1948 Tour de France
Route of the 1948 Tour de France
Followed counterclockwise, starting and finishing in Paris |
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 30 June – 25 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,922 km (3,058 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 145h 36' 56" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
Winner |
 Gino Bartali (ITA)
|
(Italy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second |
 Briek Schotte (BEL)
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(Belgium) | |
| Third |
 Guy Lapébie (FRA)
|
(Centre–South East) | |
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| Mountains |
Gino Bartali (ITA)
|
(Italy) | |
| Team | Belgium | ||
The 1948 Tour de France was the 35th Tour de France, taking place from 30 June to 25 July. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,922 km (3,058 mi).
The race was won by Italian cyclist Gino Bartali, who had also won the Tour de France in 1938. Bartali had almost given up during the race, but drew inspiration from a phone call from the Italian prime minister, who asked him to win the Tour de France to prevent civil unrest in Italy after assassination attempt against Togliatti. Bartali also won the mountains classification, while the team classification was won by the Belgian team.
The prize for wearing the yellow jersey was introduced in 1948, sponsored by Les Laines, a French wool company. In 1947, the media had complained that too many cyclists reached the end of the race, so the race was no longer heroic; this may have motivated a new rule between the third and the eighteenth stage, the rider last in the general classification was eliminated; Where the 1947 Tour de France had been France-centered, the 1948 race became more cosmopolitan.
The tour visited the Saar protectorate for the first time when the 18th stage passed Saarbrücken and Saarlouis. A second visit took place in 1953.
The first live television broadcast from the Tour de France was in 1948, when the arrival at the velodrome of Parc des Princes was broadcast live.
As was the custom since the 1930 Tour de France, the 1948 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams.
After there had not been an official Italian team allowed in the previous edition, the Italians were back. The Italian cyclists were divided between Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. Both argued in the preparation of the race about who would be the team leader. The Tour organisation wanted to have both cyclists in the race, so they allowed the Italians and Belgians to enter a second team. In the end, Coppi refused to participate, and Bartali became the team leader. The organisation still allowed the Italians and Belgians to enter a second team, but they were to be composed of young cyclists, and were named the Italian Cadets and the Belgian Aiglons.
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