The impressive debutantes

Dear Explainer,
I would like to know who, besides Eddy Merckx and (obviously) Maurice Garin, won the Tour de France in his first participation.
Thank you,
Greg Keller
Paris, France

Dear Greg,
Maurice Garin earns a spot on that list of first-time entrants to win the Tour de France by default, given that the first Tour in 1903 was everyone’s first stab at the race. From there, the list becomes a little more selective.

Garin was originally listed as the winner of the 1904 Tour, but a widespread cheating scandal resulted in the disqualifications of the top three finishers that year and the overall victory went to first-time entrant Henri Cornet.

Cornet was just 19 years old when he raced that year and remains the youngest-ever winner of the Tour de France. While he did go on to win the 1906 edition of Paris-Roubaix, he never again enjoyed major success at the Tour. He dropped out of the 1905, 1907 and 1909 Tours and his best finish after his one victory was eighth in 1908.

The following year, French soldier Louis Trousselier took a brief leave from the military to compete in his first Tour. Indeed, his leave was only for a week, but he figured he might avoid court martial if he did well. Perhaps it was that extra motivation that inspired him to ride just that much faster and Trousselier became the third first-time rider in as many years to win the Tour.

After that, it took quite a while before another Tour neophyte scored the overall title in the greatest bicycle race on earth. Indeed, it wasn’t until 1947 – the year the Tour returned after World War II – that another first-time racer stood atop the podium in Paris.

That year, Jean Robic, who had made his name in cyclocross and earned distinction by crashing in the 1944 edition of Paris-Roubaix and finishing the race with a broken skull, rode his first Tour de France. Robic was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a favorite. He was, however, the great beneficiary of luck and inter-team rivalries (as well as a blessed absence of race radios) that allowed him to stay away in a seemingly suicidal break on the final stage.

Robic began the final stage, a 257-kilometer race from Caen to Paris in third place, trailing race leader Pierre Brambilla by 2:58 and second-placed Aldo Ronconi by 2:03. Although the stage was largely flat, there was a cash prime being offered on a relatively small climb. Weirdly enough, that prime had already been paid out on the peloton’s first pass over that same hill. Robic unknowingly sprinted for the prize and found himself off the front with Edouard Fachleitner. The two decided to try their luck and they actually finished 13 minutes ahead of the peloton — a far cry from the “parade” stages we see on the final day of most Tours these days.

Two years later, Fausto Coppi, who already had three Giro d’Italia wins to his credit, entered his first Tour de France. He nailed it, beating defending champion and long-time rival Gino Bartali by 10:55 in the final standings.

In 1957, Jaques Anquetil won the first grand tour he ever entered, when he was named to the French team contesting that year’s Tour. He went on the win the Tour a total of five times – the first rider ever to do so – and added to victories at the Giro d’Italia (1960 and `64) and the 1963 Vuelta to that list.

Following Anquetil’s final Tour victory in 1964, another first-time Tour participant earned the right to stand atop the podium in Paris. In 1965, the previous year’s winner of the Tour de l’Avenir (then viewed as an amateur version of the Tour), neo-pro Felice Gimondi was a last-minute addition to the Salvarani team’s roster. Gimondi rode a brilliant Tour and defeated perpetual second-place-finisher Raymond Poulidor by 2:40. Gimondi never won the Tour again, but he did go on win the Giro d’Italia three times (1967, `69 and `76) and the 1968 Vuelta a España.

Just two years after Gimondi won his debut Tour, the race was won by another first-time participant, Eddy Merckx. Well, it was Merckx. He pretty much won everything from that point on.

In 1978, a young Bernard Hinault decided to prepare for his first Tour de France by riding in the Vuelta a España that year (it was held in April in those days). He won the Vuelta and then went on to win the first of his five Tours. Le Blaireau remains the only rider to have won each of the three grand at least twice. He won five Tours, three Giri d’Italia and two editions of the Vuelta. You still see him at the Tour and at other races promoted by ASO congratulating winners (and occasionally beating the crap out of demonstrators who sneak on to the podium to make a point.)

Hinault suffered knee problems in 1983 and missed the Tour. His Renault-Elf team had recently recruited a young Laurent Fignon, who filled the boss’ shoes rather well. Fignon won his debut Tour de France by a comfortable 4:04 over Ángel Arroyo (Reynolds) and 4:09 over TI-Raleigh’s Peter Winnen.

Indeed, Fignon’s ascendency was so quick that Hinault probably decided he’d be better off riding on his own team the following year and formed the new La Vie Claire squad in 1984. Despite that, Fignon won anyway, beating Hinault by 10:32 in the Tour and finishing another 1:14 ahead of his Renault-Elf teammate Greg LeMond, who was making his own debut in that race that year.

Since Fignon’s debut win in 1983, no first-year rider has won the Tour de France.

Charles

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