Jean Alavoine

Jean Alavoine
Jean Alavoine in the early 1910s
Personal information
Full nameJean Alavoine
NicknameGars Jean (Jean the guy)
Born(1888-04-01)1 April 1888
Roubaix, France
Died18 July 1943(1943-07-18) (aged 55)
Argenteuil, France
Team information
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Professional team
1909–1925
Major wins
17 stages in the Tour de France

Jean Alavoine (1 April 1888 – 18 July 1943) was a French professional cyclist, who won 17 stages in the Tour de France - only eight riders have won more stages[1] - and wore the yellow jersey for five days.

Jean Alavoine was born in Roubaix on 1 April 1888. In his professional career from 1908 to 1925, he won 29 courses, including 17 Tour de France stages. In the 1922 Tour de France, he won three stages in a row,[2] stages 5–6-7, and wore the yellow jersey. In stage 11, still leading the race, Alavoine had mechanical problems and his lead dropped to 6:53 minutes. In stage 12 Alavoine lost 37 minutes and the lead. In the end, he finished the tour in second place.[3] In 1943 he died during a veteran race in Argenteuil.