 Route of the 1956 Tour de France followed counterclockwise, starting in Reims and finishing in Paris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 5–28 July 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,498 km (2,795 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 124h 01' 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 5 to 28 July. It consisted of 22 stages over 4,498 km (2,795 mi).
There was no previous Tour winner competing for the 1956 Tour, which had only previously happened in 1903 and 1927. An unknown rider from a regional team, Roger Walkowiak on the Northeast-Center French team, ended up winning the Tour. Many Tour fans dismissed the win as being lucky or unworthy at the time, which Walkowiak took hard; this made him not often speak of his win.[citation needed]
The Tour was ridden at the fastest average speed so far, over 36 km/h. Walkowiak became only the second rider, after Firmin Lambot in the 1922 Tour de France, to win without taking a single stage.