1949 Tour de France
Route of the 1949 Tour de France
Followed counterclockwise, starting and finishing in Paris |
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 30 June – 24 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,808 km (2,988 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 145h 36' 56" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
Winner |
 Fausto Coppi (ITA)
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(Italy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second |
Gino Bartali (ITA)
|
(Italy) | |
| Third |
 Jacques Marinelli (FRA)
|
(Île-de-France) | |
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|
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| Mountains |
Fausto Coppi (ITA)
|
(Italy) | |
| Team | Italy | ||
The 1949 Tour de France was the 36th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 30 June to 24 July. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,808 km (2,988 mi).
The Italian team had internal problems, because Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi could both be the team leader. During the selection procedure, Coppi almost refused to start the race, but he was convinced to start. During the race, Coppi almost pulled out, because he felt he did not have full support from the team captain. In the Alps, Coppi recovered. The race was won by Coppi, with second place taken by teammate Bartali, the winner of the previous year. Coppi also won the mountains classification, while his Italian team won the team classification.
The 1949 Tour de France marked the first time that the Tour de France had a stage finish in Spain, when it stopped in San Sebastian in the ninth stage. While the mountains had been categorized into two categories in 1948, in 1949 the third category was added.
As was the custom since the 1930 Tour de France, the 1949 Tour de France was contested by national and regional teams. The three major cycling countries in 1949, Italy, Belgium and France, each sent a team of 12 cyclists. Other countries sent teams of 6 cyclists: Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Spain. Italy and Belgium also sent two extra teams of young riders of 6 cyclists each. The French regional cyclists were divided into four teams of 12 cyclists: Ile de France, West-North, Centre-South West and South East. Altogether this made 120 cyclists.
There were 57 French cyclists, 22 Italian, 18 Belgian, 6 Dutch, 6 Luxembourg, 6 Spanish, 6 Swiss and 1 Polish cyclist. In the previous year, Fausto Coppi refused to enter the Tour de France because of personal problems with his team mate Gino Bartali. Bartali had won the previous Tour, and was trying to equal Philippe Thys by winning the Tour three times. Coppi had won the 1949 Giro d'Italia, and wanted to be the first one to achieve the Tour-Giro double in one year. The Italian team manager Alfredo Binda convinced them two weeks before the start of the race to join forces, so both Italians were in the race.
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Wikipedia