1963 Tour de France
Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use British English Template:Short description Script error: No such module "infobox". The 1963 Tour de France was the 50th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 23 June and 14 July, with 21 stages covering a distance of Script error: No such module "convert".. Stages 2 and 6 were both two part stages, the first half being a regular stage and the second half being a team or individual time trial.
The Tour organisers were trying to break the dominance of Anquetil, who had won already three Tours, by reducing the time trials length to only Script error: No such module "convert"., so that the climbing capabilities would be more important.[1]
Nonetheless, the race was won by Anquetil, who was able to stay close to his main rival Federico Bahamontes in the mountains, one time even by faking a mechanical problem in order to get a bicycle that was more suited for the terrain. Bahamontes finished as the second-placed cyclist, but won the mountains classification. The points classification was won by Rik Van Looy.
Teams
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The 1963 Tour started with 130 cyclists, divided into 13 teams.[2] The IBAC–Molteni team was a combination of five cyclists from Template:Cycling data IBAC and five from Template:Cycling data Molteni, each wearing their own sponsor's jerseys.[1]
The teams entering the race were:[2]
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- Template:Cycling data Saint-Raphaël
- Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
- Template:Cycling data Flandria
- Template:Cycling data Groene Leeuw
- Template:Cycling data Margnat
- Template:Cycling data Carpano
- Template:Cycling data Pelforth
- Template:Cycling data Ferrys
- Template:Cycling data Libertas
- Template:Cycling data IBAC–Template:Cycling data Molteni
- Template:Cycling data KAS
- Template:Cycling data Peugeot
- Template:Cycling data Solo
Pre-race favourites
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The main favourite before the race was Jacques Anquetil, at that moment already a three-time winner of the Tour, including the previous two editions. Anquetil had shown good form before the Tour, as he won Paris–Nice, the Dauphiné Libéré, the Critérium National and the 1963 Vuelta a España. Anquetil was not sure if he would ride the Tour until a few days before the start; he had been infected by a tapeworm, and was advised not to start.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Anquetil had chosen to ride races with tough climbs, to prepare for the 1963 Tour de France.[3]
The major competitor was thought to be Raymond Poulidor, who had shown his capabilities in the 1962 Tour de France.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Route and stages
The 1963 Tour de France started on 23 June in Paris, and had one rest day, in Aurillac.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The highest point of elevation in the race was Script error: No such module "convert". at the summit of the Col de l'Iseran mountain pass on stage 16.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[4]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 June | Paris to Épernay | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eddy Pauwels (BEL) |
| 2a | 24 June | Reims to Jambes (Belgium) | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Rik Van Looy (BEL) |
| 2b | Jambes (Belgium) | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Time Trial.svg | Team time trial | Template:Cycling data Pelforth | |
| 3 | 25 June | Jambes (Belgium) to Roubaix | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Ireland.svg Seamus Elliott (IRL) |
| 4 | 26 June | Roubaix to Rouen | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Frans Melckenbeeck (BEL) |
| 5 | 27 June | Rouen to Rennes | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Italy.svg Antonio Bailetti (ITA) |
| 6a | 28 June | Rennes to Angers | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Roger de Breuker (BEL) |
| 6b | Angers | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Time Trial.svg | Individual time trial | File:Flag of France.svg Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | |
| 7 | 29 June | Angers to Limoges | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan Janssen (NED) |
| 8 | 30 June | Limoges to Bordeaux | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Rik Van Looy (BEL) |
| 9 | 1 July | Bordeaux to Pau | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Pino Cerami (BEL) |
| 10 | 2 July | Pau to Bagnères-de-Bigorre | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of France.svg Jacques Anquetil (FRA) |
| 11 | 3 July | Bagnères-de-Bigorre to Luchon | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of France.svg Guy Ignolin (FRA) |
| 12 | 4 July | Luchon to Toulouse | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of France.svg André Darrigade (FRA) |
| 13 | 5 July | Toulouse to Aurillac | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Rik Van Looy (BEL) |
| 6 July | Aurillac | Rest day | ||||
| 14 | 7 July | Aurillac to Saint-Étienne | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of France.svg Guy Ignolin (FRA) |
| 15 | 8 July | Saint-Étienne to Grenoble | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of Spain (1945–1977).svg Federico Bahamontes (ESP) |
| 16 | 9 July | Grenoble to Val d'Isère | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of Spain (1945–1977).svg Fernando Manzaneque (ESP) |
| 17 | 10 July | Val d'Isère to Chamonix | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of France.svg Jacques Anquetil (FRA) |
| 18 | 11 July | Chamonix to Lons-le-Saunier | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Mountainstage.svg | Stage with mountain(s) | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Frans Brands (BEL) |
| 19 | 12 July | Arbois to Besançon | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Time Trial.svg | Individual time trial | File:Flag of France.svg Jacques Anquetil (FRA) |
| 20 | 13 July | Besançon to Troyes | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Roger de Breuker (BEL) |
| 21 | 14 July | Troyes to Paris | Script error: No such module "convert". | File:Plainstage.svg | Plain stage | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Rik Van Looy (BEL) |
| Total | Script error: No such module "convert".Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |||||
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Race overview
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In the first stage, four men escaped. One of them was Federico Bahamontes, the winner of the 1959 Tour de France. Bahamontes was known as a climber, so it was unexpected that he gained time on a flat stage.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The third stage saw another successful breakaway. Seamus Elliott won the stage, and became the new leader in the race; it was the first time that an Irish cyclist led the Tour de France.
The time trial in stage 6b was won by Anquetil, with Poulidor in second place. Gilbert Desmet became the new leader. The situation did not change much in the next stages until the stages in the Pyrenees, starting with the tenth stage. Bahamontes lead the first group, but Anquetil was able to stay in that first group, which was a surprise. Anquetil stayed in that first group until the finish, where he outsprinted the rest to win his first mountain stage.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". In the other two stages in the Pyrenees, Anquetil was able to stay in the first group, lost little time on his competitors, and kept getting closer to Desmet, who was still leading the general classification.
The fifteenth stage was the first in the Alps. Bahamontes won this stage, and in the general classification jumped to second place, three seconds ahead of Anquetil. In the sixteenth stage, Fernando Manzaneque won, eight minutes ahead of Bahamontes and Anquetil who stayed together. Because Desmet was further behind, Bahamontes became the new leader of the race, with a margin of three seconds on Anquetil.
The race was decided in the seventeenth stage. The rules in 1963 did not allow cyclists to change bicycles, unless there was a mechanical problem. Anquetil's team director, Raphaël Géminiani, thought that Anquetil could use a different bicycle on the ascent of the Col de la Forclaz, so he advised Anquetil to fake a mechanical problem on the start of that climb; Géminiani cut through a gear cable, and claimed that it snapped.[7] Anquetil could thus use a light bicycle with lower gears, especially suited for a climb, which gave him an advantage on his competitors. Bahamontes reached the top of the Forclaz first, and only Anquetil had been able to follow him.[8] After the top, Anquetil got his regular bicycle back, and rode to the finish together with Bahamontes. Anquetil won the sprint, and the bonus time made him the new leader.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[9] As expected, Anquetil won some more time in the time trial in stage 19, and became the winner of the 1963 Tour.
Classification leadership and minor prizes
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There were several classifications in the 1963 Tour de France, two of them awarding jerseys to their leaders.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 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.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Additionally, there was a points classification. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:Cycling data Carpano and the combined team IBAC-Molteni did not finish with three or more cyclists, so they were not included in the team classification.
In addition, there was a combativity award, in which a jury composed of journalists gave points after each stage to the cyclist they considered most combative. The split stages each had a combined winner.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". At the conclusion of the Tour, Rik Van Looy won the overall super-combativity award, also decided by journalists.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Final standings
General classification
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Points classification
Mountains classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Flag of Spain (1945–1977).svg Federico Bahamontes (ESP) | Template:Cycling data Margnat | 147 |
| 2 | File:Flag of France.svg Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 70 |
| 3 | File:Flag of France.svg Guy Ignolin (FRA) | Template:Cycling data Saint-Raphaël | 68 |
| 4 | File:Flag of France.svg Claude Mattio (FRA) | Template:Cycling data Margnat | 51 |
| 5 | File:Flag of France.svg Jacques Anquetil (FRA) | Template:Cycling data Saint-Raphaël | 47 |
| 6 | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eddy Pauwels (BEL) | Template:Cycling data Groene Leeuw | 46 |
| 7 | File:Flag of France.svg Guy Epaud (FRA) | Template:Cycling data Pelforth | 38 |
| 8 | File:Flag of Italy.svg Renzo Fontona (ITA) | Template:Cycling data IBAC–Template:Cycling data Molteni | 33 |
| 9 | File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Armand Desmet (BEL) | Template:Cycling data Flandria | 29 |
| 10 | File:Flag of Spain (1945–1977).svg Angelino Soler (ESP) | Template:Cycling data Flandria | 27 |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Cycling data Saint-Raphaël | 340h 35' 25" |
| 2 | Template:Cycling data Pelforth | + 36' 49" |
| 3 | Template:Cycling data Flandria | + 43' 13" |
| 4 | Template:Cycling data Groene Leeuw | + 59' 03" |
| 4 | Template:Cycling data Ferrys | + 59' 03" |
| 6 | Template:Cycling data Margnat | + 1h 04' 21" |
| 7 | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | + 1h 24' 34" |
| 8 | Template:Cycling data Peugeot | + 1h 42' 13" |
| 9 | Template:Cycling data KAS | + 1h 56' 08" |
| 10 | Template:Cycling data Libertas | + 2h 05' 26" |
| 11 | Template:Cycling data Solo | + 4h 18' 36" |
Aftermath
Anquetil, who had been criticized that he just a time trial specialist, showed that he was also capable of mountain stages, and everybody agreed that Anquetil was the best cyclist overall.[9] Anquetil was the first cyclist to win a fourth Tour de France. In the next year, he set the record sharper by winning his fifth Tour. The French public had expected much from Raymond Poulidor, but Poulidor only made the eighth place. Normally, Poulidor was more popular than Anquetil even when Anquetil won, but this time Poulidor received "contemptuous whistles" at the finish in the Parc des Princes,Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". while Anquetil received a standing ovation.[3]
After Anquetil and Géminiani had shown that the rule that bicycle changes were not allowed was easily circumvented by faking a mechanical problem, this rule was removed for the next year.[3]
Notes
References
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Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
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