergamo in...
.
The Belgium team had Jef Demuysere
Jef Demuysere
Jef Demuysere was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He finished on the podium of the Tour de France in 1929 and 1931, and on the podium of the Giro d'Italia in 1932 and 1933...
, who had fought for the victory in the previous Tour until the end and had become second, and two-time world champion Georges Ronsse
Georges Ronsse
Georges Ronsse was a two-time national cyclo-cross and two-time world champion road bicycle racer from Belgium, who raced between 1926 and 1938....
.
Race details
In the first stage, the Belgians had a good start. Jean AertsJean Aerts
Jean 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...
won the stage, with Jef Demuysere
Jef Demuysere
Jef Demuysere was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He finished on the podium of the Tour de France in 1929 and 1931, and on the podium of the Giro d'Italia in 1932 and 1933...
in second place. In the second stage, there were struggles in the Belgian team between the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking cyclists. Aerst, Dutch-speaking, did not get the support from his French-speaking team mates, and lost ten minutes in that stage, together with the Italian favourites. German Kurt Stöpel won the stage, and donned the yellow jersey, thanks to the bonification. Stöpel was the first German cyclist to lead the general classification in the Tour de France. In the third stage, the longest stage of this Tour with 387 km, Stöpel lost the lead to André Leducq.
Leducq kept the lead for the rest of the race, winning six stages along the way.
In the fifth stage, Spanish Vicente Trueba
Vicente Trueba
Vicente Trueba Pérez was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He is most famous for being the first winner of King of the Mountains for winning the overall classification in the Mountains classification of Tour de France...
escaped and reached the top of the Col d'Aubisque
Col d'Aubisque
The Col d'Aubisque is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques , in the Aquitaine region of France....
first. On the way down, Benoît Fauré
Benoît Fauré
Benoît Fauré was a French professional road bicycle racer. Benoît Fauré was a brother of cyclist Eugène Fauré.- Palmarès :19271929...
overtook him, and reached the Tourmalet first. But he didn't win the stage, as Italian Antonio Pesenti
Antonio Pesenti
Antonio Pesenti was an Italian professional road racing cyclist.He was born in Zogno, near Bergamo. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1932 Giro d'Italia. He also classified 3rd and 4th overall in the 1931 and 1932 Tour de France, respectively.He died at Bergamo in...
caught him. Behind the leaders in the stage, Leducq was fighting for the leading position in the general classification. He was not a good climber, but was one of the best descenders.
One one stage, Leducq flatted, and received a wheel from his team mate Georges Speicher
Georges Speicher
Georges 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...
, who would win the next Tour.
In the tenth stage, Leducq almost lost the lead. Camusso had escaped, and Stöpel had followed him. Leducq lost more than five minutes in the stage, and even more due to the bonification time. After that stage, Stöpel was within three minutes of Leducq, and Camusso within six minutes.
In the eleventh stage, Leducq could have lost the race. Benoît Fauré
Benoît Fauré
Benoît Fauré was a French professional road bicycle racer. Benoît Fauré was a brother of cyclist Eugène Fauré.- Palmarès :19271929...
, a French cyclist riding as a touriste-routier, escaped, and was followed by Francesco Camusso. At one point, they were so far ahead that Camusso was the virtual leader, but eventually they were caught back.
Leducq also crossed the finishline first in the eighteenth stage, but the jury relegated him because he had been pushed by Albert Barthélemy.
Leducq and Stöpel finished in the same group for most of the stages. Only in four stages was there a time difference:
- Stage 3, when Leducq won 45 seconds
- Stage 5, when Leducq won 20 seconds
- Stage 10, when Stöpel won 2 minutes and 52 seconds
- Stage 13, when Leducq won 1 minute and 50 seconds
Without the bonification system, the time difference between Leducq and Stöpel was three seconds. Leducq received 31 bonification minutes (six first places, two second places and three third place), while Stöpel received only 7 bonification minutes (one first place and three third places).
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, and which were run as time trials. | Length | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 July | Paris – 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.... |
 |
208 km (129.2 mi) | ||
| 2 | 7 July | Caen – 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.... |
|
300 km (186.4 mi) | ||
| 3 | 9 July | Nantes – 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... |
|
387 km (240.5 mi) | ||
| 4 | 11 July | Bordeaux – Pau | |
206 km (128 mi) | ||
| 5 | 12 July | Pau – Luchon |  |
229 km (142.3 mi) | ||
| 6 | 14 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... |
|
322 km (200.1 mi) | ||
| 7 | 16 July | Perpignan – 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.... |
|
168 km (104.4 mi) | ||
| 8 | 17 July | Montpellier – 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... |
|
206 km (128 mi) | ||
| 9 | 18 July | Marseille – Cannes Cannes Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department.... |
|
191 km (118.7 mi) | ||
| 10 | 19 July | Cannes – Nice | |
132 km (82 mi) | ||
| 11 | 21 July | Nice – Gap | |
233 km (144.8 mi) | ||
| 12 | 22 July | Gap – 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... |
|
102 km (63.4 mi) | ||
| 13 | 23 July | Grenoble – 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:... |
|
230 km (142.9 mi) | ||
| 14 | 24 July | Aix-les-Bains – Evian Évian-les-Bains Évian-les-Bains or Évian is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France... |
|
204 km (126.8 mi) | ||
| 15 | 25 July | Evian – Belfort Belfort Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-... |
|
291 km (180.8 mi) | ||
| 16 | 26 July | Belfort – 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,... |
|
145 km (90.1 mi) | ||
| 17 | 27 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... |
|
165 km (102.5 mi) | ||
| 18 | 28 July | Metz – Charleville Charleville, Marne Charleville is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.... |
|
159 km (98.8 mi) | ||
| 19 | 29 July | Charleville – Malo-les-Bains | |
271 km (168.4 mi) | ||
| 20 | 30 July | Malo-les-Bains – 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... |
|
212 km (131.7 mi) | ||
| 21 | 31 July | Amiens – 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... |
|
159 km (98.8 mi) |
Final general classification
Kurt StöpelKurt Stöpel
Kurt Stöpel was a German professional road bicycle racer. In the 1932 Tour de France, Stöpel won the second stage and was leading the general classification for one day, and finished in second place in the final general classification...
was the first German to reach the podium of the Tour de France. He would be the only German on the podium until Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport...
became 2nd in 1996
1996 Tour de France
The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | '  |
France | 154h 11' 49" |
| 2 | Germany/Austria | +24' 03" | |
| 3 | Italy | +26' 21" | |
| 4 | Italy | +37' 08" | |
| 5 | Belgium | +41' 04" | |
| 6 | Belgium | +45' 13" | |
| 7 | Germany/Austria | +58' 44" | |
| 8 | Belgium | +1h 03' 24" | |
| 9 | Touriste-routier | +1h 06' 57" | |
| 10 | France | +1h 08' 37" |
| Final general classification (11–57) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | Switzerland | +1h 13' 33" | |
| 12 | Touriste-Routier | +1h 14' 12" | |
| 13 | Belgium | +1h 16' 24" | |
| 14 | Italy | +1h 18' 45" | |
| 15 | Belgium | +1h 19' 18" | |
| 16 | France | +1h 25' 27" | |
| 17 | Touriste-Routier | +1h 29' 21" | |
| 18 | Touriste-Routier | +1h 35' 28" | |
| 19 | Germany/Austria | +1h 38' 23" | |
| 20 | Belgium | +1h 39' 01" | |
| 21 | Touriste-Routier | +1h 45' 56" | |
| 22 | Germany/Austria | +1h 49' 48" | |
| 23 | France | +1h 55' 27" | |
| 24 | Touriste-Routier | +1h 56' 53" | |
| 25 | France | +1h 58' 16" | |
| 26 | Italy | +1h 59' 47" | |
| 27 | Touriste-Routier | +2h 00' 40" | |
| 28 | Touriste-Routier | +2h 22' 21" | |
| 29 | Switzerland | +2h 24' 39" | |
| 30 | France | +2h 29' 02" | |
| 31 | Touriste-Routier | +2h 29' 31" | |
| 32 | Touriste-Routier | +2h 30' 12" | |
| 33 | Italy | +2h 35' 51" | |
| 34 | Belgium | +2h 41' 25" | |
| 35 | Touriste-Routier | +2h 44' 33" | |
| 36 | Switzerland | +2h 59' 37" | |
| 37 | Touriste-Routier | +3h 04' 31" | |
| 38 | Touriste-Routier | +3h 10' 27" | |
| 39 | Germany/Austria | +3h 15' 13" | |
| 40 | Touriste-Routier | +3h 32' 25" | |
| 41 | Switzerland | +3h 34' 06" | |
| 42 | Touriste-Routier | +3h 38' 18" | |
| 43 | Touriste-Routier | +3h 43' 20" | |
| 44 | Touriste-Routier | +3h 55' 22" | |
| 45 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 00' 17" | |
| 46 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 06' 02" | |
| 47 | France | +4h 13' 53" | |
| 48 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 20' 41" | |
| 49 | France | +4h 21' 05" | |
| 50 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 21' 15" | |
| 51 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 32' 29" | |
| 52 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 38' 35" | |
| 53 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 47' 05" | |
| 54 | Touriste-Routier | +4h 47' 18" | |
| 55 | Switzerland | +4h 54' 45" | |
| 56 | Germany/Austria | +5h 03' 01" | |
| 57 | Germany/Austria | +5h 05' 14" | |
Final team classification
For the third time, there was an official team competitionTeam 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:...
, this time won by the Italian team.
The team classification was calculated in 1932 by adding up the times of the best three cyclists of a team; the team with the least time was the winner.
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy |
464h 57' 41" |
| 2 | +7' 27" | |
| 3 | +11' 50" | |
| 4 | / | +38' 56" |
| 5 | +4h 14' 25" |
Other classifications
The organing newspaper, l'Auto named a meilleur grimpeur (best climber), an unofficial precursor to the modern King of the MountainsKing of the Mountains
The King of the Mountains is the title given to the best climber in a cycling road race; usually and officially known as the Mountains classification...
competition. This award was won by Vicente Trueba
Vicente Trueba
Vicente Trueba Pérez was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He is most famous for being the first winner of King of the Mountains for winning the overall classification in the Mountains classification of Tour de France...
.
Aftermath
Winner André LeducqAndré Leducq
André Leducq was a French cyclist who won the 1930 and 1932 Tour de France.-Career:...
kept riding the Tour de France until 1938
1938 Tour de France
The 1938 Tour de France was the 32nd Tour de France, taking place July 5 to July 31, 1938. It was composed of 21 stages over 4694 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.565 km/h...
, but he never managed to win again, although he had three more stage victories. In total, he won 25 Tour de France stages, that was a record until it was broken by Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
. Since then, only Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
has won more than 25 stage victories.