The Tour de France has already started from Champagnole (Jura) for a stage towards Thonon, but it goes back to one morning in June 1964. The German Rudi Altig was in yellow.
Already 56 years ago.
The last stage finish in this city where the former Olympic Nordic ski medalist Sylvain Guillaume was born dates back to… 1937. Yes, Champagnole has been waiting for a Tour de France finish for 83 years!
It is perhaps a record in the matter, the biggest gap of years between two arrivals in a beautiful city.
At that time, the Tour made a real Tour of the country along the borders.
When it arrives in the city, the peloton has already driven a half-stage in the morning between Belfort and Lons-le-Saunier.
For the afternoon, Henri Desgrange the boss decided to draw a half-stage between Lons-le-Saunier and Champagnole.
To spice up his menu a little, the creator of the event decided that this was the end of a team time trial.
Remember that at that time, branded teams did not exist: we ran for the jersey of our country or individually.
It is the Belgian team which triumphs in the Jura with its champion, Sylvère Maes who won the Tour in 1936 and will repeat in 1939. The yellow jersey at the end of this stage is a German, Erich Bautz who runs under a jersey Nazi.
Neither Maes nor Bautz won the Tour a few weeks later.
Neither does Gino Bartali.
The winner of this 1937 Tour is called Roger Lapébie and he is French.
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