Tour de France during the Second World War
Encyclopedia
The Tour de France
was not held during the Second World War because the organisers refused German requests. Although a 1940 Tour de France had been announced earlier, the outbreak of the war made it impossible for it to be held. After that, some attempts were made by the Germans during the war to have a Tour de France to maintain the sense of normality, but l'Auto, the organising newspaper, refused. Some other races were run as a replacement.
After the Second World War, l'Auto was closed for collaborating with the Germans. The rights to organise the Tour went to the French government. When two newspapers were interested in these rights, they could both organise a small Tour of five stages, and the race run by L'Équipe was considered the most successful, therefore L'Équipe could organise the 1947 Tour de France
.
, political reasons caused Italy, Germany and Spain to refused to send teams to France for the 1939 Tour de France
. The 1938 Tour de France
winner, Gino Bartali
, was among those affected. Henri Desgrange
, the original race organizer, and Jacques Goddet
, his deputy and replacement,Desgrange died on 16 August 1940 having abandoned his race the previous year while suffering the effects of an operation. announced plans for a Tour de France in August 1940.
. Teams would have been drawn from military units in France, including the British, who would have been organised by a journalist, Bill Mills. The plans were dropped after the German invasion. The records and paperwork of the Tour were taken south to keep them safe but were never seen again. Desgrange died in August 1940, and his successor, Jacques Goddet, initially wanted to organise the Tour during the war, arguing that sport should remain neutral.
in the south, so that l'Auto could organize a Tour, together with La France Socialiste, but Goddet refused. He was, in any case, in little position to run a race of that scale because many of the staff had left L'Autos office in Paris to go south.
, Poitiers
, Limoges
, Clermont-Ferrand
, St-Étienne, Lyon
and Dijon
.
One of the riders, Émile Idée, told the writer and cyclist Jean Bobet
that he had been threatened with the Gestapo
if he didn't take part. Bobet said: "I asked him to repeat it to see if I had understood. I was stunned [dans la tête ça fait tilt]!"
The Circuit de France was organized between 28 September 1942 and 4 October 1942 by La France Socialiste in both the occupied zone
and Vichy France
, to give a feeling of nationality. The race had six multinational teams, and was won by François Neuville
. The inexperience of the organizers, combined with bad weather and logistical problems, made the race a disaster. Although there were plans to hold the race again in 1943, it was never held.
The mountains classification was won by Pierre Brambilla
.
The Grand Prix du Tour de France was organized in 1943 and 1944. It was not a real race, but a classification made from nine one-day races. In 1943 the winner was Jo Goutorbe. Even though The Grand Prix du Tour de France was organized by Jacques Goddet
, but he made it clear that it was not an official Tour de France.
The Grand Prix du Tour de France 1943 consisted of the following races:
. The race had many things familiar to the old Tours de France: there were six national teams and five regional French teams, and the leader in the race was also given a yellow jersey
.
The race was won by French cyclist Apo Lazarides
. The mountains classification was won by Jean Robic
.
. After their main rival Sports objected to this, the rights were instead given to La Societé du Parc du Princes, because this was thought to be a neutral choice. In early 1947, it became clear that the organisation of the Tour de France was difficult financially without a newspaper. In June 1947, one month before the 1947 Tour de France would start, the Societé du Parc du Princes transferred the rights to L'Equipe.
Émile Besson, communist sports writer and a member of the Resistance from 1943 when he was 17, called L'Équipes victory political. Besson, who was a member of the national study into French sport under the Occupation, set up by Marie-George Buffet
when she was sports minister between 1997 and 2002, said:
when [the Germans wanted it] in the round-up of Jews in July 1942. After the Liberation, the battle between Left and Right had the Tour as one of its prizes.
Goddet had to defend his wartime behaviour at an inquiry in Algiers
. He pointed to the way he had allowed Resistance workers to print anti-German tracts at his newspaper and called Émilien Amaury
in his defence. Amaury had a blameless record in the Resistance. He was also a right-wing businessman; his ideals close to Goddet's. It was with Amaury and his paper, Le Parisien Libéré, that Goddet ran La Course du Tour de France. It was Amaury's reputation that landed Goddet the Tour. That, says Besson, and because the rival candidate was two magazines with a communist background and President Charles de Gaulle
was determined to limit communist influence. De Gaulle had spent much of his time during the war trying to prevent communist domination of the Resistance. Communists held many key positions in France just before and after Liberation but De Gaulle refused even to thank them for their work. Albert Bourlon
, who won the 14th stage of the 1947 Tour de France, told Jean Bobet that he was convinced that his membership of the Communist Party denied him access to the race afterwards.
Amaury eventually took control of both the paper and the Tour de France, and as of 2010 is still the organiser of the Tour de France, under the name Amaury Sport Organisation
.
Jean Leulliot was tried for his role in organising races under German patronage but he was cleared after fellow journalists, including Goddet, spoke in his favour.
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...
was not held during the Second World War because the organisers refused German requests. Although a 1940 Tour de France had been announced earlier, the outbreak of the war made it impossible for it to be held. After that, some attempts were made by the Germans during the war to have a Tour de France to maintain the sense of normality, but l'Auto, the organising newspaper, refused. Some other races were run as a replacement.
After the Second World War, l'Auto was closed for collaborating with the Germans. The rights to organise the Tour went to the French government. When two newspapers were interested in these rights, they could both organise a small Tour of five stages, and the race run by L'Équipe was considered the most successful, therefore L'Équipe could organise the 1947 Tour de France
1947 Tour de France
The 1947 Tour de France was the 34th Tour de France, taking place from 25 June to 20 July 1947. The total race distance was 21 stages over 4,640 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.412 km/h...
.
History
Already before the war, the political situation in Europe had its influence on the Tour de France. For the 1939 Tour de France1939 Tour de France
The 1939 Tour de France was the 33rd Tour de France, taking place from 10 to 30 July 1939. The total distance was 4,224 km and the average speed of the riders was 31.986 km/h....
, political reasons caused Italy, Germany and Spain to refused to send teams to France for the 1939 Tour de France
1939 Tour de France
The 1939 Tour de France was the 33rd Tour de France, taking place from 10 to 30 July 1939. The total distance was 4,224 km and the average speed of the riders was 31.986 km/h....
. The 1938 Tour de France
1938 Tour de France
The 1938 Tour de France was the 32nd Tour de France, taking place July 5 to July 31, 1938. It was composed of 21 stages over 4694 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.565 km/h...
winner, Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
, was among those affected. 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...
, the original race organizer, and Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
, his deputy and replacement,Desgrange died on 16 August 1940 having abandoned his race the previous year while suffering the effects of an operation. announced plans for a Tour de France in August 1940.
1940 Tour de France
Henri Desgrange planned a Tour for 1940, after war had started but before France had been invaded. The route, approved by military authorities, included a route along the Maginot LineMaginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
. Teams would have been drawn from military units in France, including the British, who would have been organised by a journalist, Bill Mills. The plans were dropped after the German invasion. The records and paperwork of the Tour were taken south to keep them safe but were never seen again. Desgrange died in August 1940, and his successor, Jacques Goddet, initially wanted to organise the Tour during the war, arguing that sport should remain neutral.
1941 Tour de France
In 1941, the newspaper Paris-soir, run by Germans, tried to persuade l'Auto to coorganize the Tour, but Goddet did not accept.1942 Tour de France
The German Propaganda Staffel wanted the Tour to be run and offered facilities otherwise denied, in the hope of maintaining a sense of normality. They offered to open the borders between German-occupied France in the north and the nominally independent Vichy FranceVichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
in the south, so that l'Auto could organize a Tour, together with La France Socialiste, but Goddet refused. He was, in any case, in little position to run a race of that scale because many of the staff had left L'Autos office in Paris to go south.
1942 Circuit de France
La France Socialiste, run by Jean Leulliot, Goddet's former colleague at L'Auto, did not have the same reluctance, and organized the race on its own. Leulliot, who had been manager of the French team that won the Tour in 1937, had become head of sport at La France Socialiste which, despite its name, was a right-wing paper that sympathized with the Germans. Leulliot assembled sixty-nine riders for the race, the Circuit de France, which ran from 28 September to 4 October 1942. Over six stages and 1650 kilometres (1,025.3 mi), it went from Paris to Paris via Le MansLe Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
, Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....
, Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, St-Étienne, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
.
One of the riders, Émile Idée, told the writer and cyclist Jean Bobet
Jean Bobet
Jean Bobet is a French former road bicycle racer. He is the younger brother of Louison Bobet. Less talented, he did nevetheless win the world students' championship as an amateur and then, as a professional, Paris–Nice in 1955, Genoa-Nice in 1956 and the Circuit du Morbihan in 1953. He came third...
that he had been threatened with the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
if he didn't take part. Bobet said: "I asked him to repeat it to see if I had understood. I was stunned [dans la tête ça fait tilt]!"
The Circuit de France was organized between 28 September 1942 and 4 October 1942 by La France Socialiste in both the occupied zone
Military Administration in Belgium and North France
The Belgium and Northern France was an Axis-occupied territory that included present-day Belgium and the French departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais...
and Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, to give a feeling of nationality. The race had six multinational teams, and was won by François Neuville
François Neuville
François Neuville was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In 1938, Neuville won one stage of the 1938 Tour de France.- Palmarès :1934...
. The inexperience of the organizers, combined with bad weather and logistical problems, made the race a disaster. Although there were plans to hold the race again in 1943, it was never held.
| Stage | Route | Length | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris – Le Mans | 203 km (126.1 mi) | |
| 2 | Le Mans – Poitiers | 226 km (140.4 mi) | |
| 3A | Poitiers – Limoges | 103 km (64 mi) | |
| 3B | Limoges – Clermont-Ferrand | 163 km (101.3 mi) | |
| 4 | Clermont-Ferrand – Saint Etienne | 203 km (126.1 mi) | |
| 5A | Saint Etienne – Lyon | 56 km (34.8 mi) | Genial-Lucifer (team time trial) |
| 5B | Lyon – Dijon | 203 km (126.1 mi) | |
| 6 | Dijon – Paris | 358 km (222.5 mi) |
| Rank | Name | Time (Avg. Speed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45h 32' 09" (33.270km/h) |
|
| 2 | +5' 23" | |
| 3 | +5' 31" | |
| 4 | +10' 26" | |
| 5 | +10' 54" | |
| 6 | +17' 10" | |
| 7 | +19' 50" | |
| 8 | +28' 16" | |
| 9 | +34' 05" | |
| 10 | +44' 51" |
The mountains classification was won by Pierre Brambilla
Pierre Brambilla
Pierre Brambilla is a former French former professional road bicycle racer. He was of Italian origin but adopted French nationality on September 9, 1949...
.
1943 Tour de France
The 1943 Tour de France was not held, but instead, L'Auto organized a readers' poll in 1943 to name the perfect team for a Tour de France, were one to be run. More than 10,000 took part.1943 Grand Prix du Tour de France
In 1943, l'Auto ran what it called the "Grand Prix du Tour de France", the paper's assessment of the greatest riders by their placings in single-day races, all organised by l'Auto. At the end of the season, a yellow jersey was given to the cyclist with the best overall classification.The Grand Prix du Tour de France was organized in 1943 and 1944. It was not a real race, but a classification made from nine one-day races. In 1943 the winner was Jo Goutorbe. Even though The Grand Prix du Tour de France was organized by Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
, but he made it clear that it was not an official Tour de France.
The Grand Prix du Tour de France 1943 consisted of the following races:
- Paris–Roubaix
- GP de Provence
- Paris–Dijon
- Paris–Reims
- Paris–Tours
- Course dans Paris
- GP d'Auvergne
- GP des Alpes
- GP Industrie du Cycle
1944 Grand Prix du Tour de France
In 1944, the Grand Prix du Tour de France was done again, but it was not completed because the liberation of France stopped the races from being run. Maurice De Simpelaere was the leader at the time the races were interrupted.Candidate Tours after liberation
After the liberation of France in 1944, L'Auto was closed and its belongings, including the Tour de France were sequestrated by the state for having published articles too close to the Germans. All rights to the Tour were therefore owned by the government. Jacques Goddet was allowed to publish another daily sports paper, L'Équipe, but there was a rival candidate to run the Tour: a consortium of the magazines Sports and Miroir Sprint. Each organised a candidate race. L'Équipe and Le Parisien Libéré had "La Course du Tour de France", ("The Race of the Tour de France" – as close as they dared come to calling the race by its original name), and Sports and Miroir Sprint had "La Ronde de France". Both were five-stage races, the longest the government would allow because of shortages.Ronde de France
From 10 July to 14 July 1946, the Ronde de France was organized. The cyclists were divided in commercial teams, but the commercial teams were each allowed to field two teams, one composed of French cyclists and one of foreign cyclists. It was won by Giulio Bresci, who also won two stages and the mountains classification.| Stage | Route | Length | Winner | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bordeaux – Pau | 221 km (137.3 mi) | ||
| 2 | Pau – Toulouse | 300 km (186.4 mi) | ||
| 3 | Toulouse – Montpellier | 249 km (154.7 mi) | ||
| 4 | Montpellier – Gap | 274 km (170.3 mi) | ||
| 5 | Gap – Grenoble | 277 km (172.1 mi) |
| Rank | Name | Time (Avg. Speed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45h 32' 09" (32.026km/h) |
|
| 2 | +4' 08" | |
| 3 | +11' 24" | |
| 4 | +14' 14" | |
| 5 | +26' 50" | |
| 6 | +30' 48" | |
| 7 | +44' 13" | |
| 8 | +58' 42" | |
| 9 | +1h 02' 29" | |
| 10 | +1h 10' 13" |
La Course du Tour de France
The Course du Tour de France (Race of the Tour of France), also known as Monaco–Paris was organised in 1946 by Le Parisien Libéré together with l'EquipeL'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 race had many things familiar to the old Tours de France: there were six national teams and five regional French teams, and the leader in the race was also given a 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:...
.
The race was won by French cyclist Apo Lazarides
Apo Lazarides
Apo Lazaridès , was a Greek-born French champion cyclist.Born Jean-Apôtre Lazaridès in Marles-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais of Greek ancestries , he cycled in the mountains as a boy...
. The mountains classification was won by Jean Robic
Jean Robic
Jean Robic was a French road racing cyclist, who won the 1947 Tour de France. Robic was a professional cyclist from 1943 to 1961. His diminutive stature and appearance was encapsulated in the nickname the hobgoblin of the Brittany moor...
.
| Stage | Route | Length | Winner | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monaco – Digne | 185 km (115 mi) | ||
| 2 | Digne – Briançon | 219 km (136.1 mi) | ||
| 3 | Briançon – Aix-les-Bains | 263 km (163.4 mi) | ||
| 4 | Aix-les-Bains – Dijon | 294 km (182.7 mi) | ||
| 5 | Dijon – Paris | 355 km (220.6 mi) |
| Rank | Name | Time (Avg. Speed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44h 31' 42" (29.554km/h) |
|
| 2 | +37' 59" | |
| 3 | +40' 25" | |
| 4 | +49' 58" | |
| 5 | +52' 07" | |
| 6 | +54' 35" | |
| 7 | +57' 28" | |
| 8 | +1h 00' 11" | |
| 9 | +1h 10' 59" | |
| 10 | +1h 23' 53" |
Aftermath
The Course du Tour de France, L'Équipes race, was better organised and appealed more to the public because it featured national teams which had been so successful before the war, when French cycling was at a high. Late 1946, both organisers intended to organise their race again in 1947, this time at the same time. The UCI then decided in December 1946 to give L'Équipe was the right to organize the 1947 Tour de France1947 Tour de France
The 1947 Tour de France was the 34th Tour de France, taking place from 25 June to 20 July 1947. The total race distance was 21 stages over 4,640 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.412 km/h...
. After their main rival Sports objected to this, the rights were instead given to La Societé du Parc du Princes, because this was thought to be a neutral choice. In early 1947, it became clear that the organisation of the Tour de France was difficult financially without a newspaper. In June 1947, one month before the 1947 Tour de France would start, the Societé du Parc du Princes transferred the rights to L'Equipe.
Émile Besson, communist sports writer and a member of the Resistance from 1943 when he was 17, called L'Équipes victory political. Besson, who was a member of the national study into French sport under the Occupation, set up by Marie-George Buffet
Marie-George Buffet
Marie-George Buffet is a French politician. She was the head of the French Communist Party from 2001 to 2010. She joined the Party in 1969, and was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports from June 4, 1997 to May 5, 2002. Ms...
when she was sports minister between 1997 and 2002, said:
It was a bit much to have given them the right to run the Tour again after all that [referring toL'Autos pro-German attitude and closure]. Goddet had the keys to the Velodrome 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...
when [the Germans wanted it] in the round-up of Jews in July 1942. After the Liberation, the battle between Left and Right had the Tour as one of its prizes.
Goddet had to defend his wartime behaviour at an inquiry in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. He pointed to the way he had allowed Resistance workers to print anti-German tracts at his newspaper and called Émilien Amaury
Émilien Amaury
Émilien Amaury was a French publishing magnate whose company now organises the Tour de France. He worked with Philippe Pétain, head of the French government in the southern half of France during the second world war but used his position to find paper and other materials for the French Resistance...
in his defence. Amaury had a blameless record in the Resistance. He was also a right-wing businessman; his ideals close to Goddet's. It was with Amaury and his paper, Le Parisien Libéré, that Goddet ran La Course du Tour de France. It was Amaury's reputation that landed Goddet the Tour. That, says Besson, and because the rival candidate was two magazines with a communist background and President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
was determined to limit communist influence. De Gaulle had spent much of his time during the war trying to prevent communist domination of the Resistance. Communists held many key positions in France just before and after Liberation but De Gaulle refused even to thank them for their work. Albert Bourlon
Albert Bourlon
Albert Bourlon is a former French professional road bicycle racer. He was born in Sancergues. In 1947, Bourlon won the 14th stage of the Tour de France. Almost directly from the start, he broke away, and rode solo for , the longest solo in post-war Tour de France history.- Palmarès :1947- External...
, who won the 14th stage of the 1947 Tour de France, told Jean Bobet that he was convinced that his membership of the Communist Party denied him access to the race afterwards.
Amaury eventually took control of both the paper and the Tour de France, and as of 2010 is still the organiser of the Tour de France, under the name Amaury Sport Organisation
Amaury Sport Organisation
The Amaury Sport Organisation is part of the French media group, EPA . It organises sporting events including the Tour de France and Paris–Nice professional cycle road races, and the Dakar Rally...
.
Jean Leulliot was tried for his role in organising races under German patronage but he was cleared after fellow journalists, including Goddet, spoke in his favour.