Spanish climber Vicente Trueba was the first King of the Mountains of Tour de France. The special competition was introduced to the race in 1933.… Read More »Vicente Trueba climbing Galibier (Tour de France 1933)
On the desert-like descent of the Col d’Izoard during the 15th stage of the 1939 Tour de France, Sylvère Maes dramatically turned the tide of… Read More »Sylvère Maes takes over the lead on Col d’Izoard (Tour de France 1939
Federico Bahamontes made his Tour de France debut in 1954, a race that would mark the beginning of his legacy as one of the greatest… Read More »Federico Bahamontes stops for an ice cream (Tour de France 1954)
Since its introduction to the Tour de France in 1952, Alpe d’Huez has been the scene of many legendary moments in cycling history. Among the… Read More »Hand in hand on the top of Alpe d’Huez
The 1969 edition of the Tour de France was Merckx’s first. Coming off wins in other prestigious races such as the Giro d’Italia, Merckx had… Read More »Eddy Merckx’s epic solo victory in the Pyrenees (Tour de France 1969)
In 1910, Henri Desgrange, the Tour’s founder and director, decided to introduce mountain stages into the race to make it even more challenging. The Pyrenean… Read More »When Octave Lapize called the Tour de France organizers “murderers”
The history of the Tour de France is filled with monumental stages and dramatic moments that have shaped the race into the iconic event it… Read More »Tour de France’s first visit in the Alps (1911)
The more I dvelve into the history of road cycling races the more I convinced that the stories born on the slopes of Col d’Aubisque… Read More »Inexperienced cyclist in yellow jersey rescued from the ravine (Wim van Est, Tour de France 1951)
With its introduction to Tour de France in 1952, Alpe d’Huez became one the most iconic ascents of the race instantly. Although it has a… Read More »Five iconic Alpe d’Huez moments
The 10th stage of Tour de France 1926 is often dubbed as the toughest stage ever in the history of the race. The 326 km… Read More »The toughest Tour de France stage ever