Alcyon deliver victory


In an effort to supress the negative tactical riding of the major teams, who seemed content to let the mountains decide the race, the ever innovative Henri Desgranges came up with a new formula. The route was similar to before, but with many of the stages split into shorter, more manageable, sections. For the first nine stages, the fourteenth, and stages eighteen to twenty-three, "separate starts" were instituted. These were in effect long team time trials. Desgrange's logic was simple. With all the members of a team riding together, but away from their rivals, the stars would have no choice but to ride flat out on every stage. Never one to assess an idea gently, Desgranges went straight in with sixteen of these separated starts!

The formula can hardly be called a success. Francis Pélissier led Dilecta-Wolber to the first victory after Alcyon suffered twenty(!) punctures, but in the end the strength of the Alcyon team told, keeping their leader Nicolas Frantz in contention before he deployed the coup de grâce in the Pyrenees, moving into a huge lead from which he was never threatened. His final lead was one the biggest for many years. Meanwhile with scant French success for several years and largely predictable racing, the public was steadily losing interest in the race. More innovations were clearly required, but the winning formula was not chanced upon for a few years yet...

For the French, there was some light at the end of the tunnel, a light which was to shine forth with great brilliance through the 1930's: this Tour saw the debut of two of the classiest Tour riders of all: Antonin Magne and André Leducq.

Stage winners

 StageWinnerOverall Leader
Stage 1Paris - Dieppe, 180kmFrancis PélissierFrancis Pélissier
Stage 2Dieppe - Le Havre, 103kmMaurice DewaeleFrancis Pélissier
Stage 3Le Havre - Caen, 225kmHector MartinFrancis Pélissier
Stage 4Caen - Cherbourg, 140kmCamille Van De CasteeleFrancis Pélissier
Stage 5Cherbourg - Dinan, 199kmFerdinand Le DrogoFrancis Pélissier
Stage 6Dinan - Brest, 206kmAndré LeducqFerdinand Le Drogo
Stage 7Brest - Vannes, 207kmGustaaf Van SlembrouckHector Martin
Stage 8Vannes - Les Sables d'Olonne, 204kmRaymond DecorteHector Martin
Stage 9Les Sables d'Olonne - Bordeaux, 285kmAdelin BenoîtHector Martin
Stage 10Bordeaux - Bayonne, 189kmPé VerhaegenHector Martin
Stage 11Bayonne - Luchon, 326kmNicholas FrantzNicholas Frantz
Stage 12Luchon - Perpignan, 323kmGustaaf Van SlembrouckNicholas Frantz
Stage 13Perpignan - Marseille, 360kmMaurice DewaeleNicholas Frantz
Stage 14Marseille - Toulon, 120kmAntonin MagneNicholas Frantz
Stage 15Toulon - Nice, 280kmNicholas FrantzNicholas Frantz
Stage 16Nice - Briançon, 275kmJulien VervaeckeNicholas Frantz
Stage 17Briançon - Evian, 283kmPé VerhaegenNicholas Frantz
Stage 18Evian - Pontarlier, 213kmAdelin BenoîtNicholas Frantz
Stage 19Pontarlier - Belfort, 119kmMaurice GeldhofNicholas Frantz
Stage 20Belfort - Strasbourg, 145kmRaymond DecorteNicholas Frantz
Stage 21Strasbourg - Metz, 165kmNicholas FrantzNicholas Frantz
Stage 22Metz - Charleville, 159kmHector MartinNicholas Frantz
Stage 23Charleville - Dunkerque, 270kmAndré LeducqNicholas Frantz
Stage 24Malo-les-Baons - Paris, 344kmAndré LeducqNicholas Frantz

In a nutshell

Results

Overall

1st: Nicolas Frantz, (Luxembourg), Alcyon-Dunlop, 5320km in 198h 16' 42" (27.224km/h)
2nd: Maurice Dewaele, (Belgium), Labor - Dunlop, @ 1h 48' 21"
3rd: Julien Vervaecke, (Belgium), Armor-Dunlop, @ 2h 25' 06"
4th: André Leducq, (France), Thomann-Dunlop, @ 3h 02' 05"
5th: Adelin Benoît, (Belgium), Alcyon-Dunlop, @ 4h 45' 01"
6th: Antonin Magne, (France), Alleluia-Wolber, @ 4h 48' 23"
7th: Pé Verhaegen, (Belgium), J.B. Louvet, @ 6h 18' 36"
8th: Julien Moineau, (France), Alleluia-Wolber, @ 6h 36' 17"
9th: Hector Martin, (Belgium), J.B. Louvet, @ 7h 07' 34"
10th: Maurice Geldhof, (Belgium), J.B. Louvet, @ 7h 16' 02"

(39th: Pierre Claes, (Belgium), Touriste-Routier, @ 30h 12' 19")

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