1952 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1952 Tour de France was the 39th Tour de France
, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1952. It was composed of 23 stages over 4807 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.739 km/h. Newly introduced were the arrivals on mountain peaks.
The race was won by Italian Fausto Coppi
. Coppi dominated the race, winning five stages and the mountains classification, and was a member of the winning Italian team. His dominance was so large that the Tour organisation had to double the prize money for second place to make the race interesting. At the end, Coppi had a margin of almost half an hour over the second-ranked cyclist, such a margin has never been achieved again.
, a daily award for the most combative rider of the stage. The winner of that award received 100.000 French Francs. (The supercombativity award, the award for the most combative rider of the entire Tour de France, would first be given in 1953.)
The team classification had been awarded and calculated since 1930
, but in 1952 the daily team classification was also calculated: for each stage, the best team (calculated as the team of which the best three cyclists had the lowest accumulated team in that stage) received a prize.
Another innovation was the stage arrivals on mountain peaks. This happened three times in 1952, on stages 10, 11 and 21.
, the 1952 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. The three major cycling countries in 1952, Italy, Belgium and France, each sent a team of 12 cyclists. Other countries sent teams of 8 cyclists: Switzerland, Luxembourg (together with Australia), Netherlands and Spain. The French regional cyclists were divided into four teams of 12 cyclists: Paris, North East–Center, South East and West–South West. The last team of eight cyclists was made up out of cyclists from the French North African colonies. In the end, Luxembourg only sent 6 cyclists, so altogether this made 122 cyclists.
There were 57 French (of which 6 Algerian), 13 Italian, 12 Belgian, 8 Dutch, 8 Spanish, 8 Swiss, 5 Luxembourgian and 1 Australian cyclist.
The winners of the last two editions, Swiss cyclists Hugo Koblet
and Ferdi Kübler, were injured and did not enter the race, neither did French cyclist Louison Bobet
.
On the last press conference before the race, Jacques Goddet
did a poll amongst journalists, to see who they considered the main favourite. Coppi received 29 votes in that poll, followed by Géminiani and Bartali, both 26 votes.
, the winner of the 1947 Tour de France
was in a group with his team mate Raphaël Géminiani
, and Robic let Géminiani do all the work. After the stage, Robic told reporters that he had been smart, because he had saved energy and was in a better position to win the Tour. Géminiani then became angry and held Robic's head in a hotel room sink. It was the last year that Robic rode on the national team. At that moment, Nello Lauredi
was the leader in the race.
In the sixth stage, Fiorenzo Magni
escaped, and became the leader of the general classification by twelve seconds. In the 1950 Tour de France
, Magni had already become the leader, but left the race without riding in the yellow jersey.
In the time trial in stage seven, won by Fausto Coppi
, Magni lost his lead, and Lauredi became leader again.
The first high mountains appeared in stage eight. Magni and Lauredi stayed together, but because Magni took a twenty-second bonification for finishing second, they swapped positions again, and Magni became leader again.
In the ninth stage, a group of eight cyclists got away, including Coppi's team mate Andrea Carrea
. At the end of the stage, the group had a margin of more than nine minutes. Carrea went to the hotel after the finish, but was picked up by the police. Carrea asked what he had done wrong, but he was told that he was the new leader of the race, and had to go to the ceremony to receive the yellow jersey. Carrea apologized to his team leader Coppi, in fear that his team leader would be angry because a helper occupied the highest rank, but Coppi was not angry.
In the tenth stage, Robic attacked, and only Coppi was able to follow him. Later, Robic had a flat tire. Because his team director was far away, he lost several minutes, and lost so much time that he dropped from second place to fifth place. Coppi rode away and won the stage, taking over the lead in the general classification from his team mate. The top three riders were all Italian at that moment.
After the rest day, the eleventh stage was again a mountain stage. The cyclists from the French national team, especially Géminiani, attacked on the Galibier, but Coppi counterattacked and escaped easily. At the end of the stage, Coppi won by a large margin. His lead in the general classification was now almost 20 minutes.
The margin was so large that Coppi didn't need to attack in the twelfth stage. When Coppi had a flat tire, his team mate Gino Bartali
gave him his own wheel, which was a sign that the rivalry between the two cyclists was over. Even though Coppi rode conservatively in the that stage, the cyclist directly behind him in the general classification, Alex Close
, lost another four minutes, and Coppi was now 24 minutes ahead.
The Tour organisation feared that the race would become dull, now that Coppi's lead was so large. Therefore, they doubled the prize money for second and third place, hoping to keep the other cyclists aggressive.
In the sixteenth stage, the riders were apparently not motivated by the double prize money, as they were slow that day. The organisation then responded by canceling the prize money; there was still a rule from before 1947, that said that stage winners had to go at least 30 km/h to win prize money. The winner, André Rosseel
, had only reached 29 km/h.
In the seventeenth stage, Géminiani, who was already in fourteenth place, 52 minutes behind in the general classification, escaped. Coppi did not chase him, and allowed Géminiani to win the stage.
In the eighteenth stage, Coppi reached the top of the mountains first, but took it easy on the descent, and allowed other cyclists to get back to him. He still won the sprint at the end of the stage.
Coppi also won the last mountain stage, stage 21, and increased his lead to more than 31 minutes. In the time trial on the next day, Coppi apparently took it easy. Previously he was an expert in such time trials, but on that day he allowed other cyclists to win back some time, and finished on the fourteenth place.
, the capital of Vichy France
in the Second World War, to Paris. Vichy had never before been visited, and the distance Vichy–France was significantly longer than the other stages. A newspaper described it as linking the two cities together. The stop in Vichy was successful, with a new record of 150.000 live spectators.
was calculated by adding the times in the general classification of the best three cyclists per team. It was won by the Italian team.
The Luxembourgian team finished with only two cyclists, and therefore were not eligible for the team classification.
Fausto Coppi would never start the Tour de France again.
The team selecters for the French national team felt that Raphaël Géminiani
had held back when chasing Fausto Coppi
, because they rode for the same sponsor. For that reason, Géminiani was left out the national team for the 1952 UCI World Championships. To avoid these problems in the future, Géminiani switched teams at the end of the season.
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 25 to July 19, 1952. It was composed of 23 stages over 4807 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.739 km/h. Newly introduced were the arrivals on mountain peaks.
The race was won by Italian Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi, , was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions...
. Coppi dominated the race, winning five stages and the mountains classification, and was a member of the winning Italian team. His dominance was so large that the Tour organisation had to double the prize money for second place to make the race interesting. At the end, Coppi had a margin of almost half an hour over the second-ranked cyclist, such a margin has never been achieved again.
Changes from the 1951 Tour de France
The 1952 Tour de France saw the introduction of the combativity awardCombativity award
The combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...
, a daily award for the most combative rider of the stage. The winner of that award received 100.000 French Francs. (The supercombativity award, the award for the most combative rider of the entire Tour de France, would first be given in 1953.)
The team classification had been awarded and calculated since 1930
1930 Tour de France
The 1930 Tour de France was the 24th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 27 July 1930. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,822 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.000 km/h....
, but in 1952 the daily team classification was also calculated: for each stage, the best team (calculated as the team of which the best three cyclists had the lowest accumulated team in that stage) received a prize.
Another innovation was the stage arrivals on mountain peaks. This happened three times in 1952, on stages 10, 11 and 21.
Participants
As was the custom since the 1930 Tour de France1930 Tour de France
The 1930 Tour de France was the 24th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 27 July 1930. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,822 km, ridden at an average speed of 28.000 km/h....
, the 1952 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. The three major cycling countries in 1952, Italy, Belgium and France, each sent a team of 12 cyclists. Other countries sent teams of 8 cyclists: Switzerland, Luxembourg (together with Australia), Netherlands and Spain. The French regional cyclists were divided into four teams of 12 cyclists: Paris, North East–Center, South East and West–South West. The last team of eight cyclists was made up out of cyclists from the French North African colonies. In the end, Luxembourg only sent 6 cyclists, so altogether this made 122 cyclists.
There were 57 French (of which 6 Algerian), 13 Italian, 12 Belgian, 8 Dutch, 8 Spanish, 8 Swiss, 5 Luxembourgian and 1 Australian cyclist.
The winners of the last two editions, Swiss cyclists Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet was a Swiss champion cyclist. He won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia as well as competing in six-day and pursuit races on the track. He won 70 races as a professional...
and Ferdi Kübler, were injured and did not enter the race, neither did French cyclist Louison Bobet
Louison Bobet
Louis 'Louison' Bobet was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to 1955...
.
On the last press conference before the race, Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
did a poll amongst journalists, to see who they considered the main favourite. Coppi received 29 votes in that poll, followed by Géminiani and Bartali, both 26 votes.
Race details
In the fourth stage, Jean RobicJean Robic
Jean Robic was a French road racing cyclist, who won the 1947 Tour de France. Robic was a professional cyclist from 1943 to 1961. His diminutive stature and appearance was encapsulated in the nickname the hobgoblin of the Brittany moor...
, the winner of the 1947 Tour de France
1947 Tour de France
The 1947 Tour de France was the 34th Tour de France, taking place from 25 June to 20 July 1947. The total race distance was 21 stages over 4,640 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.412 km/h...
was in a group with his team mate Raphaël Géminiani
Raphael Geminiani
Raphaël Géminiani is a French former road bicycle racer. He had six podium finishes in the Grand Tours. He is one of four children of Italian immigrants who moved to Clermont-Ferrand. He worked in a cycle shop and started racing as a boy...
, and Robic let Géminiani do all the work. After the stage, Robic told reporters that he had been smart, because he had saved energy and was in a better position to win the Tour. Géminiani then became angry and held Robic's head in a hotel room sink. It was the last year that Robic rode on the national team. At that moment, Nello Lauredi
Nello Lauredi
Nello Lauredi was a former professional French road bicycle racer. He was of Italian origin but in 1984 he changed nationality to France. He was a professional cyclist from 1949 until 1959 and had 17 wins. His most important win being three overall wins in the Dauphiné Libéré...
was the leader in the race.
In the sixth stage, Fiorenzo Magni
Fiorenzo Magni
Fiorenzo Magni is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist.He was born in Vaiano, province of Prato . He was the "third man" of the golden age of Italian cycling, at the time of the great rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali...
escaped, and became the leader of the general classification by twelve seconds. In the 1950 Tour de France
1950 Tour de France
The 1950 Tour de France was the 37th Tour de France, taking place from 13 July to 7 August 1950. It consisted of 22 stages over 4775 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.788 km/h....
, Magni had already become the leader, but left the race without riding in the yellow jersey.
In the time trial in stage seven, won by Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi, , was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions...
, Magni lost his lead, and Lauredi became leader again.
The first high mountains appeared in stage eight. Magni and Lauredi stayed together, but because Magni took a twenty-second bonification for finishing second, they swapped positions again, and Magni became leader again.
In the ninth stage, a group of eight cyclists got away, including Coppi's team mate Andrea Carrea
Andrea Carrea
Andrea Carrea is a former Italian professional road bicycle racer. He was the first to ride the Alpe d'Huez in the yellow jersey of leadership in the Tour de France and probably the only rider to have wept in distress at accidentally leading the race.-Professional career:Andrea Carrea was a...
. At the end of the stage, the group had a margin of more than nine minutes. Carrea went to the hotel after the finish, but was picked up by the police. Carrea asked what he had done wrong, but he was told that he was the new leader of the race, and had to go to the ceremony to receive the yellow jersey. Carrea apologized to his team leader Coppi, in fear that his team leader would be angry because a helper occupied the highest rank, but Coppi was not angry.
In the tenth stage, Robic attacked, and only Coppi was able to follow him. Later, Robic had a flat tire. Because his team director was far away, he lost several minutes, and lost so much time that he dropped from second place to fifth place. Coppi rode away and won the stage, taking over the lead in the general classification from his team mate. The top three riders were all Italian at that moment.
After the rest day, the eleventh stage was again a mountain stage. The cyclists from the French national team, especially Géminiani, attacked on the Galibier, but Coppi counterattacked and escaped easily. At the end of the stage, Coppi won by a large margin. His lead in the general classification was now almost 20 minutes.
The margin was so large that Coppi didn't need to attack in the twelfth stage. When Coppi had a flat tire, his team mate Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
gave him his own wheel, which was a sign that the rivalry between the two cyclists was over. Even though Coppi rode conservatively in the that stage, the cyclist directly behind him in the general classification, Alex Close
Alex Close
Alex Close was a Belgian road bicycle racer who was placed seventh in the Tour de France in 1952. He won the Tour de Belgique in 1955 and the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1956.- References :...
, lost another four minutes, and Coppi was now 24 minutes ahead.
The Tour organisation feared that the race would become dull, now that Coppi's lead was so large. Therefore, they doubled the prize money for second and third place, hoping to keep the other cyclists aggressive.
In the sixteenth stage, the riders were apparently not motivated by the double prize money, as they were slow that day. The organisation then responded by canceling the prize money; there was still a rule from before 1947, that said that stage winners had to go at least 30 km/h to win prize money. The winner, André Rosseel
André Rosseel
André Rosseel was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Rosseel won 4 stages in the Tour de France- Palmarès :19461947...
, had only reached 29 km/h.
In the seventeenth stage, Géminiani, who was already in fourteenth place, 52 minutes behind in the general classification, escaped. Coppi did not chase him, and allowed Géminiani to win the stage.
In the eighteenth stage, Coppi reached the top of the mountains first, but took it easy on the descent, and allowed other cyclists to get back to him. He still won the sprint at the end of the stage.
Coppi also won the last mountain stage, stage 21, and increased his lead to more than 31 minutes. In the time trial on the next day, Coppi apparently took it easy. Previously he was an expert in such time trials, but on that day he allowed other cyclists to win back some time, and finished on the fourteenth place.
Stages
The final stage was from VichyVichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
, the capital of Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
in the Second World War, to Paris. Vichy had never before been visited, and the distance Vichy–France was significantly longer than the other stages. A newspaper described it as linking the two cities together. The stop in Vichy was successful, with a new record of 150.000 live spectators.
| Stage | Date | Route | Terrain | Length | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 June | Brest – 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:... |
 |
246 km (153 mi) | |
| 2 | 26 June | Rennes – Le Mans Le Mans Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux... |
|
181 km (112 mi) | |
| 3 | 27 June | Le Mans – Rouen Rouen Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages... |
|
189 km (117 mi) | |
| 4 | 28 June | Rouen – Roubaix Roubaix Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:... |
|
232 km (144 mi) | |
| 5 | 29 June | Roubaix – Namur Namur (city) Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia.... |
|
197 km (122 mi) | |
| 6 | 30 June | Namur – 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... |
|
228 km (142 mi) | |
| 7 | 1 July | Metz – Nancy |  Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
60 km (37 mi) | |
| 8 | 2 July | Nancy – Mulhouse Mulhouse Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after... |
 |
252 km (157 mi) | |
| 9 | 3 July | Mulhouse – Lausanne Lausanne Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west... |
|
238 km (148 mi) | |
| 10 | 4 July | Lausanne – L'Alpe d'Huez | |
266 km (165 mi) | |
| 11 | 6 July | Le Bourg d'Oisans – Sestrières | |
182 km (113 mi) | |
| 12 | 7 July | Sestrières – 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... |
|
251 km (156 mi) | |
| 13 | 8 July | Monaco – Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is... |
|
214 km (133 mi) | |
| 14 | 9 July | Aix-en-Provence – Avignon Avignon Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the... |
|
178 km (111 mi) | |
| 15 | 10 July | Avignon – 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... |
|
275 km (171 mi) | |
| 16 | 11 July | Perpignan – Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... |
|
200 km (124 mi) | |
| 17 | 13 July | Toulouse – Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre is a French commune in the south-western Hautes-Pyrénées department, of which it is a sub-prefecture.-Notable people:Bagnères-de-Bigorre was the birthplace of:*Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke... |
|
204 km (127 mi) | |
| 18 | 14 July | Bagnères-de-Bigorre – Pau | |
149 km (93 mi) | |
| 19 | 15 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... |
|
195 km (121 mi) | |
| 20 | 16 July | Bordeaux – Limoges Limoges Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France.... |
|
228 km (142 mi) | |
| 21 | 17 July | Limoges – Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department... |
|
245 km (152 mi) | |
| 22 | 18 July | Clermont-Ferrand – Vichy Vichy Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants... |
Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
63 km (39 mi) | |
| 23 | 19 July | Vichy – 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... |
|
354 km (220 mi) |
Classification leadership
| Stage | General classification |
Mountains classification | Team classification Team 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:... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | no award | ||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | |||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | |||
| 19 | |||
| 20 | |||
| 21 | |||
| 22 | |||
| 23 | |||
| Final |
General classification
Of the 123 cyclists that started the 1951 Tour de France, 66 finished the race.| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' |
Italy | 151h 57' 20" |
| 2 | Belgium | +28' 17" | |
| 3 | Spain | +34' 38" | |
| 4 | Italy | +35' 25" | |
| 5 | France | +35' 36" | |
| 6 | Italy | +38' 25" | |
| 7 | Belgium | +38' 32" | |
| 8 | France | +48' 01" | |
| 9 | Italy | +50' 20" | |
| 10 | Spain | +58' 16" | |
| Final general classification (11–66) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | France | +1h 02' 47" | |
| 12 | Switzerland | +1h 04' 19" | |
| 13 | Belgium | +1h 07' 15" | |
| 14 | Belgium | +1h 17' 37" | |
| 15 | Netherlands | +1h 30' 34" | |
| 16 | Luxembourg | +1h 49' 47" | |
| 17 | Netherlands | +1h 50' 54" | |
| 18 | North Africa | +1h 51' 02" | |
| 19 | France | +1h 59' 43" | |
| 20 | South East | +2h 01' 17" | |
| 21 | France | +2h 02' 38" | |
| 22 | Netherlands | +2h 07' 22" | |
| 23 | Spain | +2h 08' 32" | |
| 24 | North East–Center | +2h 09' 44" | |
| 25 | Netherlands | +2h 09' 45" | |
| 26 | West–South West | +2h 20' 09" | |
| 27 | Italy | +2h 24' 16" | |
| 28 | Belgium | +2h 29' 59" | |
| 29 | Belgium | +2h 34' 31" | |
| 30 | Spain | +2h 41' 18" | |
| 31 | Paris | +2h 44' 42" | |
| 32 | North East–Center | +2h 47' 21" | |
| 33 | West–South West | +2h 48' 03" | |
| 34 | France | +2h 49' 26" | |
| 35 | Italy | +2h 49' 57" | |
| 36 | Paris | +2h 50' 35" | |
| 37 | France | +2h 51' 56" | |
| 38 | Belgium | +2h 52' 16" | |
| 39 | North Africa | +2h 52' 48" | |
| 40 | Paris | +2h 53' 01" | |
| 41 | Italy | +2h 53' 09" | |
| 42 | Spain | +2h 53' 48" | |
| 43 | France | +2h 54' 24" | |
| 44 | South East | +2h 59' 06" | |
| 45 | North East–Center | +3h 02' 26" | |
| 46 | Italy | +3h 03' 05" | |
| 47 | Spain | +3h 06' 01" | |
| 48 | Paris | +3h 14' 39" | |
| 49 | West–South West | +3h 15' 21" | |
| 50 | Switzerland | +3h 21' 34" | |
| 51 | Italy | +3h 28' 04" | |
| 52 | Switzerland | +3h 28' 42" | |
| 53 | Netherlands | +3h 29' 05" | |
| 54 | North Africa | +3h 30' 54" | |
| 55 | North East–Center | +3h 34' 31" | |
| 56 | Italy | +3h 37' 32" | |
| 57 | Luxembourg | +3h 38' 19" | |
| 58 | Italy | +3h 40' 46" | |
| 59 | France | +3h 40' 56" | |
| 60 | Netherlands | +3h 41' 55" | |
| 61 | North East–Center | +3h 42' 46" | |
| 62 | Italy | +3h 50' 34" | |
| 63 | France | +3h 57' 16" | |
| 64 | France | +4h 02' 18" | |
| 65 | South East | +4h 06' 33" | |
| 66 | South East | +4h 08' 35" | |
| 67 | South East | +4h 08' 58" | |
| 68 | South East | +4h 09' 30" | |
| 69 | Netherlands | +4h 18' 54" | |
| 70 | West–South West | +4h 34' 34" | |
| 71 | South East | +4h 41' 59" | |
| 72 | Switzerland | +4h 45' 51" | |
| 73 | West–South West | +4h 58' 32" | |
| 74 | West–South West | +4h 59' 48" | |
| 75 | West–South West | +5h 19' 19" | |
| 76 | Netherlands | +5h 21' 13" | |
| 77 | North Africa | +7h 11' 36" | |
| 78 | North Africa | +7h 15' 09" | |
Mountains classification
Points for the mountains classification were earned by reaching the mountain tops first. The system was the same as in 1951: there were two types of mountain tops: the hardest ones, in category 1, gave 10 points to the winner, the easier ones in category 2 gave 6 points to the winner. Fausto Coppi won this classification.| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ' | Italy | 92 |
| 2 | Spain | 69 | |
| 3 | France | 60 | |
| 4 | Belgium | 53 | |
| 5 | France | 51 | |
| 6 | Italy | 42 | |
| 7 | France | 35 | |
| 8 | Spain | 28 | |
| 9 | Italy | 23 | |
| 10 | Netherlands | 22 | |
Team classification
The team classificationTeam 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:...
was calculated by adding the times in the general classification of the best three cyclists per team. It was won by the Italian team.
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 455h 56' 40" |
| 2 | France | +25' 16" |
| 3 | Belgium | +54' 56" |
| 4 | Spain | +2h 53' 44" |
| 5 | Netherlands | +2h 59' 52" |
| 6 | North East–Center | +4h 26' 06" |
| 7 | East–South East | +4h 46' 06" |
| 8 | West–South West | +5h 58' 00" |
| 9 | Paris | +6h 27' 14" |
| 10 | Switzerland | +7h 00' 41" |
| 11 | North Africa | +7h 56' 49" |
The Luxembourgian team finished with only two cyclists, and therefore were not eligible for the team classification.
Other awards
The special award for the best regional rider was won by eighteenth-placed Marcel Zelasco.Aftermath
The daily combativity award was a success, and has been awarded ever since. The mountain finishes also were spectacular enough to have been included in every Tour de France since.Fausto Coppi would never start the Tour de France again.
The team selecters for the French national team felt that Raphaël Géminiani
Raphael Geminiani
Raphaël Géminiani is a French former road bicycle racer. He had six podium finishes in the Grand Tours. He is one of four children of Italian immigrants who moved to Clermont-Ferrand. He worked in a cycle shop and started racing as a boy...
had held back when chasing Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi, , was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions...
, because they rode for the same sponsor. For that reason, Géminiani was left out the national team for the 1952 UCI World Championships. To avoid these problems in the future, Géminiani switched teams at the end of the season.