Ruban Jaune
Encyclopedia
The Ruban Jaune is a cycling trophy created in 1936 by Henri Desgrange
, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race
or stage longer than 200km. The trophy’s name is thought is to have come from comparison with the Blue Riband
trophy awarded to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean
in record time. Desgrange changed the colour to yellow to reflect the newsprint
of L'Auto, the sports newspaper he edited. The timing of the record must be by two independent timekeepers using certified timing equipment which has been recently calibrated. Because of these strict rules it was unofficially accepted in the latter part of the 20th century that only times in classic races
would be accepted.
of Belgium, who won the 1936 Paris–Tours in 41.455kmh. Paris-Tours was long associated with the Ruban Jaune because its flat course, coupled with a following wind, makes for a fast speed. Jules Rossi
of Italy took the record in 1938 when covering 251km at an average 42.092 in Paris-Tours.
The suspension of top-class cycling during World War II
meant Rossi’s record stood for ten years until April 4, 1948, when Rik van Steenbergen
won Paris-Roubaix
at 43.612kmh. The race had a violent tailwind. Van Steenbergen attacked at Hem
6km from the finish, catching Emile Idée
and Fiorenzo Magni
and then beating Idée in a sprint in Roubaix velodrome. In 1955 the record returned to Paris-Tours when Jacques Dupont covered the 253.7km at 43.766kmh.
Dupont held the record until 1962 when Jo de Roo
won Paris-Tours at 44.903kmh over 267.5km. However, the previous year had two unratified claims. Jean Anastasi won a 218km stage of the 1961 Paris-Nice
between St Etienne and Avignon
at 44.917kmh. The record was not recognised because the course had not been properly measured. Also in 1961 Walter Martin of Italy won Milano–Torino in 45.094km but this too was not accepted.
In 1964 Peter Post
claimed the Ruban Jaune in winning Paris-Roubaix in 45.129kmh,the race run at speed from the start. This was augmented by the final break at Attiches
33km from the finish. It contained two riders from the Flandria team and three from Weils-Groene-Leeuw and they worked together to keep a high speed with the race decided in a sprint. Post’s record stood for more than a decade although the 1969 Milano-Vignola
was initially won by Roger Kindt in a record average of 45.995kmh before he was disqualified at the medical control and victory was awarded to Attilio Rota. Post’s record was beaten by Freddy Maertens
in the 1975 Paris-Brussells, an average 46.11kmh over 285.5km.
Andrei Tchmil
set a record in 1997 when he won the 254.5km Paris-Tours in 47.168kmh. The race covered 49.3km in the first hour and 48.9km in the second. Tchmil beat Max Sciandri
in a sprint after the two had broken away 5km from the finish. Erik Zabel set a new best in the 2003 Paris-Tours of 47.55kmh over 257km, a brisk tailwind pushing the race over 51km in the fourth hour as the riders flew down the Loire valley. Zabel eventually won the race in a bunch sprint in Tours
. On October 10th 2010 Óscar Freire
broke the record yet again in Paris-Tours, taking advantage of a favourable wind over a new shortened course of 233 km, he covered the distance in 4 hours 52 mins 54 seconds at an average speed of 47.730 km per hour.
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...
, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...
or stage longer than 200km. The trophy’s name is thought is to have come from comparison with the Blue Riband
Blue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
trophy awarded to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in record time. Desgrange changed the colour to yellow to reflect the newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
of L'Auto, the sports newspaper he edited. The timing of the record must be by two independent timekeepers using certified timing equipment which has been recently calibrated. Because of these strict rules it was unofficially accepted in the latter part of the 20th century that only times in classic races
Classic cycle races
The classic cycle races are one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. Most of the events, all run in western Europe, have been fixtures on the professional calendar for decades and the oldest ones date back to the 19th Century. They are normally held at roughly the same...
would be accepted.
History
The first holder of the Ruban Jaune was Gustave DanneelsGustave Danneels
Gustave Danneels was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He is known for bronze medals in the 1934 and the 1935 Road World Championships and his victories in Paris–Tours...
of Belgium, who won the 1936 Paris–Tours in 41.455kmh. Paris-Tours was long associated with the Ruban Jaune because its flat course, coupled with a following wind, makes for a fast speed. Jules Rossi
Jules Rossi
Jules Rossi was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Rossi became an orphan at the age of six and came to France to live in the town of Nogent-sur-Marne with the rest of his family...
of Italy took the record in 1938 when covering 251km at an average 42.092 in Paris-Tours.
The suspension of top-class cycling during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
meant Rossi’s record stood for ten years until April 4, 1948, when Rik van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.-Early life:...
won Paris-Roubaix
Paris-Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. Since its beginning in 1896 until 1967 it started in Paris and ended in Roubaix ; since 1968 the start city is Compiègne , whilst the finish is still in Roubaix...
at 43.612kmh. The race had a violent tailwind. Van Steenbergen attacked at Hem
Hem, Nord
Hem is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is located near the city of Roubaix.Hem is one of the oldest communes in the North of France. Originally known as ‘Ham’, it became ‘Hem’ during the 14th century...
6km from the finish, catching Emile Idée
Emile Idée
Emile Idée was a French professional road bicycle racer. Idée is a five time winner of the Critérium International, a record shared with Raymond Poulidor and Jens Voigt.- Palmarès :19401942...
and Fiorenzo Magni
Fiorenzo Magni
Fiorenzo Magni is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist.He was born in Vaiano, province of Prato . He was the "third man" of the golden age of Italian cycling, at the time of the great rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali...
and then beating Idée in a sprint in Roubaix velodrome. In 1955 the record returned to Paris-Tours when Jacques Dupont covered the 253.7km at 43.766kmh.
Dupont held the record until 1962 when Jo de Roo
Jo de Roo
Johan De Roo is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist between 1958 and 1968. During 11 seasons as a professional he had six victories in single-day classics, three stages of the Tour de France and one stage of the Vuelta a España. He had 46 wins as a professional...
won Paris-Tours at 44.903kmh over 267.5km. However, the previous year had two unratified claims. Jean Anastasi won a 218km stage of the 1961 Paris-Nice
Paris-Nice
Paris–Nice, "the race to the sun", is a professional cycling stage race held each March.The first Paris–Nice was in 1933, and was won by Alfons Schepers from Belgium. The most successful cyclist in Paris–Nice was Sean Kelly from Ireland, who won seven consecutive titles from 1982 to 1988.Although...
between St Etienne and Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
at 44.917kmh. The record was not recognised because the course had not been properly measured. Also in 1961 Walter Martin of Italy won Milano–Torino in 45.094km but this too was not accepted.
In 1964 Peter Post
Peter Post
Peter Post was a Dutch professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1956 to 1972. Post competed in road and track racing. As a rider he is best remembered for Six-day racing, having competed in 155 races and won 65. Because of this success he was known as “De Keizer van de Zesdaagse” or “The...
claimed the Ruban Jaune in winning Paris-Roubaix in 45.129kmh,the race run at speed from the start. This was augmented by the final break at Attiches
Attiches
Attiches is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
33km from the finish. It contained two riders from the Flandria team and three from Weils-Groene-Leeuw and they worked together to keep a high speed with the race decided in a sprint. Post’s record stood for more than a decade although the 1969 Milano-Vignola
Milano-Vignola
The Milano–Vignola was a professional road bicycle race held annually in the Province of Modena, Italy. The last edition took place in 1996, becoming the Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli in 1997.-Winners:...
was initially won by Roger Kindt in a record average of 45.995kmh before he was disqualified at the medical control and victory was awarded to Attilio Rota. Post’s record was beaten by Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens
Freddy Maertens is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist and twice World Road Race Champion.- Career :...
in the 1975 Paris-Brussells, an average 46.11kmh over 285.5km.
Andrei Tchmil
Andrei Tchmil
Andrei Tchmil is a retired professional road bicycle racer. His family moved to Ukraine during the days of the Soviet Union. He started cycling and showed enough talent to be moved to a cycling school in Moldova...
set a record in 1997 when he won the 254.5km Paris-Tours in 47.168kmh. The race covered 49.3km in the first hour and 48.9km in the second. Tchmil beat Max Sciandri
Max Sciandri
Maximilian Sciandri is a retired British road racing cyclist of Italian descent. He competed as an Italian national up to February 1995, then took British citizenship. He won the bronze medal in the men's individual road race at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a professional...
in a sprint after the two had broken away 5km from the finish. Erik Zabel set a new best in the 2003 Paris-Tours of 47.55kmh over 257km, a brisk tailwind pushing the race over 51km in the fourth hour as the riders flew down the Loire valley. Zabel eventually won the race in a bunch sprint in 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...
. On October 10th 2010 Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
broke the record yet again in Paris-Tours, taking advantage of a favourable wind over a new shortened course of 233 km, he covered the distance in 4 hours 52 mins 54 seconds at an average speed of 47.730 km per hour.
Holders of the Ruban Jaune
| Year | Rider | Nationality | Race | Km / Hour | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Gustave Danneels Gustave Danneels Gustave Danneels was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He is known for bronze medals in the 1934 and the 1935 Road World Championships and his victories in Paris–Tours... |
Paris-Tours Paris-Tours Paris–Tours is a French single-day classic cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours It is a fairly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200m, at Le Gault-du-Perche. It is known as the “Sprinters' Classic” because... |
41.455 | 251 km | |
| 1938 | Jules Rossi Jules Rossi Jules Rossi was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Rossi became an orphan at the age of six and came to France to live in the town of Nogent-sur-Marne with the rest of his family... |
Paris-Tours | 42.092 | 251km | |
| 1948 | Rik Van Steenbergen Rik Van Steenbergen Rik Van Steenbergen was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.-Early life:... |
Paris-Roubaix Paris-Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. Since its beginning in 1896 until 1967 it started in Paris and ended in Roubaix ; since 1968 the start city is Compiègne , whilst the finish is still in Roubaix... |
43.612 | 246 km | |
| 1955 | Jacques Dupont | Paris-Tours | 43.666 | 253 km | |
| 1962 | Jo de Roo Jo de Roo Johan De Roo is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist between 1958 and 1968. During 11 seasons as a professional he had six victories in single-day classics, three stages of the Tour de France and one stage of the Vuelta a España. He had 46 wins as a professional... |
Paris-Tours | 44.903 | 267.5 km | |
| 1964 | Peter Post Peter Post Peter Post was a Dutch professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1956 to 1972. Post competed in road and track racing. As a rider he is best remembered for Six-day racing, having competed in 155 races and won 65. Because of this success he was known as “De Keizer van de Zesdaagse” or “The... |
Paris-Roubaix | 45.129 | 265 km | |
| 1975 | Freddy Maertens Freddy Maertens Freddy Maertens is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist and twice World Road Race Champion.- Career :... |
Paris–Brussels | 46.110 | 285.5 km | |
| 1997 | Andrei Tchmil Andrei Tchmil Andrei Tchmil is a retired professional road bicycle racer. His family moved to Ukraine during the days of the Soviet Union. He started cycling and showed enough talent to be moved to a cycling school in Moldova... |
Paris-Tours | 47.168 | 254.5 km | |
| 2003 | Erik Zabel Erik Zabel Erik Zabel is a former German professional road bicycle racer who last raced with Milram. With over 200 professional wins he is considered by some one of the greatest German cyclists and best cycling sprinters of history... |
Paris-Tours | 47.550 | 257.5 km | |
| 2010 | Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx... |
Paris-Tours | 47.730 | 233 km |