1962 Tour de France

1962 Tour de France
Race details
Dates 24 June–15 July 1962
Stages 22 (24 including split stages)
Distance 4,274 km (2,656 mi)
Winning time 114h 31' 54" (37.306 km/h or 23.181 mph)
Palmares
Winner  Jacques Anquetil (France) (ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson)
Second  Jef Planckaert (Belgium) (Faema-Flandria-Clement)
Third  Raymond Poulidor (France) (Mercier-BP-Hutchinson)
Points  Rudi Altig (West Germany) (ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson)
Mountains  Federico Bahamontes (Spain) (Margnat-Paloma-d'Alessandro)
Team ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson

The 1962 Tour de France was the 49th Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 15, 1962. It was composed of 22 stages over 4274 km, ridden at an average speed of 37.306 km/h.[1] After more than 30 years, the Tour was again contested by trade teams. French Jacques Anquetil defended his title, winning his third Tour de France.

Changes from the 1961 Tour de France

From 1930 to 1961, the Tour de France was contested by national teams, but in 1962, the trade teams returned.[2] Each team consisted of ten cyclists, but should not be too international: at least six cyclists should have the same nationality, or only two nationalities should be present.[3]

The calculation for the mountains classification was changed, and the fourth category was added.[4]

Émilion Amaury, owner of le Parisien Libéré, became financially involved in the Tour. He made Félix Lévitan co-organizer of the Tour, and it was decided that Levitan would focus on the financial issues, and Jacques Goddet on the sporting issues.[5]

Participants

Every team was required to have a dominant nationality, with six or more cyclists from that nationality.[3] There were fifteen teams:[4]

With at least six French cyclists
With at least six Italian cyclists
  • Ignis-Moschettieri
  • G.S. Ghighi
  • G.S. Ghazzola-Fiorelli-Hutchinson
  • Legnano-Pirelli
  • G.S. Philco
  • Carpano
With at least six Belgian cyclists

For the first time, the French cyclists were outnumbered; there were 52 Italian cyclists and 50 French cyclists.[6]

The defending champion, Jacques Anquetil, was part of the ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson team. This team also included Rudi Altig, and during the 1962 Vuelta a España, Altig had beaten his team leader, so observers expected some internal team struggle. The team manager of the Saint Raphael team was Anquetil's former rival Raphael Géminiani, and Anquetil had asked his sponsors to replace Géminiani for the Tour. They declined his request.[5]

Raymond Poulidor, the new star who had not started the 1961 Tour because of the national team format, started this time in the Mercier team. He started the race injured, as he had broken his hand recently, and was riding with a cast.[5]

The tour director Goddet convinced Rik Van Looy, the winner of the last two world championships, to enter the Tour; Goddet hoped that this he could add excitement.[7]

Race details

The finish of stage 2a in Herentals won by André Darrigade

The Tour started in Belgium, and world champion Rik Van Looy wanted to wear the yellow jersey in his own country. In the final, he was in the lead group of 20 cyclists, but Rudi Altig surprised him in the sprint.[7] Pre-race favourites Poulidor and Bahamontes already lost more than eight minutes.[5] The second stage finished in the home town of Van Looy, where he took a wrong turn and lost the chance of winning the stage.[5] André Darrigade took over the lead, but Altig took it back in the third stage.

In the sixth stage, a big group escaped from the peloton. Altig and Anquetil were not there, but they had sent their team mate Ab Geldermans to protect the team's interests. Geldermans was the best-placed man in the break, and their margin was so large that Geldermans became the new leader.[5]

In first part of the eighth stage, another large group escaped, and Darrigade became the new leader. The second part of the eighth stage was a time trial, won by Anquetil.[5]

Because of a successful breakaway in the ninth stage, Darrigade lost the lead to Willy Schroeders. In the eleventh stage, there was a crash involving twenty cyclists, with Van Looy as the main victim. Van Looy's kidney was injured, and he was brought to hospital.[7] Schroeders kept the lead until the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees. In that stage, he could not keep up with the best climbers, and lost the lead to Tom Simpson, who became the first British cyclist to wear the yellow jersey.[5]

Simpson lost the lead in the next stage, in a mountain time trial won by Bahamontes. Jozef Planckaert finished in second place, and became the new leader.[5]

In the night after that stage, Hans Junkermann, riding for the Wiel's team, became ill. Junkermann was in seventh place in the general classification, and his team requested the start to be delayed by ten minutes, which the organisation allowed. After that stage, stage 14, had started, Junkermann quickly fell to the back, and had to give up. He was not the only one: twelve riders fell ill and said 'bad fish' was the cause. Tour doctor Pierre Dumas realized they had all been given the same drug by the same soigneur.[8] Fourteen riders abandoned the Tour that day, including the former leader, Willy Schroeder, the 1960 winner Gastone Nencini and a future leader, Karl-Heinz Kunde.[4] Jacques Goddet wrote that he suspected doping but nothing was proven – other than that none of the hotels had served fish the previous night. The newspapers ridiculed the riders, and this made the riders furious. They threatened to strike, but the journalist Jean Bobet, a former cyclist, was able to talk them into continuing,[5] although Jean Bobet was one of the creators of film Vive Le Tour! which ridiculed the riders and their 'bad fish' explanation.

Although Anquetil was not leading the race, he was in a good position to win. He considered Bahamontes as his main threat in the Alps, because Bahamontes was a good climber, and had shown his excellent form in the time trial that he won. Before the Tour reached the alps, in the fourteenth stage, Anquetil lured Bahamontes into spending energy at the wrong time, and Bahamontes lost fifteen minutes in that stage. He was no longer a threat for the general classification, and Anquetil could focus on Planckaert, who still led the general classification.[7]

Important attacks were expected in stage 18 in the alps. Instead, the riders were going slow. In the first 4 hours, they only raced 100 km. Later, some attacks took place, but they failed for flat tires, and the defending tactics of the other riders. So in the end, Emile Daems, who was a sprinter and not a climber, was able to win this mountain stage.[5]

The nineteenth stage followed the same route as the 21st stage in the 1958 Tour de France, where Gaul had won the race. Poulidor's injured hand was better now, and his team manager Antonin Magne told him that the time was ready to attack. Poulidor was almost ten minutes behind in the general classification, so he would probably be allowed some freedom. Poulidor attacked, and stayed away alone, jumping to the third place in the general classification.[2][5] After that nineteenth stage, Belgian Jef Planckaert was still leading the race. In the time trial in stage 20, he lost considerable time, and Anquetil took over the lead.[2] Anquetil remained the leader until the end, and won his third Tour.[5]

Stages

The 1962 Tour de France started on 24 June in Nancy, and had no restdays.[9]

Stage results[4][10]
Stage Date Route Terrain Length Winner
1 24 June Nancy–Spa Plain stage 253 km (157 mi)  Rudi Altig (FRG)
2a 25 June Spa–Herentals Plain stage 147 km (91 mi)  André Darrigade (FRA)
2b Herentals Team time trial 23 km (14 mi) Flandria
3 26 June Brussels–Amiens Plain stage 210 km (130 mi)  Rudi Altig (FRG)
4 27 June Amiens–Le Havre Plain stage 196.5 km (122.1 mi)  Willy van den Berghen (BEL)
5 28 June Pont l'Evêque–Saint Malo Plain stage 215 km (134 mi)  Emile Daems (BEL)
6 29 June Dinard–Brest Plain stage 235.5 km (146.3 mi)  Robert Cazala (FRA)
7 30 June Quimper–Saint Nazaire Plain stage 201 km (125 mi)  Huub Zilverberg (NED)
8a 1 July Saint Nazaire–Luçon Plain stage 155 km (96 mi)  Mario Minieri (ITA)
8b Luçon–La Rochelle Individual time trial 43 km (27 mi)  Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
9 2 July La Rochelle–Bordeaux Plain stage 214 km (133 mi)  Antonio Bailetti (ITA)
10 3 July Bordeaux–Bayonne Plain stage 184.5 km (114.6 mi)  Willy Vannitsen (BEL)
11 4 July Bayonne–Pau Plain stage 155.5 km (96.6 mi)  Eddy Pauwels (BEL)
12 5 July Pau–Saint-Gaudens Stage with mountain(s) 207.5 km (128.9 mi)  Robert Cazala (FRA)
13 6 July Luchon–Superbagnères Individual time trial 18.5 km (11.5 mi)  Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
14 7 July Luchon–Carcassonne Stage with mountain(s) 215 km (134 mi)  Jean Stablinski (FRA)
15 8 July Carcassonne–Montpellier Plain stage 196.5 km (122.1 mi)  Willy Vannitsen (BEL)
16 9 July Montpellier–Aix-en-Provence Plain stage 185 km (115 mi)  Emile Daems (BEL)
17 10 July Aix-en-Provence–Juan-les-Pins Plain stage 201 km (125 mi)  Rudi Altig (FRG)
18 11 July Juan-les-Pins–Briançon Stage with mountain(s) 241.5 km (150.1 mi)  Emile Daems (BEL)
19 12 July Briançon–Aix-les-Bains Stage with mountain(s) 204.5 km (127.1 mi)  Raymond Poulidor (FRA)
20 13 July Bourgoin–Lyon Individual time trial 68 km (42 mi)  Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
21 14 July Lyon–Pougues-les-Eaux Plain stage 232 km (144 mi)  Dino Bruni (ITA)
22 15 July Pougues-les-Eaux – Paris Plain stage 271 km (168 mi)  Rino Benedetti (ITA)

Classification leadership

Stage General classification
 Points classification
 Mountains classification Team classification
1  Rudi Altig (FRG)  Rudi Altig (FRG)  Jean Selic (FRA) Saint Raphaël
2a  André Darrigade (FRA)  André Darrigade (FRA)  Angelino Soler (ESP)
2b
3  Rudi Altig (FRG)
4  Rudi Altig (FRG)
5  Rolf Wolfshohl (FRG)
6  Ab Geldermans (NED)
7
8a  André Darrigade (FRA)
8b
9  Willy Schroeders (BEL)
10
11
12  Tom Simpson (GBR)  Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
13  Jef Planckaert (BEL)
14
15
16
17
18
19
20  Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
21
22
Final  Jacques Anquetil (FRA)  Rudi Altig (FRG)  Federico Bahamontes (ESP) Saint Raphaël

Results

There were several classifications in the 1962 Tour de France, two of them awarding jerseys to their leaders. The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[11]

Additionally, there was a points classification. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.[11]

There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorized some climbs as either first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, but was not identified with a jersey.[11]

For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the team with the lowest time on a stage won the team prize for that stage. The overall team classification was calculated by counting the number of team prizes.

General classification

Anquetil won with an average speed of 37.306 km/h, which was a new record.[5]

Final general classification (1–10)[4]
Rank Name Team Time
1  Jacques Anquetil (FRA) ACCB-Saint Raphaël 114h 31' 54"
2  Jozef Planckaert (BEL) Flandria-Faema +4' 59"
3  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Mercier +10' 24"
4  Gilbert Desmet (BEL) Carpano +13' 01"
5  Albertus Geldermans (NED) ACCB-Saint Raphaël +14' 04"
6  Tom Simpson (GBR) VC XII +17' 09"
7  Imerio Massignan (ITA) Legnano +17' 50"
8  Ercole Baldini (ITA) Ignis +19' 00"
9  Charly Gaul (LUX) G.S. Gazzola +19' 11"
10  Eddy Pauwels (BEL) Wiels +23' 04"

Points classification

The points classification was won by Rudi Altig.

Final points classification (1–10)[12]
RankRiderTeamPoints
1  Rudi Altig (FRG) ACCB-Saint Raphaël 173
2  Emile Daems (BEL) G.S Philco 144
3  Jean Graczyk (FRA) ACCB-Saint Raphaël 140
4  Rino Benedetti (ITA) Ignis 135
5  André Darrigade (FRA) VC XIII 131
6  Jacques Anquetil (FRA) ACCB-Saint Raphaël 99
7  Willy Vannitsen (BEL) Wiels 83
8  Jozef Planckaert (BEL) Flandria-Faema 77
9  Gilbert Desmet (BEL) Flandria-Faema 76
10  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Mercier 73

Mountains classification

The mountains classification was won by Féderico Bahamontes.

Final mountains classification (1–10)[12]
RankRiderTeamPoints
1  Federico Bahamontes (ESP) Margnat 137
2  Imerio Massignan (ITA) Legnano 77
3  Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Mercier 70
4  Charly Gaul (LUX) G.S. Gazzola58
5  Jozef Planckaert (BEL) Flandria-Faema 37
6  Eddy Pauwels (BEL) Wiels35
7  Rolf Wolfshohl (FRG) VC XIII 33
8  Juan Campillo (ESP) Margnat 32
9  Jacques Anquetil (FRA) ACCB-Saint Raphaël 31
10  Emile Daems (BEL) G.S Philco 18

Team classification

The team classification was won by Saint Raphaël.

Final team classification[13]
RankTeamPoints
1 ACCB-Saint Raphaël 6
2 Mercier 3
2 Faema 3
2 Wiels-Groene Leeuw 3
5 Gitane 2
5 Philco 2
7 Ignis 1
7 Gazola 1
7 Margnat-Paloma 1

The other teams received no points.

Other classifications

The combativity award was given to Eddy Pauwels.[1]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tour de France 1962.
  1. 1 2 Augendre, Jacques (2009). "Guide Historique" (PDF) (in French). Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Amaury Sport Organisation. "The Tour - Year 1962". letour.fr. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  3. 1 2 R. Torres (6 October 1961). "El "Tour" 1962 se disputará por equipos" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "49ème Tour de France 1962" (in French). Memoire du cyclisme. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol (2006). The Story of the Tour de France Volume 1: 1903-1964. Dog Ear Publishing. pp. 253–259. ISBN 1-59858-180-5.
  6. ↑ "Hoy debuta l nuevo "Tour" por equipos de marcas comerciales, con la etapa Nancy-Spa de 253 kilómetros y dos "cols" de 4.a categoría... Final en Bélgica y color belga" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 24 June 1962. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Amels, Wim (1984). De geschiedenis van de Tour de France 1903–1984 (in Dutch). Sport-Express. pp. 90–91.
  8. ↑ Minovi, Ramin (2007). "Drugs and the Tour de France". Association of British Cycling Coaches. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  9. ↑ Augendre, Jacques (2009). "Guide Historique, part 4" (PDF) (in French). Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  10. ↑ Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC Top Ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 Christian, Sarah (2 July 2009). "Tour de France demystified - Evaluating success". RoadCycling.co.nz Ltd. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  12. 1 2 "1962: 49e editie". wielercentrum.com. 30 December 2003. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  13. ↑ "Clasificaciones" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 16 July 1962. Retrieved 18 May 2010.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, December 11, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.