Читать книгу Mapping Le Tour: The unofficial history of all 100 Tour de France races - Ellis Bacon - Страница 19
Оглавление“Oh Sappey, oh Laffrey, oh Col Bayard, oh Tourmalet … You are nothing compared to the Aubisque.”
Henri Desgrange congratulates himself for having organised such a spectacular 1911 Tour
| Start: Paris, France, on 2 JulyFinish: Paris, France, on 30 July | |
| Total distance: 5344 km (3321 miles)Longest stage: 470 km (292 miles) | |
| Highest point:Col du Galibier: 2556 m (8386 ft)Mountain stages: 7 | |
| Starters: 84Finishers: 28 | |
| Winning time: 43 pointsAverage speed: 27.322 kph (16.977 mph) | |
| 1. Gustave Garrigou (Fra) 43 points2. Paul Duboc (Fra) 61 points3. Émile Georget (Fra) 84 points |
With Pyrenean climbs appearing for the first time in the 1910 Tour, it was only natural that the 1911 Tour should visit France’s other great mountain range, the Alps.
As it had been every year since 1905, the climb of the Ballon d’Alsace was on the menu again, but stage 5 saw the riders face nothing short of an epic day as they tackled the Col des Aravis, the Col du Télégraphe, the Col du Lautaret and the monstrous Col du Galibier – all now today very familiar and oft-used climbs in the Tour.
Despite the anger of the previous year at having been sent over such an inhumane route as that through the Pyrenees, and despite the Alps being higher and arguably harder, the riders surprised even themselves by being dazzled by the beauty of these new Alpine climbs.
Émile Georget – who was to eventually finish third overall – was the first over the top of a still-snow-covered Galibier, having heaved his way up its muddy, unmade roads. He held his lead all the way to the finish of that fifth stage between Chamonix and Grenoble, too, taking the stage win over Paul Duboc by a whopping 15 minutes.
There was a step backwards, however: Germany no longer allowed the race to cross its borders and, with no Swiss visit this time, the race remained entirely within the borders of France.
Gustave Garrigou battles the Col d’Aubisque on his way to overall victory
