1961 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1961 Tour de France was the 48th running of the Tour de France
. It meandered through France
from 25 June to 16 July 1961. It consisted of 21 stages, a total of 4397 km (2,732.2 mi), which was ridden at an average speed of 36.033 kilometres per hour (22.4 mph). Out of the 132 riders who started the tour, 72 managed to complete the tour's tough course. Throughout the 1961 Tour de France, two of the French national team's riders, André Darrigade
and Jacques Anquetil
held the yellow jersey for the entirety 21 stages. There was a great deal of excitement between the second and third places, concluding with Guido Carlesi
stealing Charly Gaul's
second place position on the last day by two seconds.
.
The calculation for the team classification was different from previous years. Before 1961, the classification was based on time, but in 1961, it was based on points.
The Tour de France was meant for professional cyclists, but in 1961 the organisation started the Tour de l'Avenir
the amateur version.
had won the 1957 Tour de France
, he was unable to repeat it, due to illness, tiredness and struggle within the French team. For 1961, he asked the team captain Marcel Bidot
to make a team that would only ride for him, and Bidot agreed. Anquetil announced before the race that he would take the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification on the first day, and wear it until the end of the race in Paris.
Gastone Nencini
, who won the previous edition, did not enter in 1961, but Graziano Battistini
, his team mate and runner-up of 1960, started the race as leader of the Italian team. If the French team would again have internal struggles, the Italian team could emerge as the winner.
The Spanish team had two outsiders, José Perez-Frances and Fernando Manzaneque
. The last outsider was Charly Gaul
,winner of the 1958 Tour de France
, who rode in the mixed Luxembourg-Swiss team. He considered his team mates so weak that he did not seek their help, and rode the race on his own.
Raymond Poulidor
was convinced by his team manager Antonin Magne
that it would be better to skip the Tour, because the national team format would undermine his commercial value.
won the opening stage, and it became the fifth time that he won the opening stage. Darrigade had been in a small group that broke away, which included Anquetil. Other competitors, such as Gaul and Battistini, already lost more than 5 minutes.
After that, there was a time trial, won by Jacques Anquetil
. Anquetil became the leader of the race, with his team mate Joseph Groussard
in second place, almost five minutes behind him.
Unlike previous years, the French team continued without fights, and won five of the first eight stages. The ninth stage included four major climbs. On the second climb, Gaul escaped. He crashed on the descent of the third mountain, but managed to stay away and win the stage; Anquetil was not far behind and kept the lead. Anquetil had a five-minutes margin on the second-placed rider, which was Manzaneque.
This situation had not changed when the sixteenth stage started. It was expected that Gaul, in third place more than six minutes behind, would attack, but this did not happen.
The last chance for the opposition to win back time on Anquetil was in the seventeenth stage, but Anquetil stayed close to his direct competitors, and only allowed lower classified riders to escape. The press criticized Anquetil's tactics, saying he was riding passively. In the nineteenth stage, an individual time trial, Gaul was on his way to win back a little time on Anquetil, when he crashed heavily, and could not find his pace again. Anquetil won almost three minutes on Gaul and extended his lead to more than ten minutes.
, and had one restday, in Montpellier
.
was won by André Darrigade.
was won by the French national team. In 1961, the team classification was calculated by the number of team stage victories.
The other teams received no points.
was given to the entire regional West-South West team.
termed a "fiasco". After the race, the system with national teams was abandoned, and it was announced that the 1962 Tour de France
would be run with sponsored teams.
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...
. It meandered through France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 25 June to 16 July 1961. It consisted of 21 stages, a total of 4397 km (2,732.2 mi), which was ridden at an average speed of 36.033 kilometres per hour (22.4 mph). Out of the 132 riders who started the tour, 72 managed to complete the tour's tough course. Throughout the 1961 Tour de France, two of the French national team's riders, André Darrigade
André Darrigade
André Darrigade was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1951 and 1966. Darrigade, a road sprinter won the 1959 World Championship and 22 stages of the Tour de France. Five of those were on the first day. The record has never been equalled.-Origins:André Darrigade was born at Narosse,...
and Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
held the yellow jersey for the entirety 21 stages. There was a great deal of excitement between the second and third places, concluding with Guido Carlesi
Guido Carlesi
Guido Carlesi was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Carlesi won two stages in the Tour de France and seven stages in the Giro d'Italia...
stealing Charly Gaul's
Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul was a professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and a better climber. His ability earned him the nickname of The Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories...
second place position on the last day by two seconds.
Changes from the 1960 Tour de France
For the first time in the Tour de France history, a stage finished on top of a mountain, when in stage 16, the finish was on top of the SuperbagnèresSuperbagnères
Superbagnères is a ski resort above the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon in the French department of Haute-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region.-Overview:...
.
The calculation for the team classification was different from previous years. Before 1961, the classification was based on time, but in 1961, it was based on points.
The Tour de France was meant for professional cyclists, but in 1961 the organisation started the Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
the amateur version.
Participants
Since Jacques AnquetilJacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
had won the 1957 Tour de France
1957 Tour de France
The 1957 Tour de France was the 44th Tour de France, taking place June 27 to July 20, 1957. It was composed of 22 stages over 4665 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.250 km/h....
, he was unable to repeat it, due to illness, tiredness and struggle within the French team. For 1961, he asked the team captain Marcel Bidot
Marcel Bidot
Marcel Bidot was a French professional road bicycle racer who won two stages of the Tour de France and became manager of the French national team...
to make a team that would only ride for him, and Bidot agreed. Anquetil announced before the race that he would take the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification on the first day, and wear it until the end of the race in Paris.
Gastone Nencini
Gastone Nencini
Gastone Nencini was an Italian road racing cyclist who won the 1960 Tour de France and the 1957 Giro d'Italia....
, who won the previous edition, did not enter in 1961, but Graziano Battistini
Graziano Battistini
Graziano Battistini was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. In 1960, Battistini won two stages in the Tour de France, and finished in second place in the general classification.- Palmarès :1959...
, his team mate and runner-up of 1960, started the race as leader of the Italian team. If the French team would again have internal struggles, the Italian team could emerge as the winner.
The Spanish team had two outsiders, José Perez-Frances and Fernando Manzaneque
Fernando Manzaneque
Fernando Manzaneque Sánchez was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist born in Campo de Criptana. Fernando was the older brother of Jesús Manzaneque.-Major Results:19551957...
. The last outsider was Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul was a professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and a better climber. His ability earned him the nickname of The Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories...
,winner of the 1958 Tour de France
1958 Tour de France
The 1958 Tour de France was the 45th Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 19, 1958. The total race distance was 24 stages over 4,319 km, at an average speed of 36.919 km/h....
, who rode in the mixed Luxembourg-Swiss team. He considered his team mates so weak that he did not seek their help, and rode the race on his own.
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor , is a former professional bicycle racer. He was known as the eternal second, because he finished the Tour de France in second place three times, and in third place five times, including his final Tour at the age of 40...
was convinced by his team manager 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...
that it would be better to skip the Tour, because the national team format would undermine his commercial value.
Race details
André DarrigadeAndré Darrigade
André Darrigade was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1951 and 1966. Darrigade, a road sprinter won the 1959 World Championship and 22 stages of the Tour de France. Five of those were on the first day. The record has never been equalled.-Origins:André Darrigade was born at Narosse,...
won the opening stage, and it became the fifth time that he won the opening stage. Darrigade had been in a small group that broke away, which included Anquetil. Other competitors, such as Gaul and Battistini, already lost more than 5 minutes.
After that, there was a time trial, won by Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
. Anquetil became the leader of the race, with his team mate Joseph Groussard
Joseph Groussard
Joseph Groussard is a former French professional road bicycle racer. Groussard was professional from 1954 to 1968. He rode 9 editions of the Tour de France where he won one stage in the 1959 Tour de France and wore the maillot jaune for one day in 1960 Tour de France...
in second place, almost five minutes behind him.
Unlike previous years, the French team continued without fights, and won five of the first eight stages. The ninth stage included four major climbs. On the second climb, Gaul escaped. He crashed on the descent of the third mountain, but managed to stay away and win the stage; Anquetil was not far behind and kept the lead. Anquetil had a five-minutes margin on the second-placed rider, which was Manzaneque.
This situation had not changed when the sixteenth stage started. It was expected that Gaul, in third place more than six minutes behind, would attack, but this did not happen.
The last chance for the opposition to win back time on Anquetil was in the seventeenth stage, but Anquetil stayed close to his direct competitors, and only allowed lower classified riders to escape. The press criticized Anquetil's tactics, saying he was riding passively. In the nineteenth stage, an individual time trial, Gaul was on his way to win back a little time on Anquetil, when he crashed heavily, and could not find his pace again. Anquetil won almost three minutes on Gaul and extended his lead to more than ten minutes.
Stages
The 1961 Tour de France started on 25 June in RouenRouen
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...
, and had one restday, in 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....
.
| Stage | Date | Route | Terrain | Length | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 25 June | Rouen – Versailles Versailles Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre... |
 |
136.5 km (84.8 mi) | |
| 1b | Versailles – Versailles |  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... |
28.5 km (17.7 mi) | ||
| 2 | 26 June | Pontoise Pontoise Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:... – 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:... |
|
230.5 km (143.2 mi) | |
| 3 | 27 June | Roubaix – Charleroi Charleroi Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as... |
|
197.5 km (122.7 mi) | |
| 4 | 28 June | Charleroi – 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... |
|
237.5 km (147.6 mi) | |
| 5 | 29 June | Metz – 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,... |
 |
221 km (137.3 mi) | |
| 6 | 30 June | Strasbourg – 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 .-... |
|
180.5 km (112.2 mi) | |
| 7 | 1 July | Belfort – Chalon sur Saône Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon.... |
|
214.5 km (133.3 mi) | |
| 8 | 2 July | Chalon sur Saône – St Etienne Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon... |
|
240.5 km (149.4 mi) | |
| 9 | 3 July | St Etienne – 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... |
|
230 km (142.9 mi) | |
| 10 | 4 July | Grenoble – Turin Turin Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... |
|
250.5 km (155.7 mi) | |
| 11 | 5 July | Turin – Juan les Pins Juan-les-Pins Juan-les-PinsCountry:Region:Department: Alpes-MaritimesArrondissement: GrasseCanton: Vallauris-Antibes-OuestMunicipality: AntibesPopulation:?Coordinates:Time zone:CET, UTC+1Elevation:10 amslPostal code:06600... |
|
225 km (139.8 mi) | |
| 12 | 6 July | Juan les Pins – 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... |
|
199 km (123.7 mi) | |
| 13 | 7 July | Aix en Provence – 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.... |
|
177.5 km (110.3 mi) | |
| 14 | 9 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... |
|
174 km (108.1 mi) | |
| 15 | 10 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... |
|
206 km (128 mi) | |
| 16 | 11 July | Toulouse – Luchon/Superbagnères Superbagnères Superbagnères is a ski resort above the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon in the French department of Haute-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region.-Overview:... |
|
208 km (129.2 mi) | |
| 17 | 12 July | Luchon – Pau | |
197 km (122.4 mi) | |
| 18 | 13 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... |
|
207 km (128.6 mi) | |
| 19 | 14 July | Bergerac Bergerac, Dordogne Bergerac is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Dordogne department in southwestern France.-Population:-Economy:The region is primarily known for wine and tobacco... – Périgueux Périgueux Périgueux is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Périgueux is the prefecture of the department and the capital of the region... |
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... |
74.5 km (46.3 mi) | |
| 20 | 15 July | Périgueux – Tours Tours Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the... |
|
309.5 km (192.3 mi) | |
| 21 | 16 July | Tours – 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... |
|
252.5 km (156.9 mi) | |
Classification leadership
| Stage | General classification |
Points classification Points classification in the Tour de France The points classification in the Tour de France is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition...  |
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:... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | no award | |||
| 1b | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | ||||
| 15 | ||||
| 16 | ||||
| 17 | ||||
| 18 | ||||
| 19 | ||||
| 20 | ||||
| 21 | ||||
| Final |
General classification
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 122h 01' 33" | |
| 2 | Italy | +12' 14" | |
| 3 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +12' 16" | |
| 4 | Italy | +15' 59" | |
| 5 | West-Germany | +16' 09" | |
| 6 | Spain | +16' 27" | |
| 7 | Spain | +20' 41" | |
| 8 | Centre-Midi | +21' 44" | |
| 9 | Belgium | +26' 57" | |
| 10 | Belgium | +28' 05" |
| Final general classification (11–72) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 11 | Belgium | +28' 27" | |
| 12 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +32' 14" | |
| 13 | Belgium | +40' 34" | |
| 14 | West/South West | +41' 26" | |
| 15 | Belgium | +41' 53" | |
| 16 | Italy | +43' 26" | |
| 17 | Belgium | +45' 52" | |
| 18 | France | +47' 38" | |
| 19 | France | +53' 19" | |
| 20 | West/South West | +58' 08" | |
| 21 | West/South West | +58' 42" | |
| 22 | Centre-Midi | +58' 42 | |
| 23 | West/South West | +1h 05' 05" | |
| 24 | Paris/North East | +1h 06' 28" | |
| 25 | West/South West | +1h 06' 45" | |
| 26 | Paris/North East | +1h 07' 33" | |
| 27 | West/South West | +1h 17' 41" | |
| 28 | West/South West | +1h 19' 15" | |
| 29 | Paris/North East | +1h 19' 40" | |
| 30 | West/South West | +1h 20' 58" | |
| 31 | France | +1h 23' 12" | |
| 32 | France | +1h 24' 51" | |
| 33 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +1h 26' 05" | |
| 34 | Centre-Midi | +1h 26' 39" | |
| 35 | France | +1h 28' 11" | |
| 36 | Belgium | +1h 28' 25" | |
| 37 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +1h 31' 57" | |
| 38 | Spain | +1h 32' 07" | |
| 39 | Centre-Midi | +1h 34' 50" | |
| 40 | France | +1h 36' 23" | |
| 41 | Centre-Midi | +1h 38' 47" | |
| 42 | France | +1h 39' 10" | |
| 43 | Italy | +1h 46' 43" | |
| 44 | Italy | +1h 47' 49" | |
| 45 | France | +1h 49' 00" | |
| 46 | Centre-Midi | +1h 50' 03" | |
| 47 | +1h 51' 05" | ||
| 48 | Centre-Midi | +1h 54' 45" | |
| 49 | Spain | +1h 54' 55" | |
| 50 | Italy | +2h 00' 22" | |
| 51 | Netherlands | +2h 03' 12" | |
| 52 | Centre-Midi | +2h 04' 06" | |
| 53 | Great-Britain | +2h 04' 23" | |
| 54 | West-Germany | +2h 07' 57" | |
| 55 | Spain | +2h 09' 46" | |
| 56 | Italy | +2h 10' 22" | |
| 57 | Paris/North East | +2h 20' 00" | |
| 58 | Netherlands | +2h 20' 12" | |
| 59 | West/South West | +2h 22' 04" | |
| 60 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +2h 24' 13" | |
| 61 | Belgium | +2h 26' 24" | |
| 62 | Spain | +2h 29' 09" | |
| 63 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +2h 30' 04" | |
| 64 | Netherlands | +2h 31' 35" | |
| 65 | Great-Britain | +2h 45' 47" | |
| 66 | Netherlands | +2h 51' 39" | |
| 67 | Switzerland-Luxembourg | +2h 54' 23" | |
| 68 | France | +3h 01' 02" | |
| 69 | Spain | +3h 08' 02" | |
| 70 | Paris/North East | +3h 19' 42" | |
| 71 | Paris/North East | +3h 47' 49" | |
| 72 | Paris/North East | +4h 12' 56" | |
Points classification
The points classificationPoints classification in the Tour de France
The points classification in the Tour de France is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1953. Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition...
was won by André Darrigade.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 174 | |
| 2 | West/South West | 169 | |
| 3 | Italy | 148 | |
| 4 | France | 146 | |
| 5 | Belgium | 118 |
Mountains classification
The mountains classification was calculated by adding the points given to cyclists for reaching the highest point in a climb first.| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 95 | |
| 2 | Switzerland/Luxembourg | 61 | |
| 3 | West-Germany | 48 | |
| 4 | West/South West | 46 | |
| 5 | Belgium | 29 | |
| 6 | Centre-Midi | 28 | |
| 7 | West/South West | 26 | |
| 7 | France | 26 | |
| 9 | Belgium | 19 | |
| 10 | Centre-Midi | 17 | |
| 10 | West/South West | 17 |
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 won by the French national team. In 1961, the team classification was calculated by the number of team stage victories.
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 10 |
| 2 | Belgium | 5 |
| 3 | Italy | 3 |
| 3 | West-South West | 3 |
| 5 | Centre-Midi | 1 |
The other teams received no points.
Other classifications
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 :...
was given to the entire regional West-South West team.
Aftermath
As Anquetil had led the race after every stage, there was not much competitiveness, which organiser Jacques GoddetJacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
termed a "fiasco". After the race, the system with national teams was abandoned, and it was announced that the 1962 Tour de France
1962 Tour de France
The 1962 Tour de France was the 49th Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 15, 1962. It was composed of 22 stages over 4274 km, ridden at an average speed of 37.306 km/h. After more than 30 years, the Tour was again contested by trade teams...
would be run with sponsored teams.