André Darrigade
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Darrigade at the 1956 Tour de France
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | André Darrigade | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Le Lévrier des Landes Le Landais bondissant Dédé |
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| Born |
24 April 1929 Narosse, France |
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| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Sprinter | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional team(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951-1955 | La Perle-Hutchinson | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955-1957 | Bianchi-Pirelli | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956-1957 | Helyett-Pottin | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958-1960 | Helyett-Leroux | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1961 | Alcyon-Leroux | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | Gitane-Leroux-Dunlop | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963-1965 | Margnat-Paloma-Dunlop | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | Kamomé-Dilecta-Dunlop | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||
World Championship (1959) |
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Medal record
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World Championship (1959)
André Darrigade (born Narrosse, 24 April 1929) was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1951 and 1966. Darrigade, a road sprinter won the 1959 World Championship and 22 stages of the Tour de France. Five of those were on the first day, a record.
André Darrigade was born at Narosse, near Dax in the forested Landes region. He came to attention at the other end of the country and on the track by beating the future world sprint champion, Antonio Maspes in a meeting at the Vélodrome d'Hiver the night before the six-day race there.
His name immediately appealed to northern crowds. René de Latour said: "It is a very 'musical' name to [northern] French ears, especially when pronounced by a southerner who rolls his Rs like a Scotsman to make it sound like Darrrrrigade. De Latour said:
Darrigade stayed in Paris and joined one of its leading clubs, the Vélo-Club d'Asnières-Courbevoie, at the invitation of Francis Pélissier, the former professional who was one of its officials. Darrigade rode again on the track at the Vél' d'Hiv, winning madisons and sprints, and won four races on the road. He turned professional in 1951 for a salary that barely covered his rent
Raphaël Géminiani said: "Darrigade was the greatest French sprinter of all time and he'll stay that way for a long time. The mould has been broken. But he wasn't just a sprinter. He was an animateur who could start decisive breaks; he destroyed the image of sprinters who just sit on wheels." He began his sprints from a long distance from the line, challenging others to pass him. It endeared him to the French public, said de Latour.
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