1914 Tour de France

1914 Tour de France
Map of France with the route of the 1914 Tour de France on it, showing that the race started in Paris, went clockwise through France and ended in Paris after fifteen stages.
Route of the 1914 Tour de France followed counterclockwise, starting in Paris
Race details
Dates28 June – 26 July 1914
Stages15
Distance5,380 km (3,343 mi)
Winning time200h 28' 48"
Results
  Winner  Philippe Thys (BEL) (Peugeot–Wolber)
  Second  Henri Pélissier (FRA) (Peugeot–Wolber)
  Third  Jean Alavoine (FRA) (Peugeot–Wolber)
← 1913
1919 →

The 1914 Tour de France was the 12th edition of the Tour de France, taking place in 15 stages from 28 June to 26 July. The total distance was 5,380 kilometres (3,340 mi) and the average speed of the riders was 26.835 kilometres per hour (16.674 mph).[1] It was won by the Belgian cyclist Philippe Thys.

The day the Tour began, Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo, marking the start of the July Crisis which would lead to World War I. On 3 August Germany invaded Belgium and declared war on France, making this Tour the last for five years, until 1919. The three men who won the Tour between 1907 and 1910 would die in the war.[2]

  1. ^ Augendre 2016, p. 108.
  2. ^ Wheatcroft, Geoffrey. Le Tour: a history of the Tour de France, 1903-2003, p. 59. London: Pocket Books, 2003.