1963 Tour de France
Route of the 1963 Tour de France
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 23 June – 14 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21, including two split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,138 km (2,571 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 113h 30' 05" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Winner |
 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
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(Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–R. Geminiani) |
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| Second |
 Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
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(Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop) | |
| Third |
 José Perez-Frances (LUX)
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(Ferrys) | |
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Points |
 Rik Van Looy (BEL)
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(G.B.C.–Libertas) |
| Mountains |
Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
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(Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop) | |
| Team | Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–R. Geminiani | ||
The 1963 Tour de France was the 50th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 23 June and 14 July, with 21 stages covering a distance of 4,138 km (2,571 mi). Stages 2 and 6 were both two part stages, the first half being a regular stage and the second half being a team or individual time trial.
The Tour organisers were trying to break the dominance of Anquetil, who had won already three Tours, by reducing the time trials length to only 79 km (49 mi), so that the climbing capabilities would be more important.
Nonetheless, the race was won by Anquetil, who was able to stay close to his main rival Federico Bahamontes in the mountains, one time even by faking a mechanical problem in order to get a bicycle that was more suited for the terrain. Bahamontes finished as the second-placed cyclist, but won the mountains classification. The points classification was won by Rik Van Looy.
The 1963 Tour started with 130 cyclists, divided into 13 teams. The I.B.A.C.–Molteni team was a combination of five cyclists from I.B.A.C. and five from Molteni, each wearing their own sponsor's jerseys.
The teams entering the race were:
The main favourite before the race was Jacques Anquetil, at that moment already a three-time winner of the Tour, including the previous two editions. Anquetil had shown good form before the Tour, as he won Paris–Nice, the Dauphiné Libéré, the Critérium National and the 1961 Vuelta a España. Anquetil was not sure if he would ride the Tour until a few days before the start; he had been infected by a tapeworm, and was advised not to start. Anquetil had chosen to ride races with tough climbs, to prepare for the 1963 Tour de France.
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