1933 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1933 Tour de France was the 27th Tour de France
, taking place June 27 to July 23, 1933. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,395 km, ridden at an average speed of 29.818 km/h.
This race featured the introduction of the mountains competition, in which cyclists were challenged to climb the mountains the fastest, with points given to the fastest ascenders. This competition was won by Spanish Vicente Trueba
, who reached 9 of the 16 mountain peaks first.
The time bonus of two minutes had a large influence on the outcome of the race. Thanks to this bonus, Georges Speicher
managed to win the race; without the bonus, Italian Giuseppe Martano
would have been the winner.
, the bonus system had had a major impact on the results: without these bonuses, the difference between the number one and number two would have been only three seconds, but with these bonuses, it became more than 24 minutes.
In 1933, the bonus time was reduced: only the winner received two minutes of bonus time.
Since the 1913 Tour de France
, the Tour de France had been counter-clockwise. In 1933, this changed, and the race was run clockwise again.
Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France entered national teams, consisting of eight cyclists. Additionally, 40 touriste-routiers, cyclists without a team, entered the race.
The French team has been named the best collection of pre-war cyclists. The Belgian team had talented riders, but were split between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking cyclists.
The Italian team was headed by Learco Guerra
. Guerra had won three stages in the 1933 Giro d'Italia
and had been world champion. Tour director Henri Desgrange
had named Guerra as probable winner of the race.
.
The French team, that had won the last three Tours de France, started well. Maurice Archambaud
won the first stage, and lead the general classification until the Alps.
In the third stage, French sprinter Charles Pélissier
, who had already won 13 Tour stages in his career, hit a car. He continued the race, but was injured, and finished behind the time limit.
Until the eighth stage, the battle for the lead was between Archambaud and Learco Guerra
. In that eighth stage, French cyclist Georges Speicher
asked permission to his team leader Archambaud if he could go for the stage win, and he could. He raced away, and won the stage.
In the mountains of the ninth stage, Archambaud could not compete with the rest. When Archambaud folded on the Allos
, somebody else could take over the lead. The next cyclist in the General Classification, Guerra, had a flat tire, and could not win enough time. In the end, it was unknown Belgian Georges Lemaire
who took over the lead. Guerra was only 23 seconds behind in the General Classification after that stage.
In stage 10, all but six cyclists finished more than 22 minutes after the winner. According to the rules, the cut-off time (the extra time that a cyclist can lose on the stage winner before he is taken out of the race) was 8% of the time of the stage winner. That rule would have put everybody but these six cyclists out of the race. Because of this, the Tour director Henri Desgrange
extended the cut-off time for this stage to 10%, in this way 43 cyclists stayed in the race.
In the eleventh stage, the cut-off time was 10%. This would take four cyclists out of the race, but for them the cut-off time was increased to 15%. One of these cyclists had been hit by a car from the Tour direction. Maurice Archambaud took back the lead after that stage thanks to the bonus time, but not for long, as he lost time in the next stage.
Georges Speicher led the race from stage 12 on. In the mountains, Speicher struggled. He was dropped many times on the climbs, but was a good descender and managed to get back to the lead group every time. Lemaire initially stayed close to Speicher, and was only 15 seconds behind in the general classification. l'Equipe
wrote that with the help of his Belgian team, Lemaire could have challenged Speicher for the overall victory, especially thanks to the help of Jean Aerts
. But the Belgian team was still divided between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking cyclists, and Jean Aerts did not help Lemaire but went for his own success.
In the 21st stage, the initial winner Le Grèves together with the initial second-placed cyclist Louyet were punished by the jury, because of irregular sprinting. They were set back to the 6th and 7th place, and Jean Aerts
, who initially was third, was named the winner of the race.
In the 22nd stage, the winner of the race was determined by one lap in the velodrome. This had not been planned, but was done because too many cyclists entered the velodrome at the same time.
Before the last stage, Martano was in second place, and Guerra in third. This last stage was won by Guerra, and thanks to the bonus time of two minutes, Guerra took over the second place.
would have won the race. Speicher received six minutes for his three stage victories and Guerra ten minutes for five victories, whereas Martano had received no bonus time.
, this time won by the French team.
The team classification was calculated in 1933 by adding up the times of the best three cyclists of a team; the team with the least time was the winner.
.
, that was held after the race, Tour de France winner Georges Speicher
was initially not selected. Only after a French cyclist that had been selected dropped out, Speicher was brought in as a replacement at the last notice, and won the race. Speicher was the first cyclist to win the Tour de France and the World Championship in the same year.
The national team format that had been introduced in 1930, had in four races produced four French victories. The French audience was therefore greatly interested in the race, and the organising newspaper l'Auto had a record circulation of 854000.
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 27 to July 23, 1933. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,395 km, ridden at an average speed of 29.818 km/h.
This race featured the introduction of the mountains competition, in which cyclists were challenged to climb the mountains the fastest, with points given to the fastest ascenders. This competition was won by 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...
, who reached 9 of the 16 mountain peaks first.
The time bonus of two minutes had a large influence on the outcome of the race. Thanks to this bonus, 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...
managed to win the race; without the bonus, Italian Giuseppe Martano
Giuseppe Martano
Giuseppe Martano was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Martano was twice world amateur champion...
would have been the winner.
Changes from the 1932 Tour de France
In the 1932 Tour de France1932 Tour de France
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....
, the bonus system had had a major impact on the results: without these bonuses, the difference between the number one and number two would have been only three seconds, but with these bonuses, it became more than 24 minutes.
In 1933, the bonus time was reduced: only the winner received two minutes of bonus time.
Since the 1913 Tour de France
1913 Tour de France
The 1913 Tour de France was the 11th Tour de France, taking place June 29 to July 27, 1913. The total distance was and the average speed of the riders was . The competition was won by the Belgian Philippe Thys, after in the crucial sixth stage Eugène Christophe broke his bicycle and lost several...
, the Tour de France had been counter-clockwise. In 1933, this changed, and the race was run clockwise again.
Race favourites
The French team has been named the best collection of pre-war cyclists. The Belgian team had talented riders, but were split between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking cyclists.
The Italian team was headed by Learco Guerra
Learco Guerra
Learco Guerra was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1934 Giro d'Italia....
. Guerra had won three stages in the 1933 Giro d'Italia
1933 Giro d'Italia
The 1933 Giro d'Italia was held from 6 May to 28 May 1933. It was won by Alfredo Binda .This 20th edition covered 3,343 km at an average speed of 30.043 km/h, for a total of 17 stages.- Stages :...
and had been world champion. Tour director 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...
had named Guerra as probable winner of the race.
Race details
On 27 June 1933, the Tour de France was started by Josephine BakerJosephine Baker
Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....
.
The French team, that had won the last three Tours de France, started well. Maurice Archambaud
Maurice Archambaud
Maurice Archambaud was a French professional cyclist from 1932 to 1944. His short stature earned him the nickname of le nabot, or "the dwarf", but colossal thighs made him an exceptional rider....
won the first stage, and lead the general classification until the Alps.
In the third stage, French sprinter 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 already won 13 Tour stages in his career, hit a car. He continued the race, but was injured, and finished behind the time limit.
Until the eighth stage, the battle for the lead was between Archambaud and Learco Guerra
Learco Guerra
Learco Guerra was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1934 Giro d'Italia....
. In that eighth stage, French cyclist 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...
asked permission to his team leader Archambaud if he could go for the stage win, and he could. He raced away, and won the stage.
In the mountains of the ninth stage, Archambaud could not compete with the rest. When Archambaud folded on the Allos
Allos
Allos is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, somebody else could take over the lead. The next cyclist in the General Classification, Guerra, had a flat tire, and could not win enough time. In the end, it was unknown Belgian Georges Lemaire
Georges Lemaire
Georges Lemaire was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer, who became Belgian road race champion in 1932. In 1933, he finished the Tour de France in 4th place, having worn the yellow jersey for two days...
who took over the lead. Guerra was only 23 seconds behind in the General Classification after that stage.
In stage 10, all but six cyclists finished more than 22 minutes after the winner. According to the rules, the cut-off time (the extra time that a cyclist can lose on the stage winner before he is taken out of the race) was 8% of the time of the stage winner. That rule would have put everybody but these six cyclists out of the race. Because of this, the Tour director 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...
extended the cut-off time for this stage to 10%, in this way 43 cyclists stayed in the race.
In the eleventh stage, the cut-off time was 10%. This would take four cyclists out of the race, but for them the cut-off time was increased to 15%. One of these cyclists had been hit by a car from the Tour direction. Maurice Archambaud took back the lead after that stage thanks to the bonus time, but not for long, as he lost time in the next stage.
Georges Speicher led the race from stage 12 on. In the mountains, Speicher struggled. He was dropped many times on the climbs, but was a good descender and managed to get back to the lead group every time. Lemaire initially stayed close to Speicher, and was only 15 seconds behind in the general classification. l'Equipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
wrote that with the help of his Belgian team, Lemaire could have challenged Speicher for the overall victory, especially thanks to the help of Jean Aerts
Jean 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...
. But the Belgian team was still divided between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking cyclists, and Jean Aerts did not help Lemaire but went for his own success.
In the 21st stage, the initial winner Le Grèves together with the initial second-placed cyclist Louyet were punished by the jury, because of irregular sprinting. They were set back to the 6th and 7th place, and Jean Aerts
Jean 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...
, who initially was third, was named the winner of the race.
In the 22nd stage, the winner of the race was determined by one lap in the velodrome. This had not been planned, but was done because too many cyclists entered the velodrome at the same time.
Before the last stage, Martano was in second place, and Guerra in third. This last stage was won by Guerra, and thanks to the bonus time of two minutes, Guerra took over the second place.
Stage winners
| Stage | Date | Route | TerrainIn 1933, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate whether the stage included mountains that counted for the mountains classification. | Length | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 June | 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... |
 |
262 km (162.8 mi) | ||
| 2 | 28 June | Lille – Charleville Charleville, Marne Charleville is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.... |
|
192 km (119.3 mi) | ||
| 3 | 29 June | Charleville – 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... |
|
166 km (103.1 mi) | ||
| 4 | 30 June | Metz – 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 .-... |
 |
220 km (136.7 mi) | ||
| 5 | 1 July | Belfort – Evian Evian Evian is a French brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.Today, Evian is owned by Danone Group, a French multinational company... |
|
293 km (182.1 mi) | ||
| 6 | 3 July | Evian – 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:... |
|
207 km (128.6 mi) | ||
| 7 | 4 July | Aix-les-Bains – 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... |
|
229 km (142.3 mi) | ||
| 8 | 5 July | Grenoble – Gap | |
102 km (63.4 mi) | ||
| 9 | 6 July | Gap – Digne | |
227 km (141.1 mi) | ||
| 10 | 7 July | Digne – Nice | |
156 km (96.9 mi) | ||
| 11 | 9 July | Nice – 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.... |
|
128 km (79.5 mi) | ||
| 12 | 10 July | Cannes – 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... |
|
208 km (129.2 mi) | ||
| 13 | 11 July | Marseille – 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) | ||
| 14 | 12 July | Montpellier – 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... |
|
166 km (103.1 mi) | ||
| 15 | 14 July | Perpignan – Ax-les-Thermes Ax-les-Thermes Ax-les-Thermes is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France.It lies at the confluence of the Ariège River with three tributaries, 26 miles SSE of Foix by rail... |
|
158 km (98.2 mi) | ||
| 16 | 15 July | Ax-les-Thermes – Luchon | |
165 km (102.5 mi) | ||
| 17 | 16 July | Luchon – Tarbes Tarbes Tarbes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.It is part of the historical region of Gascony. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées, with 110,000 inhabitants.... |
|
91 km (56.5 mi) | ||
| 18 | 17 July | Tarbes – Pau | |
185 km (115 mi) | ||
| 19 | 19 July | Pau – 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... |
|
233 km (144.8 mi) | ||
| 20 | 20 July | Bordeaux – La Rochelle La Rochelle La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988... |
|
183 km (113.7 mi) | ||
| 21 | 21 July | La Rochelle – Rennes Rennes Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:... |
|
266 km (165.3 mi) | ||
| 22 | 22 July | Rennes – 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.... |
|
169 km (105 mi) | ||
| 23 | 23 July | Caen – 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... |
|
222 km (137.9 mi) | ||
Final general classification
The bonus in the 1933 Tour de France were also decicive for the overall victory. Without the bonus of two minutes for the stage winner, Giuseppe MartanoGiuseppe Martano
Giuseppe Martano was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Martano was twice world amateur champion...
would have won the race. Speicher received six minutes for his three stage victories and Guerra ten minutes for five victories, whereas Martano had received no bonus time.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
France | 147h 51' 37" |
| 2 | Italy | +4' 01" | |
| 3 | Touriste-routier | +5' 08" | |
| 4 | Belgium | +15' 45" | |
| 5 | France | +21' 22" | |
| 6 | Touriste-routier | +27' 27" | |
| 7 | Touriste-routier | +35' 19" | |
| 8 | France | +36' 37" | |
| 9 | Belgium | +42' 53" | |
| 10 | Germany/Austria | +45' 28" |
| Final general classification (11–40) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | Touriste-routier | +56' 11" | |
| 12 | Germany/Austria | +57' 04" | |
| 13 | Switzerland | +1h 07' 59" | |
| 14 | Belgium | +1h 20' 16" | |
| 15 | Touriste-routier | +1h 22' 12" | |
| 16 | Touriste-routier | +1h 24' 59" | |
| 17 | France | +1h 38' 44" | |
| 18 | Belgium | +1h 39' 49" | |
| 19 | France | +1h 48' 31" | |
| 20 | Switzerland | +1h 49' 59" | |
| 21 | Touriste-routier | +1h 51' 51" | |
| 22 | Touriste-routier | +1h 52' 46" | |
| 23 | Germany/Austria | +1h 55' 51" | |
| 24 | Touriste-routier | +2h 06' 44" | |
| 25 | Switzerland | +2h 12' 34" | |
| 26 | Touriste-routier | +2h 15' 30" | |
| 27 | Belgium | +2h 15' 48" | |
| 28 | Italy | +2h 29' 19" | |
| 29 | France | +2h 30' 37" | |
| 30 | Switzerland | +2h 31' 35" | |
| 31 | France | +2h 39' 36" | |
| 32 | Touriste-routier | +2h 43' 14" | |
| 33 | Touriste-routier | +2h 51' 50" | |
| 34 | Touriste-routier | +2h 54' 25" | |
| 35 | Touriste-routier | +2h 58' 49" | |
| 36 | Switzerland | +3h 05' 20" | |
| 37 | Touriste-routier | +3h 15' 42" | |
| 38 | Touriste-routier | +3h 18' 30" | |
| 39 | Italy | +3h 42' 49" | |
| 40 | Touriste-routier | +3h 57' 44" | |
Final team classification
For the fourth 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 French team.
The team classification was calculated in 1933 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 | 444h 32' 50" | |
| 2 | +1h 20' 56" | |
| 3 |  Germany/ |
+2h 40' 24" |
Mountains classification
The mountains classification in the Tour de France was calculated for the first time in 1933. There were 16 mountains in de route of the 1933 Tour de France, and for the first cyclists to reach the top of the mountain, points were given. The first on the top got 10 points, the second 9 points, and so on, until the tenth cyclist who received 1 point. In 1933, it was sponsored by Martini & RossiMartini & Rossi
Martini & Rossi is an Italian multinational alcoholic beverage company primarily associated with the Martini brand of vermouth and also with sparkling wine . It also produces the French vermouth, Noilly Prat.-History:...
.
| Rank | Rider | Team | PointsThe sources do not agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Touriste-routier | 134 (126) | |
| 2 | France | 81 (78) | |
| 3 | Touriste-routier | 78 (75) |
Aftermath
For the 1933 UCI Road World Championships1933 UCI Road World Championships
- Events Summary :...
, that was held after the race, Tour de France winner 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...
was initially not selected. Only after a French cyclist that had been selected dropped out, Speicher was brought in as a replacement at the last notice, and won the race. Speicher was the first cyclist to win the Tour de France and the World Championship in the same year.
The national team format that had been introduced in 1930, had in four races produced four French victories. The French audience was therefore greatly interested in the race, and the organising newspaper l'Auto had a record circulation of 854000.