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| Route of the 1906 Tour de France Followed clockwise, starting in Paris |
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 4–29 July 1906 | ||
| Stages | 13 | ||
| Distance | 4,545 km (2,824 mi) | ||
| Winning time | 31 points (24.463 km/h/15.201 mph) | ||
| Palmarès | |||
| Winner |  René Pottier |
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| Second | Georges Passerieu |
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| Third | Louis Trousselier |
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The 1906 Tour de France was the 4th Tour de France, and second to use the point system. Taking place 4 July to 29 July 1906 the total race distance was 4,545 kilometres (2,824 mi), with the winner averaging 24.463 kilometres per hour (15.201 mph).[1] New in this year were the Pyrenées. Like its predecessors, it still had cheating and sabotage taking place. Four players were disqualified for taking trains as a shortcut and spectators threw nails in the road. However, this did not stop René Pottier from taking a big lead in the first stages. Free of tendinitis that plagued his 1905 chances, he dominated the entire race.[2]
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Changes from 1905 Tour de France
Tour organizer Henri Desgrange had been happy with the increased length of the 1905 Tour de France, and decided to put even more stages in the 1906 version.[3] The introduction of mountain stages had also been successful, so this year not only the Vosges were included, but also the Massif Central.[4] Unlike the previous years, cyclists who abandoned a stage were not allowed to start in the next stage.
The points system in the 1905 Tour de France had been successful enough in reducing cheating, so the Tour organizers used it again in the 1906 Tour de France. It was however changed a little bit: whereas in 1905, time differences still had some effect on the points distribution, in 1906 time differences were completely unimportant, and points were only received for the order in which the cyclists finished. The winner of the stage received one point, the second rider two points, et cetera. After the eighth stage, only 16 cyclists were remaining, and the classification was "cleaned up"; the results from the first eight stages were recalculated, with only the remaining cyclists, and the points were redistributed among the remaining riders in accordance with their positions in those stages.[5]
The first stage ended in Lille and the second stage started in Douai; this was the first time that a stage did not start where the previous stage ended.[5] Also for the first time, the Tour went to a different country: in the second stage, Germany (Alsace-Lorraine was then part of Germany)[2] was visited.[5] The 1906 Tour also saw the introduction of the flamme rouge (red flame), a red flag that indicates that the cyclists only have one kilometre to go.[2]
Race details
On the first stage, there were still protesters against the Tour de France. Nails had been thrown on the road, and all cyclists except Lucien Petit-Breton punctured.[5] The first stage was won by Émile Georget in a sprint. In the second stage, René Pottier was stopped after 175 kilometres (109 mi) with mechanical failure, and he lost 58 minutes. The other main contenders worked together to stay away from Pottier, but Pottier chased them for 200 kilometres (120 mi), caught them 25 kilometres (16 mi) before the finish, and even left them behind, winning the stage with a margin of 1'30" on Lucien Petit-Breton and more than 9 minutes on the rest.[3] In the third stage, four cyclists (Julien Gabory, Henri Gauban, Gaston Tuvache and Maurice Carrere) were disqualified for taking the train.[5] The Ballon d'Alsace, which had been the first real mountain in the Tour de France the previous year, was featured again. Just as the year before, it was mounted first by Pottier.[3] The stage was also won by Pottier, more than three quarters ahead of the rest.[6] Pottier also won the fourth stage. In the fifth stage, he was leading by one hour at the halfway point. He decided to stop, entered a bar and ordered a bottle of wine, and drank it almost completely. When he saw the first other cyclists passing by, Pottier mounted his bicycle again, went after them, and won the stage.[7]
By this point, Pottier was leading the overall classification firmly. The winner of the 1905 Tour de France, Louis Trousselier, had had a bad first half of the Tour, and was many points behind. Trousselier, however, rediscovered his form in the second half of the race, won the 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th stages, and was challenging for second place. Georges Passerieu, who was in second place, defended his position by winning the 12th stage.[3] In the last stage, Pottier showed his strength by winning the stage,[3] after finishing together in Paris with second place Georges Passerieu.[5]
Results
Stage results
| Stage | Date | Route | Length[Stage notes 1] | Winner | Race leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 July | Paris – Lille |  275 km (171 mi) |
Émile Georget (FRA) |
Émile Georget (FRA) |
| 2 | 6 July | Douai – Nancy | 400 km (250 mi) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 3 | 8 July | Nancy – Dijon |  416 km (258 mi) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 4 | 10 July | Dijon – Grenoble | 311 km (193 mi) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 5 | 12 July | Grenoble – Nice | 345 km (214 mi) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 6 | 14 July | Nice – Marseille | 292 km (181 mi) |
Georges Passerieu (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 7 | 16 July | Marseille – Toulouse | 480 km (300 mi) |
Louis Trousselier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 8 | 18 July | Toulouse – Bayonne | 300 km (190 mi) |
Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 9 | 20 July | Bayonne – Bordeaux | 338 km (210 mi) |
Louis Trousselier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 10 | 22 July | Bordeaux – Nantes | 391 km (243 mi) |
Louis Trousselier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 11 | 24 July | Nantes – Brest | 321 km (199 mi) |
Louis Trousselier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 12 | 26 July | Brest – Caen | 415 km (258 mi) |
Georges Passerieu (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
| 13 | 29 July | Caen – Paris | 259 km (161 mi) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
René Pottier (FRA) |
- Notes
- ^ In 1906, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate that only the third and fifth stage included mountains.
After the 13th stage, the race was followed by two timed exhibition laps on the Velodrome in Paris, the result of which was not counted for the overall classification. The winner was Émile Georget, who finished the 1,332 metres (4,370 ft) in 2:07.02.[4][8]
Overall results
Hundred cyclist had entered for the 1906 Tour de France; only 82 of them showed up at the start. Only 49 cyclists finished the first stage, and the number of active cyclists quickly fell to 37 in stage two, 29 in stage three, until 16 after stage eight. At that point, the points given in the first eight stages were redistributed among the remaining riders in accordance with their positions in those stages. At the end of the Tour de France, only 14 cyclists finished.[5]
| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Pottier (FRA) |
Peugeot | 31 |
| 2 | Georges Passerieu (FRA) |
Peugeot | 39 |
| 3 | Louis Trousselier (FRA) |
Peugeot | 61 |
| 4 | Lucien Petit-Breton (FRA) |
Peugeot | 65 |
| 5 | Émile Georget (FRA) |
Alcyon–Dunlop | 80 |
| 6 |  Aloïs Catteau (BEL) |
Alcyon–Dunlop | 129 |
| 7 | Édouard Wattelier (FRA) |
Labor | 137 |
| 8 | Léon Georget (FRA) |
Alcyon–Dunlop | 152 |
| 9 | Eugène Christophe (FRA) |
Labor | 156 |
| 10 | Anthony Wattelier (FRA) |
Alcyon–Dunlop | 168 |
| General Classification (11–14) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Sponsor | Points |
| 11 | Georges Fleury (FRA) |
Rochet | 201 |
| 12 | Ferdinand Payan (FRA) |
Chapmeyrache/MIC Cycles | 222 |
| 13 | Léon Winant (FRA) |
— | 241 |
| 14 | Georges Bronchard (FRA) |
Biguet | 256 |
Aftermath
The Tour organizers did not make many changes the rules or route for the next race, because they had worked in the 1906 Tour de France. The revised points system would be kept in this form until 1911, only to be changed a little bit in 1912 before being replaced by the time system in 1913. The flamme rouge that was introduced in 1906 to indicate the final kilometre of a stage was kept and is still in use.
René Pottier would not defend his title in the 1907 Tour de France, because he would commit suicide before. Petit-Breton and Georget would start again in the 1907 Tour and duel for the overall victory, which would be won by Petit-Breton.
References
- ^ Jacques Augendre (2009). "Guide Historique" (in French). Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original on 2009-10-03. http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1254580608579206. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ a b c "1906 - 4th Tour de France". ASO. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. http://www.webcitation.org/5gVcjFooW. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "1906: René Pottier wint na machtsvertoon op Ballon d'Alsace" (in Dutch). tourdefrance.nl. 19 March 2006. http://www.tourdefrance.nl/achtergronden/tourverhalen/1906--René-Pottier-wint-na-machtsvertoon-op-Ballon-dAlsace-492.html. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ a b Tom James (14 August 2003). "1906: The first climbing star is born". VeloArchive. http://www.veloarchive.com/races/tour/1906.php. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "4ème Tour de France 1906" (in French). Memoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. http://www.webcitation.org/5gVcjgIxR. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ "4ème Tour de France 1906 - 3ème étappe" (in French). Memoire du Cyclisme. http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1906_3.php. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ "1906 - René Pottier" (in Dutch). Tourdefrance.nl. 12 May 2003. http://www.tourdefrance.nl/achtergronden/tourwinnaars/1906--René-Pottier-766.html. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
- ^ "4ème Tour de France 1906 - 14ème étape" (in French). Memoire du cyclisme. http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1906_13.php. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
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