Roger Lapébie
Encyclopedia
Roger Lapébie was a French
racing cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France
. In addition, Lapébie won the 1934 and 1937 editions of the Critérium National
. He was born at Bayonne
, Aquitaine
, and died in Pessac
.
. This gave him the advantage of shifting gears without having to stop, dismount and flip the wheel as was customary of racing bicycles used at the time. Lapébie was also known to accept outside assistance in violation of the rules and was at one point penalized 90 seconds by race commissaires.
The advantages taken by Lapébie angered his Belgian rival, Sylvère Maes
who won the Tour the previous year. Maes had led the race through the Alps
and Pyrenees
but decided to quit in protest of Lapébie's tactics and derailleur use after the 16th stage to Bordeaux
. Lapébie, in second place, took the yellow jersey in the absence of Maes and kept it until Paris. The victory delighted the French but angered the cycling-proud Belgians.
Following Lapébie's victory derailleurs became standard racing equipment in the Tour peloton.
1933
1934
1935
1937
1938
1939
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...
racing cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France
1937 Tour de France
The 1937 Tour de France was the 31st Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 25, 1937. It consisted of 20 stages with a total length of 4415 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.768 km/h....
. In addition, Lapébie won the 1934 and 1937 editions of the Critérium National
Critérium International
The Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
. He was born at Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
, and died in Pessac
Pessac
Pessac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux and is adjacent to it on the southwest. It is a member of the metropolitan Urban Community of Bordeaux...
.
1937 Tour de France
Lapébie won the 1937 Tour by riding 4,415 kilometers in 138 hours, 58 minutes and 31 seconds. His victory was controversial as he was the first rider to complete the race using a modern derailleurDerailleur gears
Derailleur gears are a variable-ratio transmission system commonly used on bicycles, consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another...
. This gave him the advantage of shifting gears without having to stop, dismount and flip the wheel as was customary of racing bicycles used at the time. Lapébie was also known to accept outside assistance in violation of the rules and was at one point penalized 90 seconds by race commissaires.
The advantages taken by Lapébie angered his Belgian rival, Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...
who won the Tour the previous year. Maes had led the race through the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
but decided to quit in protest of Lapébie's tactics and derailleur use after the 16th stage to 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...
. Lapébie, in second place, took the yellow jersey in the absence of Maes and kept it until Paris. The victory delighted the French but angered the cycling-proud Belgians.
Following Lapébie's victory derailleurs became standard racing equipment in the Tour peloton.
Palmarès
1932- Tour de France1932 Tour de FranceThe 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....
- Winner stage 12
1933
- Circuit du Morbihan
- National road race Championship
- Paris-Saint-Etienne
1934
- Tour de France1934 Tour de FranceThe 1934 Tour de France was the 28th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 29, 1934. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,363 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.360 km/h. The race was won by Antonin Magne, who had previously won the 1931 Tour de France. The French team was dominant,...
- Winner stages 3, 4, 12, 14 and 15
- 3rd place overall classification
- Critérium InternationalCritérium InternationalThe Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
- Paris–Nice:Winner stage 2 and 5B
- Paris-Saint-Etienne
- Paris-Vichy
1935
- Paris - Saint-Etienne
- Paris Routiers, Six Days
- Paris, Six Days
1937
- Critérium International
- Paris–Nice
- Tour de France1937 Tour de FranceThe 1937 Tour de France was the 31st Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 25, 1937. It consisted of 20 stages with a total length of 4415 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.768 km/h....
Winner overall classification- Winner stages 9, 17C, 18A
1938
- Paris - Sedan
1939
- 1st stage Paris - Nice
Grand Tour results timeline
| 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE |
| Stages won | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mountains classification | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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... |
23 1932 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.... |
29 1933 Tour de France 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.... |
3 1934 Tour de France The 1934 Tour de France was the 28th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 29, 1934. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,363 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.360 km/h. The race was won by Antonin Magne, who had previously won the 1931 Tour de France. The French team was dominant,... |
DNF-12 1935 Tour de France The 1935 Tour de France was the 29th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 28, 1935. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,338 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.650 km/h. Although the French team was favourite, Belgian Romain Maes took the lead in the first stage, and never gave it away... |
DNE | 1 1937 Tour de France The 1937 Tour de France was the 31st Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 25, 1937. It consisted of 20 stages with a total length of 4415 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.768 km/h.... |
| Stages won | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 3 |
| Mountains classification | NR | NR | NR | NR | — | NR |
| 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 | DNE | DNE | N/A |
| Stages won | — | — | ||||
| Mountains classification | — | — |