1914 Tour de France
Route of the 1914 Tour de France
Followed counterclockwise, starting in Paris |
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| Race details | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 28 June – 26 July | ||||||||||||
| Stages | 15 | ||||||||||||
| Distance | 5,380 km (3,343 mi) | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 200h 28' 48" | ||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||
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| Winner |
 Philippe Thys (BEL)
|
(Peugeot–Wolber) | |
| Second |
 Henri Pélissier (FRA)
|
(Peugeot–Wolber) | |
| Third |
Jean Alavoine (FRA)
|
(Peugeot–Wolber) |
The 1914 Tour de France was the 12th edition of the Tour de France, taking place in 15 stages from 28 June to 26 July. The total distance was 5,380 kilometres (3,340 mi) and the average speed of the riders was 26.835 kilometres per hour (16.674 mph). It was won by the Belgian cyclist Philippe Thys.
The day the Tour began, Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo, marking the start of World War I. On 3 August Germany invaded Belgium and declared war on France, making this Tour the last for five years, until 1919. The three men who won the Tour between 1907 and 1910 would die in the war.
Not much changed from the 1913 Tour de France, the most important novelty was the introduction of frame numbers. Philippe Thys, who had won the 1913 Tour de France, was returning in 1914 and considered favourite, together with his team mate Henri Pélissier. Apart from him six other previous Tour de France winners started the race: Louis Trousselier, Lucien Petit-Breton, Octave Lapize, François Faber, Odile Defraye and Gustave Garrigou. Four more cyclists started the race that would later win a Tour de France: Firmin Lambot, Léon Scieur, Henri Pélissier and Lucien Buysse. This number of 11 former or future Tour de France winners on the start line is a record. In addition, Italian champion Costante Girardengo, started the race, but Girardengo was not yet the champion from 1919 on, and was not the team leader.
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