Henri Cornet
Encyclopedia
Henri Jardry called Henri Cornet (Desvres
, France, 4 August 1884, died Prunay-le-Gillon
, 18 March 1941) was a French cyclist who won the 1904 Tour de France
. He is its youngest winner, just short of his 20th birthday.
when he entered the second Tour de France in 1904. It was his first year as a professional. The organiser, Henri Desgrange
, promoted his unknown competitors to readers of L'Auto, the newspaper he edited, by giving them nicknames. He called Cornet Le Rigolo, or "the joker", for his sense of fun. He is described as cheerful, with wide-spaced eyes, a nose described as trumpet-like, and a generous mouth that spread easily into a smile.
received food from the race director, Géo Lefèvre
when others were denied. Fans beat up riders on the col de la République outside St-Étienne and dispersed only when Garin fired his gun.
Other spectators threw nails on the road on the last day and Cornet rode the last 40 km on flat tires. After many complaints about widespread cheating, the top four finishers were disqualified by the French cycling union. It declared Cornet the winner although he had taken three hours more than Garin, the winner and receiving an official warning that suggests his own conduct was less than pristine. Desgrange said he would never run the race again.
Cornet is the Tour's youngest winner at 19 years 11 months and 20 days.
. It was a demonstration race and did not count for the overall result of the Tour.
He was a fluid rider talented at repeated short efforts.
1906
Desvres
Desvres is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a market town, known for its pottery.In 1999 its population was 5,260 inhabitants for the commune and 14,164 inhabitants for the canton.-External links:* *...
, France, 4 August 1884, died Prunay-le-Gillon
Prunay-le-Gillon
Prunay-le-Gillon is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, 18 March 1941) was a French cyclist who won the 1904 Tour de France
1904 Tour de France
The 1904 Tour de France was the second Tour de France, held from 2 July to 24 July. With a route similar to its previous edition, 1903 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin seemed to have repeated his win by a small margin over Lucien Pothier, while Hippolyte Aucouturier won four of the six stages...
. He is its youngest winner, just short of his 20th birthday.
Background
Cornet was born in the Pas-de-Calais region of north-west France. It's not known why he changed his name from Henri Jardry to Henri Cornet. He was a talented amateur - he won Paris-Honfleur in 1903 - but little known beyond northern France and in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
when he entered the second Tour de France in 1904. It was his first year as a professional. The organiser, 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...
, promoted his unknown competitors to readers of L'Auto, the newspaper he edited, by giving them nicknames. He called Cornet Le Rigolo, or "the joker", for his sense of fun. He is described as cheerful, with wide-spaced eyes, a nose described as trumpet-like, and a generous mouth that spread easily into a smile.
Tour de France
The Tour de France had proved a success when the first race was run in 1903 and both the competition between riders and the passion of the fans who supported them rose to sometimes dangerous proportions. Riders took trains and lifts in cars or had themselves towed by drivers; a rider called Pierre Chevalier was repeatedly left exhausted in the darkness of night only to reappear in the race; the 1903 winner, Maurice GarinMaurice Garin
Maurice-Francois Garin was a road bicycle racer best known for winning the inaugural Tour de France in 1903, and for being stripped of his title in the second Tour in 1904 along with eight others, for cheating.-Origins:Garin was born the son of Maurice Clément Garin and Maria Teresa...
received food from the race director, Géo Lefèvre
Géo Lefèvre
Géo Lefèvre was a French sports journalist and the originator of the idea for the Tour de France.He suggested the idea for the Tour at a meeting with Henri Desgrange, editor of the daily newspaper L'Auto as a way to boost circulation. Desgrange recruited Lefèvre from the rival daily sports paper,...
when others were denied. Fans beat up riders on the col de la République outside St-Étienne and dispersed only when Garin fired his gun.
Other spectators threw nails on the road on the last day and Cornet rode the last 40 km on flat tires. After many complaints about widespread cheating, the top four finishers were disqualified by the French cycling union. It declared Cornet the winner although he had taken three hours more than Garin, the winner and receiving an official warning that suggests his own conduct was less than pristine. Desgrange said he would never run the race again.
Cornet is the Tour's youngest winner at 19 years 11 months and 20 days.
After 1904
Henri Cornet never had further success in the Tour, dropping out in 1905 on the fourth day. He won Paris–Roubaix and came second in Bordeaux–Paris in 1906, and came eighth in the 1908 Tour de France, in which he won a one-lap time-trial held at the end of the race in 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...
. It was a demonstration race and did not count for the overall result of the Tour.
He was a fluid rider talented at repeated short efforts.
Retirement and death
Cornet rode his last Tour de France in 1912, finishing 28th. He had repeated health problems, however, which brought his career to an end. He stopped racing with the start of World War I. He retired to work in the cycle business (négoce cycliste) and died after a hospital operation at 56. A road in Prunay-le-Gillon is named after him.Palmarès
1904- 1904 Tour de France1904 Tour de FranceThe 1904 Tour de France was the second Tour de France, held from 2 July to 24 July. With a route similar to its previous edition, 1903 Tour de France winner Maurice Garin seemed to have repeated his win by a small margin over Lucien Pothier, while Hippolyte Aucouturier won four of the six stages...
:
Winner overall classification- Winner stage 3
1906
- Paris–Roubaix
Grand Tour General Classfication results timeline
| Grand Tour | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE |
| Tour 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... |
1 | DNF-4 | DNE | DNF-5 | 8 | DNF-3 | 16 | 12 | 28 |
| Vuelta Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |