View source for 1908 Tour de France

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox cycling race report
| name               = 1908 Tour de France
| image              = Tour de France 1907 map-fr.svg
| image_caption      = Route of the 1908 Tour de France followed clockwise, starting in Paris
| image_alt          = Map of France with the route of the 1908 Tour de France on it, showing that the race started in Paris, went clockwise through France and ended in Paris after fourteen stages.
| image_size         = 300px
| date               = 13 July – 9 August 1908
| stages             = 14
| distance           = 4488
| unit               = km
| time               = 36 points
| first              = [[Lucien Petit-Breton]]
| first_nat          = FRA
| second             = [[François Faber]]
| second_nat         = LUX
| third              = [[Georges Passerieu]]
| third_nat          = FRA
| previous           = [[1907 Tour de France|1907]]
| next               = [[1909 Tour de France|1909]]
}}
The '''1908 Tour de France''' was the sixth running of the annual [[Tour de France]], one of cycling's [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tour]]s. It was organised by the newspaper ''[[L'Auto]]'', and took place between 13 July and 9 August. The Tour was split in 14 stages, with a total distance of {{convert|4497|km|mi}}.{{sfn|Augendre|2016|p=108}}

The pre-race favourite was [[Lucien Petit-Breton]], winner of the [[1907 Tour de France|previous Tour]]. Petit-Breton dominated the race; he won the general classification and five of the fourteen stages, and thus became the first cyclist who won the Tour twice. For the first time, the final podium in Paris was not completely French: [[François Faber]] from Luxembourg ended as second in the general classification, after winning four stages.

==Innovations and changes==
The 1908 Tour de France followed nearly the same route as the [[1907 Tour de France]], following the borders of France clockwise. The rules were also the same; the points system was still used instead of the time system to determine the winner.

Before the start, the Tour de France organization announced that all necessary measures had been taken to prevent the regrettable incidents as in [[1905 Tour de France|1905]], and that the 'Apaches' had 90% chance of being caught and spending time in jail.<ref name="Berthet">{{cite web |url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/berthet.html |access-date=8 April 2009 |title=Berthet and le Tour 1908 |first=Tony |last=Hadland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824192651/http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/berthet.html |archive-date=24 August 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> Dismountable tyres were used for the first time; this meant that cyclists could repair their bicycles easier, and a flat tire cost them less time.<ref name="mdc1908"/>

Because tour organiser [[Henri Desgrange]] wanted to keep the Tour de France a race between individual athletes, all cyclists had to ride on frames provided by the Tour organisation.{{sfn|McGann|McGann|2006|p=22}} The cyclists were not allowed to change bicycles, so the separation in two different classes in the years before had disappeared, and all cyclists started in the same category.<ref name="elm09071908"/>

==Participants==
{{main list|List of cyclists in the 1908 Tour de France}}

Before the race started, 162 cyclists had subscribed for the Tour de France, and received starting numbers. 48 cyclists did not start, so the first stage started with 114 cyclists.<ref name="mdc1908" /><ref name="letour-start-list">{{cite web|title=The history of the Tour de France – Year 1908 – The starters|url=http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1908/partants.html|work=[[Tour de France]]|publisher=[[Amaury Sport Organisation]]|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Cyclists entered the race individually, not in teams; nevertheless some shared the same sponsor and cooperated as if they rode in teams.{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=36}}

The favourite for the victory was Lucien Petit-Breton, the winner of the previous edition. He was sponsored by Peugeot, which sponsored also several other strong cyclists; in the five previous editions of the Tour de France, these Peugeot-sponsored cyclists had together won 20 stages.{{sfn|McGann|McGann|2006|p=22}} In addition, Petit-Breton was a skilled [[bicycle mechanic]], which was important because the rules said that cyclists had to repair their bicycle without help.{{sfn|McGann|McGann|2006|p=22}} The strongest opposition was expected from the cyclists sponsored by [[Alcyon (cycling team)|Alcyon]], led by [[Georges Passerieu]] and [[Gustave Garrigou]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingrevealed.com/timeline/Race%20Snippets/TdF/TdF1908.htm|title=6th Tour de France 1908: "L'Argentin... Again!"|author=Boyce, Barry|access-date=27 August 2010|publisher=Cycling Revealed}}</ref>

The Labor-sponsored cyclists started the race in yellow jerseys; in 1908 the yellow jersey for the race leader was not used yet.<ref name="Berthet"/>

French athlete [[Marie Marvingt]] had tried to participate in the 1908 Tour de France, but was refused permission because the race was only open to men. She rode the route after the race, and managed to finish it.<ref name="Marvingt">{{cite web|url=http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/marvingt.html |title=Marie Marvingt "La Fiancée du Danger" (1875-1963) |publisher=Hargrave Aviation and Aeromodelling - Interdependent Evolutions and Histories |first=David |last=Lam |access-date=8 April 2009 |date=20 October 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925084346/http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/marvingt.html |archive-date=25 September 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Race overview==

{{main|1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7|1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14}}

[[File:Départ du Tour de France 13 juillet 1908.JPG|thumb|right|The start of the 1908 Tour de France|alt=A group of cyclists standing behind a person with a flag, with other people standing next to the road]]
At one stage, [[Henri Desgrange]]'s car broke down, and the tour organiser had to finish the stage in a horse-drawn carriage.<ref name="letour.fr">{{cite web |url=http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1908/index.html |publisher=ASO |title=1908 - 6th Tour de France |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930222548/http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/1908/us/annee.html?RaceYear=1908&x=46&y=14 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 April 2009}}</ref>

In the first stage, from Paris to Roubaix, the cobbles caused many crashes and flat tyres.<ref name="Berthet"/> It was won by [[Georges Passerieu]], while Petit-Breton finished second.
The second stage, from Roubaix to Metz, went through [[Alsace-Lorraine]], which was in 1908 part of the [[German Empire]]. As in previous years, nails had been thrown on the road.<ref name="Berthet"/> This stage was won by Petit-Breton with Passerieu in second place. Having both won a stage and finished second in the other, Petit-Breton and Passerieu both had 3 points. Some sources show them joint leaders after that stage,<ref name="VeloArchive">{{cite web|url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1909.htm |title=Faber is the first non-French winner |first=Tom |last=James |publisher=VeloArchive |access-date=8 April 2009 |date=4 April 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725142301/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/veloarchive/races/tour/1909.htm |archive-date=25 July 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Zwegers">{{cite web|url=http://www.cvccbike.com/tour/top_ten.html#1908|title=Tour de France GC top ten|first=Arian|last=Zwegers|publisher=CVCC|access-date=21 September 2009}}</ref> while other sources show Passerieu as single leader.<ref name="MdC1908-2"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radsport-seite.de/tour1908.html|language=de|title=Tour de France 1908|publisher=Radsportseite|access-date=21 September 2009}}</ref>
In the third stage, started by [[Ferdinand von Zeppelin|Count Zeppelin]], the Labor boss sent a telegram to the manager of the team after another crash by a Labor team member ([[Jean Novo]]): "After Novo's crash and the mediocre results of the other riders, I have decided to abandon the race. You can all ease up and come back by train."<ref name="Berthet"/> The rest of the Tour would be dominated by the cyclists from [[Peugeot (cycling team)|Peugeot]], who won all the stages. At the third stage, Passerieu finished in 30th place; because Petit-Breton finished second, he was now leading the race by a big margin.{{sfn|McGann|McGann|2006|p=22}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_3.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222104130/http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_3.php |archive-date=22 February 2012 |access-date=28 October 2016  |url-status=dead |title=6ème Tour de France 1908 - 3ème étape |publisher=Mémoire du cyclisme |language=fr }}</ref> The stage was won by Faber. Faber had finished at 49th place in the second stage, so he was no direct threat for the general classification.<ref name="MdC1908-2">{{cite web|url=http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_2.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222104109/http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_2.php |archive-date=22 February 2012 |access-date=28 October 2016  |url-status=dead |title=6ème Tour de France 1908 - 2ème étape |publisher=Mémoire du cyclisme |language=fr }}</ref>

The fourth stage to Lyon was during a snow storm.<ref name="letour.fr"/> Faber won his second stage, and although he was still behind in the general classification, his two consecutive stage wins made him a dangerous competitor.{{sfn|Amels|1984|p=}}

In the sixth stage, the [[Rampe de Laffrey|Côte de Laffrey]] and the [[Col Bayard]] were climbed, and [[André Pottier]], the younger brother of the 1906 Tour winner [[René Pottier]], reached the tops first. He could not keep the lead, and Faber passed him. Faber lost the lead when he had to stop to fix his bicycle, and at that point [[Giovanni Gerbi]] was in the lead. However, three kilometers before the finish, Gerbi's rear wheel broke; Gerbi could not quickly fix his bicycle, so he walked to the finish carrying his bicycle on his back, and finished in seventh place, while the stage was won by [[Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:110555833:mpeg21:a0050|language=nl|title=Wielernieuws. De Tour de France|publisher=Delpher|work=De Telegraaf|date=25 July 1908|access-date=27 December 2015}}</ref>

The seventh stage passed through [[Crau]], in desert-like conditions. Petit-Breton was best suited to this type of weather, and easily won.{{sfn|Amels|1984|p=}} In the ninth stage, won by Petit-Breton, Faber jumped to the second position in the overall classification, with 57 points, while Petit-Breton was still leading with 18 points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_9.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222104152/http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_9.php |archive-date=22 February 2012 |access-date=28 October 2016  |url-status=dead |title=6ème Tour de France 1908 - 9ème étape |publisher=Mémoire du cyclisme |language=fr }}</ref> Petit-Breton was at that moment almost guaranteed of the victory, because the remaining stages were all flat, which suited him well.{{sfn|Amels|1984|p=}}

Petit-Breton crushed the other cyclists in the eleventh stage, dropping all other cyclists one by one. In the remaining stages the other cyclists tried to beat Petit-Breton by escaping on turns, but Petit-Breton reeled them in each time.{{sfn|Amels|1984|p=}} In the 13th stage, 415&nbsp;km from Brest to Caen, the winner Passerieu needed more than 16 hours to finish the stage; the last cyclist to finish that stage, [[Louis Di Maria]], finished 23 hours after Passerieue.<ref name="letour.fr"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_13.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222104157/http://memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908_13.php |archive-date=22 February 2012 |access-date=28 October 2016  |url-status=dead |title=6ème Tour de France 1908 - 13ème étape |publisher=Mémoire du cyclisme |language=fr }}</ref> Faber could pose no threat to Petit-Breton, and Petit-Breton won the Tour de France easily. His worst placement had been the 10th stage where he finished 10th at one second from the winner; all other stages he was in the top four, winning five of the stages.
{{Clear}}

==Results==

===Stage results===

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Stage characteristics and winners<ref name="Zwegers"/><ref name="mdc1908">{{cite web|url=http://memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908.php |publisher=Mémoire du cyclisme |title=6ème Tour de France 1908 |language=fr |access-date=2 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502200801/http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1939/tdf1908.php |archive-date=2 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{sfn|Augendre|2016|p=10}}<ref name="letour-stage-winners">{{cite web|title=The history of the Tour de France – Year 1908 – The stage winners|url=http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1908/vainqueurs.html|work=[[Tour de France]]|publisher=[[Amaury Sport Organisation]]|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | Stage
! scope="col" | Date
! scope="col" | Course
! scope="col" | Distance
! scope="col" colspan="2" | Type{{efn|In 1908, there was no distinction in the rules between plain stages and mountain stages; the icons shown here indicate which stages included mountains.<ref name="mdc1908"/>}}
! scope="col" | Winner
! scope="col" | Race leader
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 1|1]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 13 July || [[Paris]] to [[Roubaix]]
| {{convert|272|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Passerieu]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Passerieu]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 2|2]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 15 July || [[Roubaix]] to [[Metz]]
| {{convert|398|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Passerieu]]|FRA}}<br/>{{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}{{efn|Passerieu and Petit-Breton both had 3 points after the second stage. Some sources indicate that they were joint leader, other sources indicate that Passerieu was the only leader, see article.}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 3|3]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 17 July || [[Metz]] to [[Belfort]]
| {{convert|259|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Mountainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Stage with mountain(s)|| {{Flag athlete|[[François Faber]]|LUX}}|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 4|4]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 19 July || [[Belfort]] to [[Lyon]]
| {{convert|309|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Mountainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Stage with mountain(s)|| {{Flag athlete|[[François Faber]]|LUX}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 5|5]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 21 July || [[Lyon]] to [[Grenoble]]
| {{convert|311|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Mountainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Stage with mountain(s)|| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Passerieu]]|FRA}}|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 6|6]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 23 July || [[Grenoble]] to [[Nice]]
| {{convert|345|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Mountainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Stage with mountain(s)|| {{Flag athlete|[[Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 1 to Stage 7#Stage 7|7]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 25 July || [[Nice]] to [[Nîmes]]
| {{convert|354|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 8|8]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 27 July || [[Nîmes]] to [[Toulouse]]
| {{convert|303|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[François Faber]]|LUX}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 9|9]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 29 July || [[Toulouse]] to [[Bayonne]]
| {{convert|299|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 10|10]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 31 July || [[Bayonne]] to [[Bordeaux]]
| {{convert|269|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Paulmier]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 11|11]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2 August || [[Bordeaux]] to [[Nantes]]
| {{convert|391|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 12|12]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4 August || [[Nantes]] to [[Brest, France|Brest]]
| {{convert|321|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[François Faber]]|LUX}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 13|13]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 6 August || [[Brest, France|Brest]] to [[Caen]]
| {{convert|415|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Passerieu]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[1908 Tour de France, Stage 8 to Stage 14#Stage 14|14]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 9 August || [[Caen]] to [[Paris]]
| {{convert|251|km|mi|abbr=on}} || [[File:Plainstage.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] || Plain stage|| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}} || {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}}
|-
! scope="row" |
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center"| Total
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center"| {{convert|4488|km|0|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Augendre|2016|p=108}}
|}

After the last stage, there was a timed lap of 666&nbsp;m at the [[Parc des Princes]] velodrome in Paris, won by [[Henri Cornet]] in 51.2&nbsp;s. This was not counted as an official stage and had no influence on the overall classification.<ref name="veloarchive">{{cite web|url=http://www.veloarchive.com/races/tour/1908.php|first=Tom|last=James|date=27 August 2007|access-date=8 April 2009|publisher=VeloArchive|title=1908: Petit-Breton becomes the first double-winner}}</ref>

===General classification===
[[File:Lucien Petit-Breton - Tour de France 9 août 1908.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]], celebrating his victory in the 1908 Tour de France.|alt=A group of men of which one is holding flowers.]]
The general classification was calculated by points: at every stage, the winner was given one point, the next cyclist two points, etc. After the eighth stage, when only 39 cyclists were still in the race, the points given in the first eight stages were redistributed among the remaining cyclists, in accordance with their positions in those stages.<ref name="mdc1908" />
Of the 114 starting cyclists, 36 finished. The Peugeot team had dominated the race; not only did their cyclists win all 14 stages, but they also had the top four places in the general classification.{{sfn|McGann|McGann|2006|p=22}} Even though cyclists entered the race as individuals, officially not connected to sponsors,{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=36}} most cyclists had a sponsor.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:38em; margin-bottom:0;"
|+ Final general classification (1–10)<ref name="letour-class-final">{{cite web|title=The history of the Tour de France – Year 1908 – Stage 14.02 Caen > Paris|url=http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1908/1402/etape.html|work=[[Tour de France]]|publisher=[[Amaury Sport Organisation]]|access-date=2 April 2020|archive-date=2 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402214352/http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/1908/1402/etape.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | Rank!! scope="col" | Rider!! scope="col" | Sponsor!! scope="col" | Points
|-
! scope="col" | 1
| {{Flag athlete|[[Lucien Petit-Breton]]|FRA}} || [[Peugeot (cycling team)|Peugeot–Wolber]] || style="text-align:right;" | 36
|-
! scope="col" | 2
| {{Flag athlete|[[François Faber]]|LUX}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 68
|-
! scope="col" | 3
| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Passerieu]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 75
|-
! scope="col" | 4
| {{Flag athlete|[[Gustave Garrigou]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 91
|-
! scope="col" | 5
| {{Flag athlete|[[Luigi Ganna]]|ITA|1861}} || [[Alcyon (cycling team)|Alcyon–Dunlop]] || style="text-align:right;" | 120
|-
! scope="col" | 6
| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Paulmier]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 125
|-
! scope="col" | 7
| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Fleury]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 134
|-
! scope="col" | 8
| {{Flag athlete|[[Henri Cornet]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 142
|-
! scope="col" | 9
| {{Flag athlete|[[Marcel Godivier]]|FRA}}|| Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 153
|-
! scope="col" | 10
| {{Flag athlete|[[Giovanni Rossignoli]]|ITA|1861}} || {{UCI team code|BIA|1908}} || style="text-align:right;" | 160
|}
{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable noprint" style="width:38em;margin-top:-1px;"
|-
! scope="col" colspan="4" | Final general classification (11–36)<ref name="letour-class-final" />
|-
! scope="col" | Rank!! scope="col" | Rider!! scope="col" | Sponsor!! scope="col" | Points
|-
! scope="col" | 11
| {{Flag athlete|[[Paul Duboc]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 163
|-
! scope="col" | 12
| {{Flag athlete|[[Clemente Canepari]]|ITA|1861}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 183
|-
! scope="col" | 13
| {{Flag athlete|[[François Beaugendre]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 195
|-
! scope="col" | 14
| {{Flag athlete|[[Paul Chauvet]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 209
|-
! scope="col" | 15
| {{Flag athlete|[[Eugène Forestier]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 231
|-
! scope="col" | 16
| {{Flag athlete|[[Achille Germain]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 236
|-
! scope="col" | 17
| {{Flag athlete|[[André Pottier]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 237
|-
! scope="col" | 18
| {{Flag athlete|[[Ernest Paul]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 243
|-
! scope="col" | 19
| {{Flag athlete|[[Aldo Bettini]]|ITA|1861}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 243
|-
! scope="col" | 20
| {{Flag athlete|[[Giovanni Gerbi]]|ITA|1861}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 246
|-
! scope="col" | 21
| {{Flag athlete|[[Aloïs Catteau]]|BEL}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 272
|-
! scope="col" | 22
| {{Flag athlete|[[Marceau Narcy]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 307
|-
! scope="col" | 23
| {{Flag athlete|[[Martin Soulié]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 315
|-
! scope="col" | 24
| {{Flag athlete|[[Ferdinand Payan]]|FRA}} || Champeyrache || style="text-align:right;" | 317
|-
! scope="col" | 25
| {{Flag athlete|[[Noel Combelles]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 335
|-
! scope="col" | 26
| {{Flag athlete|[[F. Gonzales]]|FRA}} || Peugeot–Wolber || style="text-align:right;" | 376
|-
! scope="col" | 27
| {{Flag athlete|[[Alexandre Bodinier]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 374
|-
! scope="col" | 28
| {{Flag athlete|[[Edouard Wattelier]]|FRA}} || Nil–Supra || style="text-align:right;" | 388
|-
! scope="col" | 29
| {{Flag athlete|[[Georges Bronchard]]|FRA}} || Peerless || style="text-align:right;" | 397
|-
! scope="col" | 30
| {{Flag athlete|[[Robert Lecointe]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 406
|-
! scope="col" | 31
| {{Flag athlete|[[Antoine Wattelier]]|FRA}} || Nil–Supra || style="text-align:right;" | 438
|-
! scope="col" | 32
| {{Flag athlete|[[Eloi Guichard]]|FRA}} || Terrot || style="text-align:right;" | 445
|-
! scope="col" | 33
| {{Flag athlete|[[Léon Rabot]]|FRA}} || Alcyon–Dunlop || style="text-align:right;" | 453
|-
! scope="col" | 34
| {{Flag athlete|[[Jean Darche]]|FRA}} || Biguet || style="text-align:right;" | 469
|-
! scope="col" | 35
| {{Flag athlete|[[Louis Di Maria]]|FRA}} || – || style="text-align:right;" | 499
|-
! scope="col" | 36
| {{Flag athlete|[[Henri Anthoine]]|FRA}} || Labor || style="text-align:right;" | 512
|}

If the winner would have been determined by the time system as used in 1903 and 1904, Petit-Breton would also have been the winner, with Passerieu in second place, Garrigou in third and Faber in fourth.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:110555869:mpeg21:a0055|title=De Tour de France|date=15 August 1908|access-date=27 December 2015|publisher=Delpher|work=De Telegraaf|language=nl}}</ref>

===Other classifications===
Second-placed François Faber became the winner of the "pneus démontables" category.<ref name="letourfr">{{cite web|url=http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/fr/TDF/1908/histoire.html|title=l'Historique du Tour - Année 1908|language=fr|publisher=[[Amaury Sport Organisation]]|access-date=4 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212221822/http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/fr/TDF/1908/histoire.html|archive-date=12 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The organising newspaper l'Auto named [[Gustave Garrigou]] the ''meilleur grimpeur''. This unofficial title is the precursor to the [[mountains classification in the Tour de France|mountains classification]].{{sfn|Cleijne|2014|p=156}}

===Prize money===
In total, 25000 Francs were distributed in the 1908 Tour de France. The 1908 Tour was split into fourteen stages, and in all but the last stage, the best cyclists received prize money. Between 400 and 500 French Francs was for the winner of each stage, down to 40 Francs for the seventh cyclist to finish. After the last stage, prizes were given for the position in the general classification: 5000 Francs for the winner, down to 100 Francs for the 25th place. All riders that finished were given at least 5 Francs per day.<ref name="elm09071908">{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1908/07/09/MD19080709-004.pdf|title="El Tour De France 1908" (6.°año)|date=9 July 1908|language=es|work=[[Mundo Deportivo]]|page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006192040/http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1908/07/09/MD19080709-004.pdf|archive-date=6 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The winner Petit-Breton won 8050 Francs in this way; runner-up Faber won 4595 Francs.<ref name="elm13081908">{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1908/08/13/MD19080813-003.pdf|title=Clasificación general|date=13 August 1908|page=3|language=es|work=[[Mundo Deportivo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119231818/http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1908/08/13/MD19080813-003.pdf|archive-date=19 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Lucien Petit-Breton became the first cyclist to win two Tours de France. He wrote a book about his life, "Comment je cours sur route".<ref name="letourfr"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Comment je cours sur route|language=fr|last=Petit-Breton|first=Lucien|year=1908|publisher=l'Auto}}</ref> This became a success, and he started to write cycling columns for newspapers. In the next Tour in [[1909 Tour de France|1909]], Petit-Breton did not participate as a cyclist, but followed the race as a columnist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nusport.nl/rob-de-haan/2051238/het-verhaal-van-een-tourwinnaar.html|publisher=Nusport|first=Rob de|last=Haan|language=nl|date=30 July 2009|access-date=4 January 2010|title=Het verhaal van een Tourwinnaar}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Amels|first=Wim|title=De geschiedenis van de Tour de France 1903–1984|location=Valkenswaard, Netherlands|publisher=Sport-Express|year=1984|language=nl|isbn=978-90-70763-05-3}}
* {{cite book|first=Jacques|last=Augendre|author-link=Jacques Augendre|url=http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/le-tour/2016/histoire/TDF16_GH_Interactif-PROD.pdf|title=Guide historique|trans-title=Historical guide|year=2016|language=fr|access-date=27 October 2016|via=[[Tour de France]]|location=Paris|publisher=[[Amaury Sport Organisation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817121602/http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/le-tour/2016/histoire/TDF16_GH_Interactif-PROD.pdf|archive-date=17 August 2016|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Cleijne|first=Jan|title=Legends of the Tour|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nCNAwAAQBAJ|year=2014|location=London|publisher=Head of Zeus|isbn=978-1-78185-998-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=McGann|first1=Bill|last2=McGann|first2=Carol|title=The Story of the Tour de France: 1903–1964|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jxq20JskqMUC|publisher=Dog Ear Publishing|location=Indianapolis, IN|year=2006|isbn=978-1-59858-180-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Christopher S.|title=The Tour de France: A Cultural History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M-vUF6Y_4RUC|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|location=Oakland, CA|year=2006|isbn=978-0-520-24760-4}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Mapping Le Tour|first=Ellis|last=Bacon|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|location=Glasgow|year=2014|pages=32–33|isbn=9780007543991|oclc=872700415}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}

{{Tour de France}}
{{Cycling stage recaps|1908 Tour de France|1|7|8|14}}
{{Tour de France general classification winners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1908 Tour de France}}
[[Category:1908 Tour de France| ]]
[[Category:1908 in French sport|Tour de France]]
[[Category:Tour de France by year]]
[[Category:1908 in road cycling|Tour de France]]
[[Category:July 1908 sports events in Europe|Tour de France]]
[[Category:August 1908 sports events in Europe|Tour de France]]