1964 Tour de France
The 1964 Tour de France was the 51st edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 22 June and 14 July, with 22 stages covering a distance of 4,504 km (2,799 mi). Stages 3, 10 and 22 were all two-part stages with the first half being a regular stage and the second half being a team or individual time trial. It was the only Tour de France to include a mid-stage climb to the L'Alpe D'Huez ski resort. The race was eventually won by Jacques Anquetil following an epic shoulder-to-shoulder battle with Raymond Poulidor during stage 20.
 Route of the 1964 Tour de France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 22 June – 14 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 22, including three split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,504 km (2,799 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 127h 09' 44" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Teams
The 1964 Tour started with 132 cyclists, divided into 12 teams of 11 cyclists.[1]
The teams entering the race were:[1]
Pre-race favourites
The main favourite was defending champion Jacques Anquetil. He had won the 1964 Giro d'Italia earlier that year, and was trying to win a Tour-Giro double, which at that moment had only been done by Fausto Coppi.[2]
Route and stages
The 1964 Tour de France started on 22 June, and had one rest day in Andorra.[3] The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,802 m (9,193 ft) at the Cime de la Bonette loop road on stage 9.[4][5]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 June | Rennes to Lisieux | 215 km (134 mi) |  | Plain stage | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Edward Sels (BEL) |
| 2 | 23 June | Lisieux to Amiens | 208 km (129 mi) | | Plain stage |  André Darrigade (FRA) |
| 3a | 24 June | Amiens to Forest (Belgium) | 197 km (122 mi) | | Plain stage | Bernard Vandekerkhove (BEL) |
| 3b | Forest (Belgium) | 21 km (13 mi) |  | Team time trial | Kas–Kaskol | |
| 4 | 25 June | Forest (Belgium) to Metz | 292 km (181 mi) | | Plain stage |  Rudi Altig (FRG) |
| 5 | 26 June | Lunéville to Freiburg (West Germany) | 161 km (100 mi) | | Plain stage | Willy Derboven (BEL) |
| 6 | 27 June | Freiburg (West Germany) to Besançon | 200 km (120 mi) | | Plain stage |  Henk Nijdam (NED) |
| 7 | 28 June | Besançon to Thonon-les-Bains | 195 km (121 mi) | | Plain stage | Jan Janssen (NED) |
| 8 | 29 June | Thonon-les-Bains to Briançon | 249 km (155 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Federico Bahamontes (ESP) |
| 9 | 30 June | Briançon to Monaco | 239 km (149 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) |
| 10a | 1 July | Monaco to Hyères | 187 km (116 mi) | | Plain stage | Jan Janssen (NED) |
| 10b | Hyères to Toulon | 21 km (13 mi) | | Individual time trial | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | |
| 11 | 2 July | Toulon to Montpellier | 250 km (160 mi) | | Plain stage | Edward Sels (BEL) |
| 12 | 3 July | Montpellier to Perpignan | 174 km (108 mi) | | Plain stage | Jo de Roo (NED) |
| 13 | 4 July | Perpignan to Andorra | 170 km (110 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Julio Jiménez (ESP) |
| 5 July | Andorra | Rest day | ||||
| 14 | 6 July | Andorra to Toulouse | 186 km (116 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Edward Sels (BEL) |
| 15 | 7 July | Toulouse to Luchon | 203 km (126 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) |
| 16 | 8 July | Luchon to Pau | 197 km (122 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Federico Bahamontes (ESP) |
| 17 | 9 July | Peyrehorade to Bayonne | 43 km (27 mi) | | Individual time trial | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) |
| 18 | 10 July | Bayonne to Bordeaux | 187 km (116 mi) | | Plain stage | André Darrigade (FRA) |
| 19 | 11 July | Bordeaux to Brive | 215 km (134 mi) | | Plain stage | Edward Sels (BEL) |
| 20 | 12 July | Brive to Puy de Dôme | 217 km (135 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | Julio Jiménez (ESP) |
| 21 | 13 July | Clermont-Ferrand to Orléans | 311 km (193 mi) | | Plain stage | Jean Stablinski (FRA) |
| 22a | 14 July | Orléans to Versailles | 119 km (74 mi) | | Plain stage | Benoni Beheyt (BEL) |
| 22b | Versailles to Paris | 27 km (17 mi) | | Individual time trial | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | |
| Total | 4,504 km (2,799 mi)[8] | |||||
Race overview
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Anquetil, who was looking for his fifth Tour victory, was superior in the time trials, of which he won all three. But Raymond Poulidor dominated in the mountains, and Anquetil was close to losing.
The ninth stage finished in Monaco, where the riders would ride one extra lap, crossing the finish line twice. When the first group, including Poulidor and Anquetil, reached the finish line for the first time, Poulidor had forgotten the extra lap, and sprinted in avail for the victory. When the group reached the finish line for the second time, Anquetil won the sprint, and one minute of bonification time.[9]
In the second part of the tenth stage, the time trial, Anquetil won. Poulidor finished in second place, losing 36 seconds, with a flat tire costing him some time.[9][10]
In the rest day between the thirteenth and the fourteenth stage, Anquetil had joined a lamb barbecue, and in the fourteenth stage he was immediately dropped. His team director gave him a bottle of champagne, which washed away the indigestion, and then Anquetil was able to get back to Poulidor.[10] Poulidor then broke a spoke, the repair cost him some time, even more because a team mechanic, trying to help him gain speed, made him fall.[9]
Poulidor attacked in the fifteenth stage, and stayed away. He won the stage, and in the general classification climbed to third place, nine seconds behind second-placed Anquetil.[9]
Anquetil won the time trial of stage 17, and became the leader; Poulidor was in second place, only 56 seconds behind. In the twentieth stage, Poulidor did not have the right bicycle for the climb, but did not tell it to his team director. Poulidor dropped Anquetil in the climb, but the margin was not big enough for him to take over the lead, and Anquetil remained leader of the race by 14 seconds.[9]
In the final time trial, Anquetil was the favourite, being the specialist. Poulidor rode as fast as he could, and with all other cyclists but Anquetil finished, had the best time. Anquetil was the last rider to ride the time trial, and was five seconds slower at the intermediate time check, which gave Poulidor hope that he could emerge as winner. However, Anquetil was clearly faster in the second part, and won the time trial.[9] Anquetil won the Tour by only 55 seconds,[10] which was at that moment the smallest margin in history.[11]
Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were several classifications in the 1964 Tour de France, two of them awarding jerseys to their leaders.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14]
There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorised 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-categorised climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, but was not identified with a jersey.[15]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that led this classification wore yellow caps.[16]
In addition, there was a combativity award, in which a jury composed of journalists gave points after certain stages to the cyclist they considered most combative. The split stages each had a combined winner.[17] At the conclusion of the Tour, Henry Anglade won the overall super-combativity award, also decided by journalists.[3] The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass a point by his final residence, the "Villa Mia" in Beauvallon, Grimaud, on the French Riviera on stage 10a. This prize was won by André Darrigade.[18][19]
Final standings
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop | 127h 09' 44" |
| 2 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | + 55" |
| 3 | Federico Bahamontes (ESP) | Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop | + 4' 44" |
| 4 | Henry Anglade (FRA) | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | + 6' 42" |
| 5 | Georges Groussard (FRA) | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | + 10' 34" |
| 6 | André Foucher (FRA) | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | + 10' 36" |
| 7 | Julio Jiménez (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | + 12' 13" |
| 8 | Gilbert Desmet (BEL) | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | + 12' 17" |
| 9 | Hans Junkermann (FRG) | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | + 14' 02" |
| 10 |  Vittorio Adorni (ITA) | Salvarani | + 14' 19" |
Points classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Janssen (NED) | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | 208 |
| 2 | Ward Sels (BEL) | Solo–Superia | 199 |
| 3 | Rudi Altig (FRG) | Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop | 165 |
| 4 | Gilbert Desmet (BEL) | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | 147 |
| 5 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 133 |
| 6 | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop | 111 |
| 7 | Benoni Beheyt (BEL) | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | 103 |
| 7 | Henk Nijdam (NED) | Televizier | 103 |
| 9 | Vittorio Adorni (ITA) | Salvarani | 83 |
| 10 | André Darrigade (FRA) | Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop | 79 |
Mountains classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Federico Bahamontes (ESP) | Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop | 173 |
| 2 | Julio Jiménez (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 167 |
| 3 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 89 |
| 4 | Hans Junkermann (FRG) | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | 47 |
| 5 | Henri Anglade (FRA) | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | 43 |
| 6 | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop | 34 |
| 7 | André Foucher (FRA) | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | 33 |
| 8 | Karl-Heinz Kunde (FRG) | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | 27 |
| 9 | Vittorio Adorni (ITA) | Salvarani | 26 |
| 10 | Manuel Martín Piñera (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 23 |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune | 381h 33' 26" |
| 2 | Wiel's–Groene Leeuw | + 30' 24" |
| 3 | Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop | + 30' 49" |
| 4 | Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop | + 53' 09" |
| 5 | Kas–Kaskol | + 1h 07' 44" |
| 6 | Salvarani | + 1h 50' 42" |
| 7 | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | + 2h 02' 53" |
| 8 | Ferrys | + 2h 11' 22" |
| 9 | Peugeot–BP–Englebert | + 2h 27' 35" |
| 10 | Flandria–Romeo | + 4h 32' 17" |
| 11 | Solo–Superia | + 4h 39' 05" |
| 12 | Televizier | + 5h 35' 10" |
Notes
- No jersey was awarded to the leader of the mountains classification until a white jersey with red polka dots was introduced in 1975.[15]
References
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1964 – The starters". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "51ème Tour de France 1964" [51st Tour de France 1964]. Mémoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 55.
- Augendre 2016, p. 180.
- "De bergen in de Ronde van Frankrijk" [The mountains in the Tour de France]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 19 June 1964. p. 19 – via Delpher.
- Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC top ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1964 – The stage winners". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 109.
- Boyce, Barry (February 2012). ""Pou-Pou" and the Cruel Tour of 1964". Cycling Revealed. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- Amaury Sport Organisation. "The Tour - Year 1964". letour.fr. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- "Contador's winning margin is fourth smallest in Tour de France history". VeloNews. 25 July 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–455.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–453.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 453–454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 455.
- van den Akker 2018, pp. 211–216.
- "Nijdam rekent voor Janssen af met Altig" [Nijdam settles Altig for Janssen]. Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). 2 July 1964. p. 17 – via Delpher.
- Seray & Lablaine 2006, p. 84.
- "Georges Groussard reed het langst in de gele trui" [Georges Groussard rode the longest in the yellow jersey]. Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 15 July 1964. p. 14. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Informatie over de Tour de France van 1964" [Information about the Tour de France from 1964]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1964 – Stage 22.02 Versailles > Paris". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Clasificacions" [Classifications] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 15 July 1964. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- "Il Tour in cifre" [The Tour in figures]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 15 July 1964. p. 7. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Bergdoorkomsten in de Tour de France 1964 – Etappe 22B" [Mountain passages in the Tour de France 1964 – Stage 22B]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Stand in het ploegenklassement – Etappe 22B" [Standings in the team classification – Stage 22B]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
Bibliography
- Augendre, Jacques (2016). Guide historique [Historical guide] (PDF). Tour de France (in French). Paris: Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol (2006). The Story of the Tour de France: 1903–1964. 1. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59858-180-5.
- Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-300-2.
- Seray, Jacques; Lablaine, Jacques (2006). Henri Desgrange, l'homme qui créa le Tour de France [Henri Desgrange, the man who created the Tour de France] (in French). Saint-Malo, France: Editions Cristel. ISBN 978-2-84421-042-5.
- van den Akker, Pieter (2018). Tour de France Rules and Statistics: 1903–2018. Self-published. ISBN 978-1-79398-080-9.
External links
Media related to 1964 Tour de France at Wikimedia Commons
