Roger Walkowiak
Encyclopedia
Roger Walkowiak
Roger Walkowiak (born March 2, 1927 in Montluçon
, France
) is a French
former road bicycle racer who unexpectedly won the 1956 Tour de France
. He was a professional rider from 1950 until 1960.
had been disputed by national and regional teams. Roger Walkowiak was recruited for the French regional Nord-Est-Centre team, representing the North-east and Centre of France, despite coming from Montluçon in the South-West. He was the only rider available at late notice to replace an original team member, Gilbert Bauvin
, who had been promoted to France's main team.
Walkowiak escaped on the 7th stage from Lorient
to Angers
in a group of 31 riders that won that day by over 18 minutes. The advantage was enough to give him the yellow jersey
of the overall race lead. At this stage the race's stars did not consider this 'insignificant' rider to be a risk.
Walkowiak lost the jersey to Gerrit Voorting
at the end of stage 10 which took some of the pressure off his shoulders. In the Pyrenees
Belgium's Jan Adriaensens
took the lead. At Aix-en-Provence
(stage 15) Dutchman Wout Wagtmans
took the jersey, but Walkowiak was still well placed.
On the Alpine stage 18 (Torino–Grenoble
), the climbing specialist Charly Gaul
(Luxembourg
), who had lost a lot of time in the flat stages, attacked to try and win the King of the Mountains competition
(which he eventually did, beating Federico Bahamontes
). Gaul's attack split the field; Wagtmans lost 16 minutes and Walkowiak took back the yellow jersey after losing only 8 minutes to Gaul on the day.
For the last four stages, Walkowiak defended his lead, reaching the finish at the Parc des Princes
on July 28 just over a minute ahead of Gilbert Bauvin. The race was won in a then record speed of 36.268 km/h.
Walkowiak's win was poorly received by the professional peloton and the public. "The applause sounded like a lamentation", the organiser, Jacques Goddet
, wrote in L'Équipe
. The crowd was disappointed that the race had been won by an unknown and not by the rising star Jacques Anquetil
, who had decided against riding. Walkowiak became the second rider to win the Tour without winning on any of the individual day's stages that make up the race, and is the only rider to ever win the Tour de France and never win an individual stage in any year.
Nevertheless, Jacques Goddet always considered Walkowiak his favourite winner, calling him an all-rounder who had used his legs to win and his head to secure his winning position. France, however, remained unimpressed and for many years, Walkowiak's name passed into the language, so that do something "à la Walko" meant to succeed unexpectedly or without panache.
That reaction depressed Walkowiak. He rode the Tour the following year, but slipped from top of the field to almost the bottom. He rode the Tour of Spain, the Vuelta a España
, in 1957 and won a stage, raced a further two years and then retired to run a bar in the area from which he had left, as an unknown, to win the Tour de France. When even his customers teased him about winning the Tour, he lost confidence still more and went back to working on a lathe in the car factory in Montluçon that had employed him as a young man.
It took many years to persuade Walkowiak that there was merit in what he had done and, while he still lives quietly in south-west France, he does now talk about the day he became the unknown who won the world's greatest cycling race.
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1960
Roger Walkowiak (born March 2, 1927 in Montluçon
Montluçon
Montluçon is a commune in central France. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais...
, 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...
) is a French
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...
former road bicycle racer who unexpectedly won the 1956 Tour de France
1956 Tour de France
The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd Tour de France, taking place from July 5 to 28, 1956. It consisted of 22 stages over 4498 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.268 km/h....
. He was a professional rider from 1950 until 1960.
The 1956 Tour de France
From 1930 the Tour de FranceTour 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...
had been disputed by national and regional teams. Roger Walkowiak was recruited for the French regional Nord-Est-Centre team, representing the North-east and Centre of France, despite coming from Montluçon in the South-West. He was the only rider available at late notice to replace an original team member, Gilbert Bauvin
Gilbert Bauvin
Gilbert Bauvin is a former professional French road bicycle racer. He was a professional from 1950 to 1960...
, who had been promoted to France's main team.
Walkowiak escaped on the 7th stage from Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
to Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
in a group of 31 riders that won that day by over 18 minutes. The advantage was enough to give him the yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
of the overall race lead. At this stage the race's stars did not consider this 'insignificant' rider to be a risk.
Walkowiak lost the jersey to Gerrit Voorting
Gerrit Voorting
Gerardus Petrus Voorting is a retired racing cyclist from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. There he won the silver medal in the men's individual road race...
at the end of stage 10 which took some of the pressure off his shoulders. In the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
Belgium's Jan Adriaensens
Jan Adriaensens
Jan Adriaensens is a former Belgian road bicycle racer. He finished twice on the podium of the Tour de France, with a third place in 1956 and in 1960...
took the lead. At 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...
(stage 15) Dutchman Wout Wagtmans
Wout Wagtmans
Wouter Wagtmans was a Dutch road bicycle racer.Together with Wim van Est he belonged to the generation that brought great popularity to cycling in the Netherlands in the 1950s. In 1947, Wagtmans started as amateur, and two years later he became Dutch champion...
took the jersey, but Walkowiak was still well placed.
On the Alpine stage 18 (Torino–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...
), the climbing specialist 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...
(Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
), who had lost a lot of time in the flat stages, attacked to try and win the King of the Mountains competition
King of the Mountains
The King of the Mountains is the title given to the best climber in a cycling road race; usually and officially known as the Mountains classification...
(which he eventually did, beating Federico Bahamontes
Federico Bahamontes
Federico Martín Bahamontes is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist.-Biography:Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla , of Cuban descent. His family was devastated during the Spanish civil war and Bahamontes' father, Julián, took the family to Madrid as refugees...
). Gaul's attack split the field; Wagtmans lost 16 minutes and Walkowiak took back the yellow jersey after losing only 8 minutes to Gaul on the day.
For the last four stages, Walkowiak defended his lead, reaching the finish at the Parc des Princes
Parc 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...
on July 28 just over a minute ahead of Gilbert Bauvin. The race was won in a then record speed of 36.268 km/h.
Walkowiak's win was poorly received by the professional peloton and the public. "The applause sounded like a lamentation", the organiser, Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
, wrote in L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
. The crowd was disappointed that the race had been won by an unknown and not by the rising star 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...
, who had decided against riding. Walkowiak became the second rider to win the Tour without winning on any of the individual day's stages that make up the race, and is the only rider to ever win the Tour de France and never win an individual stage in any year.
Nevertheless, Jacques Goddet always considered Walkowiak his favourite winner, calling him an all-rounder who had used his legs to win and his head to secure his winning position. France, however, remained unimpressed and for many years, Walkowiak's name passed into the language, so that do something "à la Walko" meant to succeed unexpectedly or without panache.
That reaction depressed Walkowiak. He rode the Tour the following year, but slipped from top of the field to almost the bottom. He rode the Tour of Spain, the Vuelta a España
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...
, in 1957 and won a stage, raced a further two years and then retired to run a bar in the area from which he had left, as an unknown, to win the Tour de France. When even his customers teased him about winning the Tour, he lost confidence still more and went back to working on a lathe in the car factory in Montluçon that had employed him as a young man.
It took many years to persuade Walkowiak that there was merit in what he had done and, while he still lives quietly in south-west France, he does now talk about the day he became the unknown who won the world's greatest cycling race.
Major results
1951- 3rd Tour de Dordogne
- 57th Tour de France1957 Tour de FranceThe 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....
1952
- 2nd Tour de l'Ouest (1 stage win)
- 3rd G.P de Vals-les-Bains
1953
- 2nd Paris-Côte d'Azur
- 47th Tour de France1953 Tour de FranceThe 1953 Tour de France was the 40th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 26, 1953. It consisted of 22 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.593 km/h....
1954
- 3rd Tour de l'Ouest
1955
- 2nd Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1956
1st Tour de France1956 Tour de FranceThe 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd Tour de France, taking place from July 5 to 28, 1956. It consisted of 22 stages over 4498 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.268 km/h....- 3rd Circuit du Cher
- 1st stage 13 Vuelta a EspañaVuelta a EspañaThe 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...
1957
- 1st stage 8 Vuelta a EspañaVuelta a EspañaThe 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...
- 2nd stage 5 Vuelta a España
- Abandoned Tour de France1957 Tour de FranceThe 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....
on stage 18
1958
- 2nd Boucles du Bas-Limousin
- 3rd Tour du Sud-Est
- 75th Tour de France1958 Tour de FranceThe 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....
1960
- 3rd Tour de l'Aude
- 3rd Circuit d'Auvergne
Grand Tour results timeline
| 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | DNE | DNE |
| Stages won | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mountains classification | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Points classification | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 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... |
57 1951 Tour de France The 1951 Tour de France was the 38th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 29, 1951. It consisted of 24 stages over 4690 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.949 km/h.... |
DNE | 47 1953 Tour de France The 1953 Tour de France was the 40th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 26, 1953. It consisted of 22 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.593 km/h.... |
DNE | DNF-11 1955 Tour de France The 1955 Tour de France was the 42nd Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 30, 1955. It consisted of 22 stages over 4495 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.446 km/h.... |
1 1956 Tour de France The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd Tour de France, taking place from July 5 to 28, 1956. It consisted of 22 stages over 4498 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.268 km/h.... |
DNF-18 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.... |
75 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.... |
| Stages won | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mountains classification | NR | — | NR | — | NR | 6 | NR | NR |
| Points classification | N/A | N/A | NR | — | NR | 16 | 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 | DNF | 15 | DNE |
| Stages won | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | |||
| Mountains classification | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
| Points classification | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |