André Darrigade
Encyclopedia
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.
in the forested Landes
region. He came to attention at the other end of the country and on the track by beating the future world sprint champion, Antonio Maspes
in a meeting at the Vélodrome d'Hiver
the night before the six-day race there.
His name immediately appealed to northern crowds. René de Latour
said: "It is a very 'musical' name to [northern] French ears, especially when pronounced by a southerner who rolls his Rs like a Scotsman
to make it sound like Darrrrrigade. De Latour said:
Darrigade stayed in Paris and joined one of its leading clubs, the Vélo-Club d'Asnières-Courbevoie, at the invitation of Francis Pélissier
, the former professional who was one of its officials. Darrigade rode again on the track at the Vél' d'Hiv, winning madisons
and sprints, and won four races on the road. He turned professional in 1951 for a salary that barely covered his rent
said: "Darrigade was the greatest French sprinter of all time and he'll stay that way for a long time. The mould has been broken. But he wasn't just a sprinter. He was an animateur who could start decisive breaks; he destroyed the image of sprinters who just sit on wheels." He began his sprints from a long distance from the line, challenging others to pass him. It endeared him to the French public, said de Latour.
Darrigade won 16 yellow jerseys and 22 stages. He won the opening stage of the Tour de France in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1961. Darrigade lost time in the mountains, however, and his best final positions were 16th in 1956, 1959 and 1960. In single-day races, he won the national championship in 1955 and a year and a half later the Tour of Lombardy. He won the world championship at Zandvoort
on 16 August 1959, breaking clear with the Italian, Michele Gismondi, and an unknown Dane, Retvig. Darrigade was at his best in the middle of the season and the spring races were too early and those in autumn too late. He did, however, come fourth in the 1957 Paris–Roubaix, 3rd in Milan – San Remo and second in Paris–Brussels in 1960.
He said: "I was always considered a team man. I never had any pretensions to be anything else. In the days when the Tour had national teams, Marcel Bidot
[the manager] always saw me as just that. Those wins never became dull or routine. Each one was an immense pleasure. What's more, I had the chance to race alongside such great champions as Louison Bobet
and Jacques Anquetil
." He was close to Anquetil, whom he called "bizarrely calm." He said: "Quite often, I had to say to him, 'If you don't get going, you'll lose the Tour."
in western Paris
. The 70-year-old sécrétaire-général of the stadium, Constant Wouters ran across the grass in the centre of the ground to prevent photographers encroaching on the track. The journalists hid the riders and Wouters from each other and Darrigade rode into Wouters as he stepped on to the track. Darrigade was lifted from his bike and turned round and Wouters thrown into the air. Both fell heavily and were taken to hospital.
Wouters was treated at the nearby Boucicaut medical centre but died on 31 July. Darrigade cracked his skull and broke ribs. He was able to return before the end of the meeting to take a lap of honour.
. It was painted red in honour of the town's rugby
team. A stadium in Dax is named after him. Darrigade's brother, Roger, six years younger, also rode as a professional.
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
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...
professional road bicycle racer between 1951 and 1966. Darrigade, a road sprinter
Cycling sprinter
A cycling sprinter is a road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed, often using the slipstream of another cyclist or group of cyclists tactically to conserve energy.-The 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, near DaxDax, Landes
Dax is a commune in Aquitaine in south-western France, sub-prefecture of the Landes department.It is particularly famous as a spa, specialising in mud treatment for rheumatism and similar ailments....
in the forested Landes
Landes forest
The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime-pine forest in Europe...
region. He came to attention at the other end of the country and on the track by beating the future world sprint champion, Antonio Maspes
Antonio Maspes
Antonio Maspes was an Italian world champion sprinter. Maspes was born and died in Milan. Maspes won seven professional world championship sprint titles between 1959 and 1955- Palmarès :194819491952...
in a meeting at the Vélodrome d'Hiver
Vélodrome d'hiver
The Vélodrome d'Hiver , colloquially Vel' d'Hiv, was an indoor bicycle racing cycle track and stadium on rue Nélaton, not far from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. As well as track cycling, it was used for ice hockey, wrestling, boxing, roller-skating, circuses, spectaculars, and demonstrations...
the night before the six-day race there.
His name immediately appealed to northern crowds. René de Latour
René de Latour
René de Latour was a Franco-American sports journalist, race director of the Tour de l'Avenir cycle race, and correspondent of the British magazine, Sporting Cyclist, to which he contributed to 120 of the 131 issues.-Background:René de Latour was born in 42nd Street, New York...
said: "It is a very 'musical' name to [northern] French ears, especially when pronounced by a southerner who rolls his Rs like a Scotsman
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
to make it sound like Darrrrrigade. De Latour said:
- André Darrigade is heavily built and would have made a good football centre forward. He has blond hair, clear eyes, rosy cheeks, and is a bit on the shy side. When we first saw him in Paris soon after the war finished he was a novice, not a roadman at all. He had come to the big city to ride in the final of the famous Médaille race at the Vélodrome d'Hiver. When he arrived at the Vélodrome d'Hiver, he had no soigneur, no dressing gown, nobody to hold him up at the start, pump his tyres or adjust his position to suit the high, frightening bankings. He was lonely — but courageous. And guess who was his principal victim — Antonio Maspes!
Darrigade stayed in Paris and joined one of its leading clubs, the Vélo-Club d'Asnières-Courbevoie, at the invitation of Francis Pélissier
Francis Pélissier
Francis Pélissier was a French professional road racing cyclist from Paris. He was the younger brother of Tour de France winner Henri Pélissier, and the older brother of Tour de France stage winner Charles Pélissier. He won several classic cycle races like Paris–Tours, Bordeaux–Paris and Grand...
, the former professional who was one of its officials. Darrigade rode again on the track at the Vél' d'Hiv, winning madisons
Madison (cycling)
The madison is a team event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French and in Italian and Spanish as Americana.-History:...
and sprints, and won four races on the road. He turned professional in 1951 for a salary that barely covered his rent
Professional career
Raphaël GéminianiRaphael 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...
said: "Darrigade was the greatest French sprinter of all time and he'll stay that way for a long time. The mould has been broken. But he wasn't just a sprinter. He was an animateur who could start decisive breaks; he destroyed the image of sprinters who just sit on wheels." He began his sprints from a long distance from the line, challenging others to pass him. It endeared him to the French public, said de Latour.
Darrigade won 16 yellow jerseys and 22 stages. He won the opening stage of the Tour de France in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1961. Darrigade lost time in the mountains, however, and his best final positions were 16th in 1956, 1959 and 1960. In single-day races, he won the national championship in 1955 and a year and a half later the Tour of Lombardy. He won the world championship at Zandvoort
Zandvoort
Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
on 16 August 1959, breaking clear with the Italian, Michele Gismondi, and an unknown Dane, Retvig. Darrigade was at his best in the middle of the season and the spring races were too early and those in autumn too late. He did, however, come fourth in the 1957 Paris–Roubaix, 3rd in Milan – San Remo and second in Paris–Brussels in 1960.
He said: "I was always considered a team man. I never had any pretensions to be anything else. In the days when the Tour had national teams, 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...
[the manager] always saw me as just that. Those wins never became dull or routine. Each one was an immense pleasure. What's more, I had the chance to race alongside such great champions as 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...
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...
." He was close to Anquetil, whom he called "bizarrely calm." He said: "Quite often, I had to say to him, 'If you don't get going, you'll lose the Tour."
Parc des Princes crash
On July 19, 1958 the Tour finished at the Parc des PrincesParc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
in western 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...
. The 70-year-old sécrétaire-général of the stadium, Constant Wouters ran across the grass in the centre of the ground to prevent photographers encroaching on the track. The journalists hid the riders and Wouters from each other and Darrigade rode into Wouters as he stepped on to the track. Darrigade was lifted from his bike and turned round and Wouters thrown into the air. Both fell heavily and were taken to hospital.
Wouters was treated at the nearby Boucicaut medical centre but died on 31 July. Darrigade cracked his skull and broke ribs. He was able to return before the end of the meeting to take a lap of honour.
Honours and personal life
Darrigade retired to run a newspaper shop in BiarritzBiarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
. It was painted red in honour of the town's rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team. A stadium in Dax is named after him. Darrigade's brother, Roger, six years younger, also rode as a professional.
Palmarès
1951- Bordeaux-Saintes
1952
- 1st stage Paris-Saint Etienne
1953
- 12th stage Tour de France
1954
- GP La Marseillaise
1955
- National champion
- 6th stage Tour de France
1956
- 1st stage Tour de France
- Tour of LombardyTour of LombardyThe Giro di Lombardia is a cycling race, in Lombardy, Italy. It is the last 'Monument' of the European calendar, and although no longer part of the UCI ProTour, it was for many years the last event in the UCI World Ranking calendar, and therefore potentially decisive in that title. In 2012...
- Trofeo BaracchiTrofeo BaracchiThe Trofeo Baracchi was a major Italian cycling race that ran for 50 years. It was created by Mino Baracchi, in memory of his father Angelo who was a great cycle racing fan. Originally an amateur individual time trial, from 1944 it was open to professionals and became a major event on the...
with Rolf Graf
1957
- 1st stage Tour de France
- 3rd stage A Tour de France (team time trial)
- 21st stage Tour de France
- 22nd stage Tour de France
- 3rd stage A Tour de RomandieTour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
1958
- 1st stage Tour de France
- 9th stage Tour de France
- 15th stage Tour de France
- 17th stage Tour de France
- 22nd stage Tour de France
- Paris-Valenciennes
- 1st stage Dunkirk Four-day
1959
- 1st stage Tour de France
- 11th stage Tour de France
- Points, Tour de France
- World champion
1960
- 5th stage Tour de France
- 2nd stage Tour de Romandie
- 4th stage Tour de Romandie
- 15th stage Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe 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...
- 6th stage A Paris–Nice
1961
- 1st stage A Tour de France
- 2nd stage Tour de France
- 13th stage Tour de France
- 20th stage Tour de France
- Points, Tour de France
- 1st stage Dauphiné Libéré
- 2nd stage Paris–Nice
1962
- 2nd stage A Tour de France
- 3rd stage B Dauphiné Libéré
1963
- 12th stage Tour de France
- 6th stage B Paris–Nice
1964
- 2nd stage Tour de France
- 18th stage Tour de France
- 8th stage B Dauphiné Libéré
- 9th stage B Dauphiné Libéré
- 5th stage Paris–Nice
