1959 Tour de France
Route of the 1959 Tour de France
Followed counterclockwise, starting in Mulhouse and finishing in Paris |
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 25 June – 18 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,358 km (2,708 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 123h 46' 45" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
Winner |
 Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
|
(Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second |
 Henry Anglade (FRA)
|
(Centre-Midi) | |
| Third |
Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
|
(France) | |
|
|
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 |
Points |
André Darrigade (FRA)
|
(France) |
| Mountains |
Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
|
(Spain) | |
| Team | Belgium | ||
The 1959 Tour de France was the 46th edition of the Tour de France, taking place between 25 June and 18 July. The race featured 120 riders, of which 65 finished. The Tour included 22 stages over 4,358 km (2,708 mi).
The race was won by Spanish cyclist Federico Bahamontes, who also won the mountains classification. The points classification was won by French sprinter André Darrigade. The Belgian team became the winner of the team classification.
Although the French national team had the favourites, the race was contested between Anglade, in a French regional team, and Bahamontes, in the Spanish national team. After the French national team refused to help Anglade, Bahamontes won the race. It was the first win by a Spanish cyclist.
The French team included Jacques Anquetil, Louison Bobet, Raphael Géminiani and Roger Riviere, who were all considered possible Tour winners. This also posed a problem, as they did all want to be team captain, and refused to work for each other. The Spanish team was headed by Federico Bahamontes, who in previous years did not care for flat stages and time trials, and only tried to win the mountains classification. In the 1959 season, Bahamontes had Fausto Coppi as manager, and Coppi convinced Bahamontes to focus on the general classification. The defending champion Charly Gaul was again placed in a mixed team of Luxembourgian and Dutch cyclists, and expected little support. The Italian team did not include Vito Favero and Gastone Nencini, who had performed well in the 1958 Tour. Their team captain was Ercole Baldini, winner of the 1958 Giro d'Italia, but he was not expected to be able to compete against Gaul, Bahamontes and Anquetil. Of the cyclists in the French regional teams, Henri Anglade was the most notable. He was included in the Centre-Midi team,
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