Louison Bobet

Louis "Louison" Bobet (pronounced: [lwi.zɔ̃ bɔ.be]; 12 March 1925 - 13 March 1983^[1]) was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to 1955. His career included the national road championship (1950 and 1951), Milan–San Remo (1951), Giro di Lombardia (1951), Critérium International (1951 & 52), Paris–Nice (1952), Grand Prix des Nations (1952), world road championship (1954), Tour of Flanders (1955), Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1955), Tour de Luxembourg (1955), Paris–Roubaix (1956) and Bordeaux–Paris (1959).

Origins

Louis Bobet was born one of three children above his father's baker's shop in the rue de Montfort,^[2] Saint-Méen-le-Grand, near Rennes. His father gave him a bicycle when he was two and after six months he could ride it 6 km.^[3] Bobet's father was also called Louis and the son was called Louison - little Louis - to avoid confusion The ending -on is a diminutive in French but outside Brittany Louison refers more usually to a girl. He was known as Louis in his early years as a rider, even as a professional, until the diminutive Louison gained in popularity.^[3]

His sister played table tennis,his brother Jean football, although he also became a professional cyclist. Louison played both table tennis^[4] and football and became Brittany champion at table tennis.^[3] It was his uncle, Raymond, who was president of a cycling club in Paris who persuaded him to concentrate on cycling.^[3]

Bobet's first race was a 30 km event when he was 13. He came second in a sprint finish.^[4] He raced in his local area and won four events for unlicensed riders^[5] in 1941. He qualified for the final of the unofficial youth championship, the Premier Pas Dunlop in 1943 at Montluçon and came sixth. The winner was Raphaël Géminiani, who would become a professional team-mate and rival.

Bobet is said to have carried messages for the Resistance during the second world war. After D-Day he joined the army and served in eastern France. He was demobilised in December 1945.^[3]

Racing career

Bobet applied for racing licence on leaving the army and by error was sent one for an independent, or semi-professional. He benefited from the right to compete against professionals as well as amateurs. He came second in the Brittany championship and rode the national championship in Paris. There he came up against a veteran professional, Marcel Bidot, who on retirement became Bobet's manager in the national team. Bobet left the field to catch two riders who had broken clear. He dropped one and outsprinted the other to become national champion. He turned fully professional for Stella, a bicycle factory in Nantes.^[3]

Tour de France 1947

Stella was a small team that rode mainly in Brittany. In May 1947, however, two from the team rode the Boucles de la Seine race in Paris. He won alone by six minutes. It brought him an invitation to ride the Tour de France, at that time disputed by national and regional teams. The unexpected toughness of the race forced him to go home on the ninth day, in the Alps and to cry when the going got hard. It brought him the nickname "cry-baby" in the bunch^[3] and René Vietto referred to him as La Bobette, a mock feminisation of his name, for his tears and complaining. The historian Dick Yates wrote:

He brought down the scorn of the press and everyone quickly wrote off this 'cry-baby'. René Vietto was in the yellow jersey and he looked like he was going to win - he was a real man. As France forgot about him, Bobet went home to lick his wounds and listen to words of advice from his father.^[3]

Tour de France 1948

The former rider, Maurice Archambaud, took over management of the team from Léo Véron and took a chance on Bobet. Much had changed since the previous summer and he took the lead after the third stage, which finished near Stella's factory in Nantes. Bobet lost the yellow jersey the following day but regained it by winning the sixth stage, to Biarritz. He had 20 minutes' lead over the veteran Italian, Gino Bartali as the race entered the Alps. And then happened one of the most outstanding periods in the history of the Tour.

(See Gino Bartali for full story.)

A political crisis in Italy threatened to overthrow the government and bring the country to anarchy. The prime minister asked Bartali to distract Italians by dominating the Tour.^[6] Bartali won three stages in a row and the Tour by 14 minutes. Bobet's 20 minutes on Bartali was cut to a 32-minute deficit by the time the race finished in Paris. Bobet had twice worn the yellow jersey and won two stages, however, and with the money he won he moved to Paris and bought a drapery shop for his wife.

Tour de France 1950

Bobet did not finish in 1949, struggling from the start. He dropped out on the first day in the mountains, along with four other members of the national team. In 1950 he won the national championship at Montlhéry south of Paris the week before the Tour and rode in the national team with Géminiani, the rider who had beaten him as a boy in the Premier Pas Dunlop. He and Bobet developed a rocky friendship, Géminiani's rough, instinctive character a contrast to the more thoughtful, quieter Bobet. The two argued frequently but remained friends. Géminiani, following the French habit of creating nicknames by doubling a syllable of a name^[7] referred to Bobet as Zonzon,^[3]^[8] a name that Bobet hated but tolerated. Géminiani had the confidence that Bobet lacked.^[3]

Bobet and Géminiani were second and third early in the race. Both hoped to profit from the absence of Fausto Coppi, who was injured, but found themselves instead up against an unbeatable Ferdinand Kübler. Bobet finished third, winning the mountain competition.

Tour de France 1953

Bobet is a good climber and time-triallist who rides with authority and intelligence. He is careful with his preparation, careful with his efforts and totally serious. An outstanding rider but has a lack of confidence [morale]. He is extremely nervous, sensitive, worried and susceptible. But with experience he will overcome the problems. A charming friend, happy, often joking and with spirit, but some days he shuts himself off, wrapped in his worries.

Jean Bidot, team manager^[3]

Bobet rode the 1951 Tour in the blue-white-red of national champion again but cracked in the mountains. Jean Bidot, the manager, sent riders to help him but in the end abandoned him to concentrate on Géminiani, the best placed. Bobet came 20th, although with a stage win. He lost 40 minutes on the last day in the mountains even though the race was taking it easy, Hugo Koblet already being unbeatable. Dick Yates said:

It was a terrible performance for a man of his class, but although he had suffered and suffered he had not given up the struggle. While this showed character, nobody was prepared to make allowances for it. 'He is just not a stage rider,' they said. 'He'll never win the Tour. No matter how brilliant you may be, if you're not consistent you haven't got a chance.' The sensitive Bobet was stung by this criticism. He had given his all for the Tour but everyone had turned against him. Even Jean Robic, who was not really in Bobet's class, was now more popular and it really hurt.^[3]

And then in 1953, after a year without the Tour, Bobet left the field behind on a stage that crossed the Vars. He climbed the Col d'Izoard alone on roads still rutted and strewn with stones and when the gearing on his bicycle forced him to fight to keep it moving.^[9] The historian Bill McGann wrote:

Stage 18 is etched in the history of the Tour. It was 165km from Gap to Briançon... Bobet knew this was the time to strike. One of Bobet's team-mates, Adolphe Deledda, went clear on the Vars with two other riders. Bobet stayed with the other leading climbers as they ascended the Vars. Spanish rider Jesus Lorono attacked. The alert and very capable Bobet jumped on his wheel and the pair disappeared up the mountain. Bobet was a good descender and dropped Lorono on the way down the Vars. Meanwhile Deledda, upon being told that Bobet was on his way, eased up and waited for his captain. The two hooked up and took off across the 20km valley floor leading to the Izoard. In doing so they caught and then dispatched Deledda's two original breakaway companions. Bobet and Deledda, knowing the importance of the moment, were men on a mission. Deledda, fulfilling the team contract in both letter and especially in spirit, buried himself towing Bobet to the great mountain. Bobet flew up the Izoard as if he had wings. Bobet had finally arrived as the premier stage racer in the world. As he crested the Izoard there was a very well known cycling fan by the side of the road. Fausto Coppi with his mistress, Giulia Locatelli (the "woman in white"), was watching the race. As he rode past the great man, Bobet shouted thanks to Coppi for coming.^[10]

He won that day by more than five minutes in Briançon, took the yellow jersey, then won the time trial and finished the Tour with 14 minutes' lead. He was greeted in Paris by Maurice Garin,^[10] winner of the first Tour in 1903, celebrating the Tour's 50th anniversary. He had, however, won a Tour without stars. Kübler was not riding and nor was Coppi, who was standing on the Izoard to watch Bobet pass.^[11]^[12]^[13] Koblet was riding badly and dropped out after a crash. Bartali was too old. Yates' assessment is that "Bobet had won the Tour and won it well but the opposition was hardly top drawer.

Tour de France 1954

The 1954 race was different, without Italians but with a strong team from Belgium. The race started fast and didn't ease up. Bobet took the lead after four days, then lost it on day eight. The jersey changed hands until Bobet again dominated on the Izoard. Winning the time-trial cemented his lead and he got to Paris 15 minutes before Kübler A few weeks later he became world champion in Germany. He left Stella after eight years to ride for Mercier, the team riding bicycles carrying Bobet's name and sold by him but made in the Mercier factory in St-Étienne.

Tour de France 1955

Bobet completed his hat-trick of successive wins in 1955, having that year won the Tour of Flanders and Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. The strongest French rider at first was Antonin Rolland and the manager, Marcel Bidot, asked the team to ride for him. Rolland, however, grew weaker as the race approached the Pyrenees. Bobet won the Tour but with a saddle boil that needed surgery. "His flesh was full of holes", said a report. "Dead tissue had to be removed to within several millimetres of vital organs. Nobody dared speak the word 'cancer'"^[14] Bobet believed that enduring the sores during the Tour made him a lesser rider for the rest of his life.^[15]

He learned to fly a plane while forced not to ride.

Tour de France 1958

The 1958 was the last that Bobet finished. One account said:

He has 400,000 kilometres in his legs. He has conquered glory and fortune but he is badly ill. Despite the formal advice of his doctor, he has decided to ride the 1958 Tour de France. He will suffer. He knows that. In the heart of the gigantic rocks of the Cassé Déserte, Bob is arced on his bicycle, his kidneys crushed by the effort and his head, like a heavy, painful balance, oscillates above his handlebars. The sun beats down on him. Around him, the whole mountain smokes like a giant witch's cauldron. As he breathes, what burns his throat and his lungs is the dust that rises around him... Abandoned, alone, without help, streaming with sweat, he has no other weapon against his adversaries but the mountain, the bad weather and his crazy willpower.^[14]

He came seventh.

Those who knew Bobet well stayed out of his way during the week before a big race, as he was neurotic and totally unbearable. Normally urbane, charming, interesting and witty, he could become vindictive, spiteful, mean and petty towards those devoted to his cause, and he never hesitated to get rid of a team-mate if he upset him.

That he relied enormously on the help of Marcel Bidot, Géminiani and his brother, Jean, is without question, but really the story of Bobet is the story of a man who conquered himself. Divorced from his first wife and separated from his second, Louison was obviously not the easiest man to get on with - but what a champion!

Dick Yates^[3]

Personality

The most striking feature of Bobet the man rather than rider was his ambition to behave like a Hollywood matinée idol, a sort of David Niven character in a dinner suit tuxedo. It brought him much ribbing from other French riders. Géminiani says Bobet's diffident and elegant manner made him less popular even in his own Brittany than the more rustic, forthright manners of other Breton people such as Jean Robic.^[16] The British professional Brian Robinson called Bobet "a private man and a little moody" and said he would sulk if things went wrong. The French journalist René de Latour said of Bobet in Sporting Cyclist that "he didn't look good on a bike" and that he had "the legs of a football [soccer] player".

Bobet spoke out against French involvement in a war against communists in Indo-China. He said he wasn't a Marxist but a pacifist. Géminiani said Bobet lacked humility. "He really thought that, after him, there'd be no more cycling in France", he said.^[17] Bobet occasionally talked of himself in the third person.^[17]

Bobet was driven by personal hygiene and refused to accept his first yellow jersey because it had not been made with the pure wool he believed the only healthy material for a sweating and dusty rider. Synthetic thread or blends were added in 1947 following the arrival of Sofil as a sponsor. Sofil made artificial yarn.^[18] The race organiser, Jacques Goddet wrote:

It produced a real drama. Our contract with Sofil was crumbling away. If the news had got out, the commercial effect would have been disastrous for the manufacturer. I remember debating it with him a good part of the night. Louison was always exquisitely courteous but his principles were as hard as the granite blocks of his native Brittany coast.^[18]

Goddet had to get Sofil to produce another jersey overnight, its logo still visible but artificial fabric absent. Bobet's concern with hygiene and clothing was accentuated by frequent problems with saddle sores.^[10]

Raymond Le Bert

Bobet was one of the first riders to employ a personal soigneur, taking his lead from Coppi. He took on Raymond Le Bert, a physiotherapist from St-Brieuc, as well as a secretary and a driver.^[17] Le Bert booked him hotel rooms between half-stages of the Tour, against the Tour's rules. Riders were supposed to use a dormitory provided for them. When the Tour insisted riders carry spare tyres, usually round their shoulders, Le Bert gave Bobet tubulars with the inner tubes taken out, useless to ride on but lighter to carry if that's what the rules insisted.^[17]

Le Bert said he had met Coppi, whom Bobet admired for his "modern" techniques but refused to have anything to do with the Italian's suitcase of drugs.^[19] Bobet insisted he never took drugs. But the journalist and race organiser, Jean Leulliot, remembered a dinner organised by Jacques Goddet and Félix Lévitan, the organisers of the Tour de France, for the race's former winners. Leulliot wrote:

One table attracted particular attention. Around it were Anquetil, Merckx and Bobet, 13 victories in the Tour between them. The conversation at the table was particularly lively and Louison Bobet was being challenged for saying that he had never taken the slightest drug or stimulant. He was obliged to admit that he had drunk the small bottles prepared for him by his soigneur at the time without knowing exactly what they contained. Which produced laughter from Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx.^[20]

Bobet and Britain

Bobet presented prizes at the annual presentation of the British Best All-Rounder time-trial competition at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1954.^[21] He gave a yellow jersey to a veteran competitor, Vic Gibbons.^[22] Bobet flew from Paris to London in a de Havilland Dove chartered by a London timber-merchant and cycling enthusiast, Vic Jenner.^[23] Jock Wadley, the editor of Sporting Cyclist was with Jenner. He remember that the two Britons arrived at Le Bourget airport without having brought passports - but that immigration staff gave them no attention because they were too busy trying to get an autograph from Bobet.^[21]

Retirement and death

Road named for the cycling great

Bobet's career effectively ended when the car carrying him and his brother Jean crashed outside Paris in the autumn of 1960.

Louison Bobet had a succession of businesses after he stopped racing, including a clothes shop, but he became best known for investing in and developing the little-known seawater health treatment of thalassotherapy. He had used it when recovering from his car crash. He opened the Louison Bobet centre beside the sea at Port du Crouesty at Quiberon.^[24] He fell ill, however, and died of cancer^[3] the day after his 58th birthday. Cancer had been speculated during the operation for his saddle boils. Bobet is interred in the cemetery of Saint-Méen-le-Grand, and there is a museum to his memory in the town,^[25] the idea of village postmaster Raymond Quérat.

Career achievements

Major results

Tour de France: 4th overall and 2 stage wins (1948); 3rd overall, 1 stage win and Winner mountains classification (1950); 20th overall and 1 stage win (1951); 1st overall and 2 stage wins (1953); 1st overall and 3 stage wins (1954); 1st overall and 2 stage wins (1955); 7th overall (1958)
Giro d'Italia: 2nd overall, 1 stage win and 9 days in maglia rosa (1957); 7th overall and winner Mountains classification (1951)
Other races: World Road Race Championship (1954); France National Road Championship (1950, 1951); Milan–San Remo (1951); Giro di Lombardia (1951); Critérium International (1951, 1952); Desgrange-Colombo Trophy (1951); Paris–Nice (1952); Grand Prix des Nations (1952); Tour of Flanders (1955); Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1955); Tour de Luxembourg (1955); Paris–Roubaix (1956); Bordeaux–Paris (1959); Critérium des As (1949, 1950, 1953, 1954)

Grand Tour results timeline

	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Giro	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	7	DNE	DNF	DNE	DNE	DNE	2	DNF	DNE
Stages won	—	—	—	—	0	—	0	—	—	—	1	0	—
Mountains classification	—	—	—	—	1	—	NR	—	—	—	3	NR	—
Points classification	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Tour	DNF-9	4	DNF-10	3	20	DNE	1	1	1	DNE	DNE	7	DNF-18
Stages won	0	2	0	1	1	—	2	3	2	—	—	0	0
Mountains classification	NR	6	NR	1	NR	—	2	NR	2	—	—	12	NR
Points classification	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	7	4	14	—	—	19	NR
Vuelta	DNE	DNE	N/A	DNE	N/A	N/A	N/A	DNE	DNE	DNF	DNE	DNE	DNE
Stages won	—	—		—				—	—	0	—	—	—
Mountains classification	N/A	N/A		N/A				N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Points classification	N/A	N/A		N/A				N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Legend
1	Winner
2–3	Top three-finish
4–10	Top ten-finish
11–	Other finish
DNE	Did Not Enter
DNF-x	Did Not Finish (retired on stage x)
DNS-x	Did Not Start (no started on stage x)
DSQ	Disqualified
N/A	Race/classification not held
NR	Not Ranked in this classification

References

↑ L'Equipe, Cycling database, Louison Bobet
↑ It is no longer a bakery. The Bobet family left and most recently it is a driving school, the road having been renamed rue Louison Bobet. A plaque on the wall marks it as Bobet's birthplace.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 On the Wheel, USA, undated cutting
1 2 The Bicycle, UK, 4 July 1951, p24
↑ Unlicensed riders did not have a licence from the national cycling organisation
↑ McGann, Bill and Carol (2006), The Story of the Tour de France, Dog Ear, US, p158
↑ Raymond Poulidor, named Poupou by the journalist Émile Besson, is the most prominent example
↑ Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tour de France, Nathan, France
↑ INA, National archives, Television pictures
1 2 3 McGann, Bill and Carol (2006), The Story of the Tour de France, Dog Ear, USA pp196-197
↑ Cycle Sport, UK, November 1996
↑ Ina.fr
↑ The pictures taken that day of Coppi with his mistress were printed without comment next day but soon became part of the "Woman in White" scandal that harmed Coppi's career and reputation.
1 2 Jours de France, France, 28 June 1958
↑ McGann, Bill and Carol (2006), The Story of the Tour de France, Dog Ear, USA pp213
↑ L'Équipe, 9 July 2006
1 2 3 4 L'Équipe, France, 1 July 2003
1 2 Goddet, Jacques, L'Équipée Belle, Laffont, France
↑ de Mondenard, Pierre (2000), Dopage, l'imposture des Performances, Charron, France, p111
↑ Sud-Ouest, France, 24 July 1978, cited de Mondenard, Pierre (2000), Dopage, l'imposture des Performances, Charron, France, p111
1 2 Sporting Cyclist, UK, November 1966, p19
↑ Journal, Fellowship of Cycling Old-Timers, UK, vol 141
↑ Jenner put up the money to launch Sporting Cyclist and was about to contract Jacques Anquetil to ride a time-trial under British rules when he died.
↑ It still exists, now known as Miramar Crouesty
↑ Musée Louison Bobet, 5 rue de Gael, Saint-Méen-le-Grand

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louison Bobet.

UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race

1927: Binda
1928–29: Ronsse
1930: Binda
1931: Guerra
1932: Binda
1933: Speicher
1934: Kaers
1935: Aerts
1936: Magne
1937: Meulenberg
1938: Kint
1946: Knecht
1947: Middelkamp
1948: Schotte
1949: Van Steenbergen
1950: Schotte
1951: Kübler
1952: Müller
1953: Coppi
1954: Bobet
1955: Ockers
1956–57: Van Steenbergen
1958: Baldini
1959: Darrigade
1960–61: Van Looy
1962: Stablinski
1963: Beheyt
1964: Janssen
1965: Simpson
1966: Altig
1967: Merckx
1968: Adorni
1969: Ottenbros
1970: Monseré
1971: Merckx
1972: Basso
1973: Gimondi
1974: Merckx
1975: Kuiper
1976: Maertens
1977: Moser
1978: Knetemann
1979: Raas
1980: Hinault
1981: Maertens
1982: Saronni
1983: LeMond
1984: Criquielion
1985: Zoetemelk
1986: Argentin
1987: Roche
1988: Fondriest
1989: LeMond
1990: Dhaenens
1991–92: Bugno
1993: Armstrong
1994: Leblanc
1995: Olano
1996: Museeuw
1997: Brochard
1998: Camenzind
1999: Freire
2000: Vainšteins
2001: Freire
2002: Cipollini
2003: Astarloa
2004: Freire
2005: Boonen
2006–07: Bettini
2008: Ballan
2009: Evans
2010: Hushovd
2011: Cavendish
2012: Gilbert
2013: Costa
2014: Kwiatkowski
2015–16: Sagan

Tour de France general classification winners

1903–1919	1903: Maurice Garin 1904: Henri Cornet 1905: Louis Trousselier 1906: René Pottier 1907–08: Lucien Petit-Breton 1909: François Faber 1910: Octave Lapize 1911: Gustave Garrigou 1912: Odile Defraye 1913–14: Philippe Thys 1915–18: World War I 1919: Firmin Lambot

1920–1939	1920: Philippe Thys 1921: Léon Scieur 1922: Firmin Lambot 1923: Henri Pélissier 1924–25: Ottavio Bottecchia 1926: Lucien Buysse 1927–28: Nicolas Frantz 1929: Maurice De Waele 1930: André Leducq 1931: Antonin Magne 1932: André Leducq 1933: Georges Speicher 1934: Antonin Magne 1935: Romain Maes 1936: Sylvère Maes 1937: Roger Lapébie 1938: Gino Bartali 1939: Sylvère Maes

1940–1959	1940–46: World War II 1947: Jean Robic 1948: Gino Bartali 1949: Fausto Coppi 1950: Ferdinand Kübler 1951: Hugo Koblet 1952: Fausto Coppi 1953–55: Louison Bobet 1956: Roger Walkowiak 1957: Jacques Anquetil 1958: Charly Gaul 1959: Federico Bahamontes

1960–1979	1960: Gastone Nencini 1961–64: Jacques Anquetil 1965: Felice Gimondi 1966: Lucien Aimar 1967: Roger Pingeon 1968: Jan Janssen 1969–72: Eddy Merckx 1973: Luis Ocaña 1974: Eddy Merckx 1975: Bernard Thévenet 1976: Lucien Van Impe 1977: Bernard Thévenet 1978–79: Bernard Hinault

1980–1998	1980: Joop Zoetemelk 1981–82: Bernard Hinault 1983–84: Laurent Fignon 1985: Bernard Hinault 1986: Greg LeMond 1987: Stephen Roche 1988: Pedro Delgado 1989–90: Greg LeMond 1991–95: Miguel Indurain 1996: Bjarne Riis 1997: Jan Ullrich 1998: Marco Pantani

2006–present	1999–2005: results voided because of doping 2006: Óscar Pereiro 2007: Alberto Contador 2008: Carlos Sastre 2009: Alberto Contador 2010: Andy Schleck 2011: Cadel Evans 2012: Bradley Wiggins 2013: Chris Froome 2014: Vincenzo Nibali 2015–2016: Chris Froome

Tour de France mountains classification winners

French National Road Race Champions (men)

1900–1919	Gustave Garrigou (1907–1908) Jean Alavoine (1909) Émile Georget (1910) Octave Lapize (1911–1913) Charles Crupelandt (1914) Henri Pélissier (1919)

1920–1939	Jean Alavoine (1920) Francis Pélissier (1921) Jean Brunier (1922) Francis Pélissier (1923–1924) Achille Souchard (1925–1926) Ferdinand Le Drogo (1927–1928) Marcel Bidot (1929) Roger Bisseron (1930) Armand Blanchonnet (1931) André Godinat (1932) Roger Lapébie (1933) Raymond Louviot (1934) Georges Speicher (1935) René Le Grèves (1936) Georges Speicher (1937) Paul Maye (1938) Georges Speicher (1939)

1940–1959	René Vietto (1941) Emile Idée (1942) Paul Maye (1943) Urbain Caffi (1944) Eloi Tassin (1945) Louis Caput (1946) Emile Idée (1947) César Marcelak (1948) Jean Rey (1949) Louison Bobet (1950–1951) Adolphe Deledda (1952) Raphaël Géminiani (1953) Jacques Dupont (1954) André Darrigade (1955) Bernard Gauthier (1956) Valentin Huot (1957–1958) Henry Anglade (1959)

1960–1979	Jean Stablinski (1960) Raymond Poulidor (1961) Jean Stablinski (1962–1964) Henry Anglade (1965) Jean-Claude Theillière (1966) Désiré Letort (1967) Lucien Aimar (1968) Raymond Delisle (1969) Paul Gutty (1970) Yves Hézard (1971) Roland Berland (1972) Bernard Thévenet (1973) Georges Talbourdet (1974) Régis Ovion (1975) Guy Sibille (1976) Marcel Tinazzi (1977) Bernard Hinault (1978) Roland Berland (1979)

1980–1999	Pierre-Raymond Villemiane (1980) Serge Beucherie (1981) Régis Clère (1982) Marc Gomez (1983) Laurent Fignon (1984) Jean-Claude Leclercq (1985) Yvon Madiot (1986) Marc Madiot (1987) Éric Caritoux (1988–1989) Philippe Louviot (1990) Armand de Las Cuevas (1991) Luc Leblanc (1992) Jacky Durand (1993–1994) Eddy Seigneur (1995) Stéphane Heulot (1996) Stéphane Barthe (1997) Laurent Jalabert (1998) François Simon (1999)

2000–2019	Christophe Capelle (2000) Didier Rous (2001) Nicolas Vogondy (2002) Didier Rous (2003) Thomas Voeckler (2004) Pierrick Fédrigo (2005) Florent Brard (2006) Christophe Moreau (2007) Nicolas Vogondy (2008) Dimitri Champion (2009) Thomas Voeckler (2010) Sylvain Chavanel (2011) Nacer Bouhanni (2012) Arthur Vichot (2013) Arnaud Démare (2014) Steven Tronet (2015) Arthur Vichot (2016)

Milan–San Remo winners

1900–1919	Lucien Petit-Breton (1907) Cyrille van Hauwaert (1908) Luigi Ganna (1909) Eugène Christophe (1910) Gustave Garrigou (1911) Henri Pélissier (1912) Odile Defraye (1913) Ugo Agostoni (1914) Ezio Corlaita (1915) (1916, not held) Gaetano Belloni (1917) Costante Girardengo (1918) Angelo Gremo (1919)

1920–1939	Gaetano Belloni (1920) Costante Girardengo (1921) Giovanni Brunero (1922) Costante Girardengo (1923) Pietro Linari (1924) Costante Girardengo (1925–1926) Pietro Chesi (1927) Costante Girardengo (1928) Alfredo Binda (1929) Michele Mara (1930) Alfredo Binda (1931) Alfredo Bovet (1932) Learco Guerra (1933) Jef Demuysere (1934) Giuseppe Olmo (1935) Angelo Varetto (1936) Cesare Del Cancia (1937) Giuseppe Olmo (1938) Gino Bartali (1939)

1940–1959	Gino Bartali (1940) Pierino Favalli (1941) Adolfo Leoni (1942) Cino Cinelli (1943) (1944–1945, not held) Fausto Coppi (1946) Gino Bartali (1947) Fausto Coppi (1948–1949) Gino Bartali (1950) Louison Bobet (1951) Loretto Petrucci (1952–1953) Rik Van Steenbergen (1954) Germain Derycke (1955) Fred De Bruyne (1956) Miguel Poblet (1957) Rik Van Looy (1958) Miguel Poblet (1959)

1960–1979	René Privat (1960) Raymond Poulidor (1961) Emile Daems (1962) Joseph Groussard (1963) Tom Simpson (1964) Arie den Hartog (1965) Eddy Merckx (1966–1967) Rudi Altig (1968) Eddy Merckx (1969) Michele Dancelli (1970) Eddy Merckx (1971–1972) Roger De Vlaeminck (1973) Felice Gimondi (1974) Eddy Merckx (1975–1976) Jan Raas (1977) Roger De Vlaeminck (1978–1979)

1980–1999	Pierino Gavazzi (1980) Alfons De Wolf (1981) Marc Gomez (1982) Giuseppe Saronni (1983) Francesco Moser (1984) Hennie Kuiper (1985) Sean Kelly (1986) Erich Maechler (1987) Laurent Fignon (1988–1989) Gianni Bugno (1990) Claudio Chiappucci (1991) Sean Kelly (1992) Maurizio Fondriest (1993) Giorgio Furlan (1994) Laurent Jalabert (1995) Gabriele Colombo (1996) Erik Zabel (1997–1998) Andrei Tchmil (1999)

2000–2019	Erik Zabel (2000–2001) Mario Cipollini (2002) Paolo Bettini (2003) Óscar Freire (2004) Alessandro Petacchi (2005) Filippo Pozzato (2006) Óscar Freire (2007) Fabian Cancellara (2008) Mark Cavendish (2009) Óscar Freire (2010) Matthew Goss (2011) Simon Gerrans (2012) Gerald Ciolek (2013) Alexander Kristoff (2014) John Degenkolb (2015) Arnaud Démare (2016)

Tour of Flanders winners

1900–1919	Paul Deman (1913) Marcel Buysse (1914) (1915–1918, not held) Henri Van Lerberghe (1919)

1920–1939	Jules Vanhevel (1920) René Vermandel (1921) Léon Devos (1922) Heiri Suter (1923) Gérard Debaets (1924) Julien Delbecque (1925) Denis Verschueren (1926) Gérard Debaets (1927) Jan Mertens (1928) Joseph Dervaes (1929) Frans Bonduel (1930) Romain Gijssels (1931–1932) Alphonse Schepers (1933) Gaston Rebry (1934) Louis Duerloo (1935) Louis Hardiquest (1936) Michel D'Hooghe (1937) Edgard de Caluwé (1938) Karel Kaers (1939)

1940–1959	Achiel Buysse (1940–1941) Briek Schotte (1942) Achiel Buysse (1943) Rik Van Steenbergen (1944) Sylvain Grysolle (1945) Rik Van Steenbergen (1946) Emiel Faignaert (1947) Briek Schotte (1948) Fiorenzo Magni (1949–1951) Roger Decock (1952) Wim van Est (1953) Raymond Impanis (1954) Louison Bobet (1955) Jean Forestier (1956) Fred De Bruyne (1957) Germain Derycke (1958) Rik Van Looy (1959)

1960–1979	Arthur Decabooter (1960) Tom Simpson (1961) Rik Van Looy (1962) Noël Foré (1963) Rudi Altig (1964) Jo de Roo (1965) Edward Sels (1966) Dino Zandegù (1967) Walter Godefroot (1968) Eddy Merckx (1969) Eric Leman (1970) Evert Dolman (1971) Eric Leman (1972–1973) Cees Bal (1974) Eddy Merckx (1975) Walter Planckaert (1976) Roger De Vlaeminck (1977) Walter Godefroot (1978) Jan Raas (1979)

1980–1999	Michel Pollentier (1980) Hennie Kuiper (1981) René Martens (1982) Jan Raas (1983) Johan Lammerts (1984) Eric Vanderaerden (1985) Adri van der Poel (1986) Claude Criquielion (1987) Eddy Planckaert (1988) Edwig Van Hooydonck (1989) Moreno Argentin (1990) Edwig Van Hooydonck (1991) Jacky Durand (1992) Johan Museeuw (1993) Gianni Bugno (1994) Johan Museeuw (1995) Michele Bartoli (1996) Rolf Sørensen (1997) Johan Museeuw (1998) Peter Van Petegem (1999)

2000–2019	Andrei Tchmil (2000) Gianluca Bortolami (2001) Andrea Tafi (2002) Peter Van Petegem (2003) Steffen Wesemann (2004) Tom Boonen (2005–2006) Alessandro Ballan (2007) Stijn Devolder (2008–2009) Fabian Cancellara (2010) Nick Nuyens (2011) Tom Boonen (2012) Fabian Cancellara (2013–2014) Alexander Kristoff (2015) Peter Sagan (2016)

Paris–Roubaix winners

1880–1899	Josef Fischer (1896) Maurice Garin (1897–1898) Albert Champion (1899)

1900–1919	Émile Bouhours (1900) Lucien Lesna (1901–1902) Hippolyte Aucouturier (1903–1904) Louis Trousselier (1905) Henri Cornet (1906) Georges Passerieu (1907) Cyrille van Hauwaert (1908) Octave Lapize (1909–1911) Charles Crupelandt (1912) François Faber (1913) Charles Crupelandt (1914) (1915–1918, not held) Henri Pélissier (1919)

1920–1939	Paul Deman (1920) Henri Pélissier (1921) Albert Dejonghe (1922) Heiri Suter (1923) Jules Vanhevel (1924) Félix Sellier (1925) Julien Delbecque (1926) Georges Ronsse (1927) André Leducq (1928) Charles Meunier (1929) Julien Vervaecke (1930) Gaston Rebry (1931) Romain Gijssels (1932) Sylvère Maes (1933) Gaston Rebry (1934–1935) Georges Speicher (1936) Jules Rossi (1937) Lucien Storme (1938) Émile Masson Jr. (1939)

1940–1959	(1940–1942, not held) Marcel Kint (1943) Maurice Desimpelaere (1944) Paul Maye (1945) Georges Claes (1946–1947) Rik Van Steenbergen (1948) André Mahé, Serse Coppi (1949) Fausto Coppi (1950) Antonio Bevilacqua (1951) Rik Van Steenbergen (1952) Germain Derycke (1953) Raymond Impanis (1954) Jean Forestier (1955) Louison Bobet (1956) Fred De Bruyne (1957) Leon Vandaele (1958) Noël Foré (1959)

1960–1979	Pino Cerami (1960) Rik Van Looy (1961–1962) Emile Daems (1963) Peter Post (1964) Rik Van Looy (1965) Felice Gimondi (1966) Jan Janssen (1967) Eddy Merckx (1968) Walter Godefroot (1969) Eddy Merckx (1970) Roger Rosiers (1971) Roger De Vlaeminck (1972) Eddy Merckx (1973) Roger De Vlaeminck (1974–1975) Marc Demeyer (1976) Roger De Vlaeminck (1977) Francesco Moser (1978–1979)

1980–1999	Francesco Moser (1980) Bernard Hinault (1981) Jan Raas (1982) Hennie Kuiper (1983) Sean Kelly (1984) Marc Madiot (1985) Sean Kelly (1986) Eric Vanderaerden (1987) Dirk Demol (1988) Jean-Marie Wampers (1989) Eddy Planckaert (1990) Marc Madiot (1991) Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (1992–1993) Andrei Tchmil (1994) Franco Ballerini (1995) Johan Museeuw (1996) Frédéric Guesdon (1997) Franco Ballerini (1998) Andrea Tafi (1999)

2000–2019	Johan Museeuw (2000) Servais Knaven (2001) Johan Museeuw (2002) Peter Van Petegem (2003) Magnus Bäckstedt (2004) Tom Boonen (2005) Fabian Cancellara (2006) Stuart O'Grady (2007) Tom Boonen (2008–2009) Fabian Cancellara (2010) Johan Vansummeren (2011) Tom Boonen (2012) Fabian Cancellara (2013) Niki Terpstra (2014) John Degenkolb (2015) Mathew Hayman (2016)

Giro di Lombardia winners

1900–1919	Giovanni Gerbi (1905) Cesare Brambilla (1906) Gustave Garrigou (1907) François Faber (1908) Giovanni Cuniolo (1909) Giovanni Micheletto (1910) Henri Pélissier (1911) Carlo Oriani (1912) Henri Pélissier (1913) Lauro Bordin (1914) Gaetano Belloni (1915) Leopoldo Torricelli (1916) Philippe Thys (1917) Gaetano Belloni (1918) Costante Girardengo (1919)

1920–1939	Henri Pélissier (1920) Costante Girardengo (1921–1922) Giovanni Brunero (1923–1924) Alfredo Binda (1925–1927) Gaetano Belloni (1928) Pietro Fossati (1929) Michele Mara (1930) Alfredo Binda (1931) Antonio Negrini (1932) Domenico Piemontesi (1933) Learco Guerra (1934) Enrico Mollo (1935) Gino Bartali (1936) Aldo Bini (1937) Cino Cinelli (1938) Gino Bartali (1939)

1940–1959	Gino Bartali (1940) Mario Ricci (1941) Aldo Bini (1942) (1943–1944, not held) Mario Ricci (1945) Fausto Coppi (1946–1949) Renzo Soldani (1950) Louison Bobet (1951) Giuseppe Minardi (1952) Bruno Landi (1953) Fausto Coppi (1954) Cleto Maule (1955) André Darrigade (1956) Diego Ronchini (1957) Nino Defilippis (1958) Rik Van Looy (1959)

1960–1979	Emile Daems (1960) Vito Taccone (1961) Jo de Roo (1962–1963) Gianni Motta (1964) Tom Simpson (1965) Felice Gimondi (1966) Franco Bitossi (1967) Herman Van Springel (1968) Jean-Pierre Monseré (1969) Franco Bitossi (1970) Eddy Merckx (1971–1972) Felice Gimondi (1973) Roger De Vlaeminck (1974) Francesco Moser (1975) Roger De Vlaeminck (1976) Gianbattista Baronchelli (1977) Francesco Moser (1978) Bernard Hinault (1979)

1980–1999	Alfons De Wolf (1980) Hennie Kuiper (1981) Giuseppe Saronni (1982) Sean Kelly (1983) Bernard Hinault (1984) Sean Kelly (1985) Gianbattista Baronchelli (1986) Moreno Argentin (1987) Charly Mottet (1988) Tony Rominger (1989) Gilles Delion (1990) Sean Kelly (1991) Tony Rominger (1992) Pascal Richard (1993) Vladislav Bobrik (1994) Gianni Faresin (1995) Andrea Tafi (1996) Laurent Jalabert (1997) Oscar Camenzind (1998) Mirko Celestino (1999)

2000–2019	Raimondas Rumšas (2000) Danilo Di Luca (2001) Michele Bartoli (2002–2003) Damiano Cunego (2004) Paolo Bettini (2005–2006) Damiano Cunego (2007–2008) Philippe Gilbert (2009–2010) Oliver Zaugg (2011) Joaquim Rodríguez (2012–2013) Dan Martin (2014) Vincenzo Nibali (2015)

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 12317042 LCCN: n87803920 ISNI: 0000 0000 7829 3289 GND: 134110838 SUDOC: 027651258 BNF: cb11964796v (data) NDL: 01004202

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