The Tour visits Digne-les-Bains
The Tour used to pass this way a lot in the 1930s when the
route repeated itself more. But it has not been here since
1969 when Merckx took the stage. Roger Lapebie won here in
1937, and Rene Vietto took three stages here in 1934-5 and
1947.
Le Quatorze Juillet
- The Tour did not race on this day until 1906, when Georges
Passerieu became the first Frenchman to win on this date.
- The Pelissier brothers did well on this date. Henri (1923)
and Charles (1930-1) took home holiday wins.
- In 1934 Theo Middelkamp was the first Dutchman to win a
Tour stage.
- 1952 was a good year for Coppi. On this date he led over
the Tourmalet, the Aubisque, and then took the finish in Pau.
- The Tour has ventured abroad on it's national holiday. In
1959 Italian Ercole Baldini won in Aosta.
- For a while in the 1960s the Tour finished in Paris on
this date. In 1964 Anquetil won the final stage while
wearing yellow on the French national holiday. I doubt
it gets any better than that. It didn't for him. It was
his last stage win in the Tour.
- Merckx? Of course. 1974. La Seu d'Urgell.
- 1976 saw a rare triple(!) stage. Freddy Maertens won the
first two, Gerben Karstens took the third race of what must
have been a brutal day!
- Dag Otto Lauritzen is not the guy you would expect to win
in Luz Ardiden. But he became the first Norwegian stage
winner there in 1987. Uff da!!
- It has only happened once, but Brazilian Mauro Ribeiro
took the stage for his country in 1991.
- Do you guys remember when Guerini T-boned a fan at L'Alpe
d'Huez? It was this date in 1999.
- The Tour likes to watch fireworks at L'Alpe d'Huez, and
so do the Dutch. Celebrants include Winnen (1981) and Rooks
(1988).
- Vinokourov made a landmark first Kazakh stage win in 2003.
- And Virenque is the most recent French stage winner on
this date. He won in Saint Flour last year on a day with 9
categorized climbs.
Bob Schwartz
[email hidden]
Glad to hear from Benjo again.