tour de france 1956 video

1956 Tour de France

43rd edition: july 5 - july 28, 1956, results, stage details and photos.

1955 Tour | 1957 Tour | Tour de France Database | 1956 Tour Quick Facts | 1956 Tour de France Final GC | Stage results with running GC | Photos from the 1956 Tour de France

Map of the 1956 Tour de France

1956 Tour Quick Facts:

4,498 km ridden at an average speed of 36.268 km/hr

120 starters aligned on national and regional teams with 88 classified finishers.

There were no previous Tour winners on the start line in Reims. Until then, this had only happened in the first Tour in 1903 and in the 1927 edition .

Winner Roger Walkowiak gained the lead by joining a group of 31 riders who escaped in stage seven.

He lost the lead (it has been asserted by some that this was intentional) in stage ten but regained it in the wake of Charly Gaul's stage assault in the Alps.

From then on the other challengers seemed to be afraid to challenge Walkowiak for fear of losing the placings they did have.

Walkowiak won the 1956 Tour without winning a single stage.

1956 Tour de France complete final General Classification:

• Gilbert Bauvin (France) @ 1min 25sec
• Jan Adriaenssens (Belgium) @ 3min 44sec
• Federico Bahamontes (Spain) @ 10min 14sec
• Nino Defilippis (Italy) @ 10min 25sec
• Wout Wagtmans (Holland) @ 10min 59sec
• Nello Lauredi France South-East) @ 14min 1sec
• Stan Ockers (Belgium) @ 16min 52sec
• René Privat (France) @ 22min 59sec
• Alves Barbosa (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 26min 3sec
• Gerrit Voorting (Netherlands) @ 27min 16sec
• Jean Forestier (France) @ 30min 15sec
• Charly Gaul (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 32min 14sec
• Brian Robinson (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 33min 53sec
• Daan De Groot (Netherlands) @ 38min 40sec
• André Darrigade (France) @ 39min 51sec
• Alexandre Close (Belgium) @ 41min 47sec
• Fernand Picot (France West) @ 42min 28sec
• Jean Dotto (France, South-East) @ 47min 19sec
• Fred De Bruyne (Belgium) @ 49min 53sec
• Gilbert Desmet (Belgium) @ 50min 56sec
• Gastone Nencini (Italy) @ 54min 56sec
• Bruno Monti (Italy) @ 56min 58sec
• Pasquale Fornara (Italy) @ 59min 58sec
• Maurice Quentin (France, West) @ 1hr 3min 53sec
• Arrigo Padovan (Italy) @ 1hr 7min 25sec
• Agostino Coletto (Italy) @ 1hr 9min 13sec
• Jan Nolten (Netherlands) @ 1hr 9min 27sec
• Jésus Loroño (Spain) @ 1hr 22min 24sec
• Leo Van Der Pluym (Netherlands) @ 1hr 24min 10sec
• Pierre Beuffeuil (France, South-West) @ 1hr 24min 58sec
• Marcel Janssens (Belgium) @ 1hr 25min 15sec
• Raymond Impanis (Belgium) @ 1hr 25min 59sec
• Jean Malléjac (France) @ 1hr 26min 32sec
• Antonin Rolland (France) @ 1hr 29min 52sec
• Jean-Pierre Schmitz (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 1hr 32min 58sec
• Joseph Thomin (France, West) @ 1hr 34min 2sec
• Nicolas Barone (France, Île de France) @ 1hr 39min 57sec
• Jean Brankart (Belgium) @ 1hr 41min 6sec
• Raymond Hoorelbeke (France, Île de France) @ 1hr 43min 41sec
• Angelo Conterno (Italy) @ 1hr 45min 55sec
• Pietro Giudici (Italy) @ 1hr 46min 58sec
• Mario Bertolo (France, North-East Center) @ 1hr 48min 51sec
• Francis Siguenza (France, Île de France) @ 1hr 49min 25sec
• Richard Van Genechten (Belgium) @ 1hr 51min 32sec
• Pierre Barbotin (France) @ 1hr 53min 38sec
• Max Schellenberg (Switzerland) @ 1hr 55min 40sec
• Alessandro Fantini (Italy) @ 1hr 57min 20sec
• Raphaël Géminiani (France) @ 1hr 57min 32sec
• Roger Hassenforder (France, West) @ 1hr 59min 20sec
• Marcel Ernzer (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 2hr 6min 19sec
• Pierre Scribante (France, North-East Center) @ 2hr 10min 24sec
• Vincent Vitteta (France, South-East) @ 2hr 11min 1sec
• Louis Bergaud (France) @ 2hr 16min 36sec
• Pierino Baffi (Italy) @ 2hr 17min 54sec
• Louis Caput (France, West) @ 2hr 20min 53sec
• Jean Lerda (France, South-East) @ 2hr 22min 47sec
• René Marigil (Spain) @ 2hr 23min 57sec
• Claude Le Ber (France, West) @ 2hr 29min 28sec
• Jean-Claude Gret (Switzerland) @ 2hr 29min 56sec
• Valentin Huot (France, South-West) @ 2hr 30min 45sec
• Remo Pianezzi (Switzerland) @ 2hr 31min 7sec
• Joseph Morvan (France, West) @ 2hr 32min 40sec
• Claude Frei (Switzerland) @ 2hr 34min 9sec
• Salvador Botella (Spain) @ 2hr 34min 28sec
• Alfred Tonello (France, Île de France) @ 2hr 38min 49sec
• Maurice Lampre (France, South-West) @ 2hr 47min 30sec
• Nicolas Morn (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 2hr 47min 37sec
• Raymond Meyzencq (France, South-West) @ 2hr 48min 8sec
• Bernardo Ruiz (Spain) @ 2hr 50min 24sec
• Adolphe Deledda (France, North-East Center) @ 2hr 52min 37sec
• Jean Skerl (France, Île de France) @ 2hr 55min 51sec
• Robert Gibanel (France, South-West) @ 2hr 57min 18sec
• Miguel Bover (Spain) @ 2hr 59min 16sec
• Joseph Mirando (France, South-East) @ 3hr 2min 3sec
• Amand Audaire (France, West) @ 3hr 3min 33sec
• Carmelo Morales (Spain) @ 3hr 5min 19sec
• Albert Dolhats (France, South-West) @ 3hr 7min 1sec
• Marcel Guitard (France, South-West) @ 3hr 9min 12sec
• Camille Huyghe (France, North-East Center) @ 3hr 11min 7sec
• José Serra (Spain) @ 3hr 16min 56sec
• Roger Chupin (France, North-East Center) @ 3hr 19min 7sec
• Willy Kemp (Luxembourg-Mixed) @ 3hr 23min 6sec
• Tino Sabbadini (France, South-West) @ 3hr 38min 29sec
• Philippe Agut (France, South-West) @ 3hr 52min 47sec
• Jef Lahaye (Netherlands) @ 4hr 2min 22sec
• Werner Arnold (Switzerland) @ 4hr 7min 53sec
• Roger Chaussabel (France, South-East) @ 4hr 10min 18sec

Climbers' Competition:

• Federico Bahamontes (Spain): 67
• Valentin Huot (France, South-West): 65
• Stan Ockers (Belgium): 55
• Richard Van Genechten (Belgium): 30
• Roger Walkowiak (France, North-East Central): 22
• Jean-Pierre Schmitz (Luxembourg-Mixed): 15
• Raymond Meyzencq (France, South-East): 14
• Jean Forestier (France): 13
• Jan Adriaensens (Belgium): 13
• Bernardo Ruiz (Spain): 13

Points Competition:

• Fernand Picot (France, West): 464
• Gerrit Voorting (Netherlands): 465
• André Darrigade (France): 489
• Gilbert Bauvin (France): 510
• Daan De Groot (Netherlands): 546
• Gilbert Desmet (Belgium): 578
• Nino Defilippis (Italy): 596
• Nello lauredi (France, South-East): 624
• Antonio Barbosa (Luxembourg-Mixed): 628

Team Classification:

• Belgium: 369hr 47min 42sec
• Italy @ 1hr 1min 4sec
• Netherlands @ 1hr 13min 11sec
• France @ 1hr 24min 8sec
• France, West @ 1hr 44min 12sec
• France, South-East @ 1hr 57min 39sec
• Spain @ 3hr 4min 35sec
• Luxembourg-Mixed @ 3hr 12min 59sec
• France, North-East Central @ 3hr 55min 25sec
• France, South-East @ 4hr 43min 10sec
• France, Île de France @ 5hr 33min 50sec
• Switzerland @ 6hr 41min 33sec

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1956 Tour stage results with running GC:

Stage 1: Thursday, July 5, Reims - Liège, 223 km

• André Darrigade: 5hr 19min 15sec
• Fritz Schaer s.t.
• Brian Robinson s.t.
• André Vlayen @ 2min 4sec
• Gerrit Voorting s.t.
• Alves Barbosa s.t.
• Nello Lauredi s.t.
• Daan De Groot @ 5min 34sec
• Pierre Barbotin @ 5min 36sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 6min 40sec

GC after Stage 1: Same as stage times and places

Stage 2: Friday, July 6, Liège - Lille, 217 km

• Fred De Bruyne: 6hr 35min 31sec
• Pierre Pardoen s.t.
• Jean Malléjac s.t.
• Jean-Pierre Schmitz s.t.
• Louis Caput @ 49sec
• Roger Hassenforder s.t.
• Antonin Rostollan s.t.
• Nicolas Barone s.t.
• Bruno Monti s.t.
• Camille Huyghe s.t.

GC after Stage 2:

• André Darrigade 11hr 54min 35sec
• Fritz Schaer @ 2min 26sec
• Brian Robinson @ 2min 56sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 3min 4sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 3min 28sec
• André Vlayen @ 6min 28sec
• Fred De Bruyne @ 6min 39sec
• Daan De Groot @ 6min 58sec
• Jean Malléjac @ 7min 39sec

Stage 3: Saturday, July 7, Lille - Rouen, 225 km

• Arrigo Padovan: 6hr 34min 31sec
• Gilbert Desmet s.t.
• Claude Le Ber s.t.
• François Mahé s.t.
• Roger Chaussabel @ 10sec
• Léo Van Der Pluym s.t.
• Claude Frei s.t.
• Alves Barbosa @ 20sec
• Camille Huyghe @ 1min 25sec
• Fernand Picot @ 14min 54sec

GC after Stage 3:

• Gilbert Desmet: 18hr 37min 2sec
• François Mahé @ 32sec
• Camille Huyghe @ 1min 57sec
• Arrigo Padovan @ 4min 26sec
• André Darrigade @ 7min 10sec
• Alves Barbosa @ 7min 21sec
• Fritz Schaer @ 9min 36sec
• Brian Robinson @ 10min 6sec
• Nello Lauredo @ 10min 14sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 10min 38sec

Stage 4A: Sunday, July 8, Les Essarts 15.1 km Individual Time

• Charly Gaul: 22min 19sec
• Jean Brankart @ 27sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 32sec
• Stan Ockers @ 33sec
• Jean-Pierre Schmitz @ 45sec
• Raymond Elena @ 47sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 48sec
• Pasquale Fornara @ 50sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 58sec
• Agostino Coletto @ 1min 1sec

GC after Stage 4A:

• Gilbert Desmet: 19hr 19sec
• François Mahé @ 47sec
• Camille Huyghe @ 2min 58sec
• Arrigo Padovan @ 5min 12sec
• André Darrigade @ 7min 28sec
• Alves Barbosa @ 7min 39sec
• Fritz Schaer @ 9min 40sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 10min 21sec
• Brian Robinson @ 10min 43sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 11min 23sec

Stage 4B: Sunday, July 8, Rouen - Caen, 125 km

• Roger Hassenforder: 2hr 56min 44sec
• René Privat s.t.
• Fernand Picot s.t.
• Pierre Barbotin s.t.
• Armand Audaire s.t.
• Albert Dolhats @ 1min 44sec
• Roger Walkowiak s.t.
• Miguel Poblet @ 1min 45sec
• Stan Ockers s.t.

GC after Stage 4B:

• André Darrigade: 22hr 6min 16sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 1min 30sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 2min 53sec
• Brian Robinson @ 3min 15sec
• Léo Van Der Pluym @ 5min 27sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 6min 40sec
• André Vlayen @ 6min 44sec
• François Mahé @ 7min 27sec
• Pierre Barbotin @ 7min 42sec
• Stan Ockers @ 8min 9sec

Stage 5: Monday, July 9, Caen - St. Malo, 189 km

• Joseph Morvan: 4hr 51min 49sec
• Alessandro Fantini s.t.
• Daan De Groot s.t.
• Raymond Hoorelbeke s.t.
• Mies Stolker s.t.
• Mario Bertolo s.t.
• Joseph Mirando s.t.
• Jean Forestier s.t.
• Jan Nolten s.t.

GC after Stage 5:

• André Darrigade: 27hr 1min 32sec
• Daan De Groot @ 5min 13sec
• Roger Walkowiak @ 7min 18sec

Stage 6: Tuesday, July 10, St. Malo - Lorient, 192 km

• Fred De Bruyne: 4hr 39min 19sec
• Joseph Thomin s.t.
• Louis Caput s.t.
• André Darrigade s.t.
• André Vlayen s.t

GC after Stage 6:

• André Darrigade: 31hr 40min 51sec
• Fernand Picot @ 8min 40sec
• Gilbert Scodeller @ 10min 11sec
• René Privat @ 10min 14sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 12min 55sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 14min 18sec

Stage 7: Wednesday, July 11, Lorient - Angers, 244 km

• Alessandro Fantini: 5hr 59min 20sec
• Piet Van De Brekel s.t.
• Gilbert Bauvin s.t.
• Arrigo Padovan s.t.
• Jos Hinsen s.t.
• Wout Wagtmans s.t.
• Albert Dolhats s.t.

19. Roger Walkowiak s.t.

32. André Darrigade @ 18min 46sec

GC after stage 7:

• Roger Walkowiak: 37hr 47min 29sec
• Fernand Picot @ 1min 22sec
• Gilbert Scodeller @ 2min 53sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 5min 7sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 7min
• Wout Wagtmans @ 10min 28sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 10min 38sec
• André Darrigade @ 11min 28sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 12min 31sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 15min 19sec

Stage 8: Thursday, July 12, Angers - La Rochelle, 180 km

• Miguel Poblet: 4hr 14min 56sec
• Max Schellenberg s.t.
• Maurice Quentin s.t.
• Alfred Tonello s.t.
• Jan Adriaenssens s.t.
• Pietro Giudici s.t.

GC after Stage 8:

• Roger Walkowiak: 42hr 9min 46sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 6min 20sec
• André Darrigade @ 7min 20sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 7min 58sec
• Daan De Groot @ 9min 20sec

Stage 9: Friday, July 13, La Rochelle - Bordeaux, 219 km

• Roger Hassenforder: 5hr 31min
• Claude Le Ber @ 55sec
• André Darrigade @ 1min 7sec
• Miguel Bover s.t.

GC after Stage 9:

• Wout Wgtmans @ 6min 20sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 10min 26sec
• Louis Caput @ 11min 53sec

Stage 10: Sunday, July 15, Bordeaux - Bayonne, 201 km

• Fred De Bruyne: 4hr 59min 39sec
• Miguel Chacon s.t.
• Nino Defilippis s.t.

93. Roger Walkowiak @ 14min 11sec

GC after Stage 10:

• Gerrit Voorting: 52hr 46min 39sec
• André Darrigade @ 1min 43sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 1min 53sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 2min 51sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 5min 19sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 7min 24sec
• Roger Walkowiak @ 9min 4sec
• Fernand Picot @ 10min 26sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 15min 24sec

Stage 11: Monday, July 16, Bayonne - Pau, 255 km

• Nino Defilippis: 6hr 35min 57sec
• Charly Gaul s.t.
• Federico Bahamontes s.t.
• Jean Brankart s.t.
• Valentin Huot s.t.

GC after Stage 11:

• André Darrigade: 59hr 24min 19sec
• Jan Adiraenssens @ 1min 8sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 2min 32sec (could be 2min 19sec)
• Nello Lauredi @ 4min 12sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 5min 41sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 6min 59sec
• Roger Walkowiak @ 7min 21sec
• Fernand Picot @ 12min 45sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 13min 41sec
• Bruno Monti @ 17min43sec

Stage 12: Tuesday, July 17, Pau - Luchon, 130 km

• Jean-Pierre Schmitz: 3hr 54min 40sec
• Fernand Picot @ 8sec
• Bernardo Ruiz @ 10sec
• Joseph Morvan @ 30sec
• Valentin Huot @ 34sec
• Richard Van Genechten @ 2min 14sec
• Raymond Meyzencq @ 4min 49sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 5min 3sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 5min 24sec

GC after Stage 12:

• Jan Adriaenssens: 63hr 28min 19sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 3min 47sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 3min 54sec
• André Darrigade @ 4min 57sec
• Fernand Picot @ 5min 8sec
• Roger Walkowiak @ 5min 40sec
• Gilbert Desmet @ 12min 4sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 14min 54sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 18min 38sec

Stage 13: Wednesday, July 18, Luchon - Toulouse, 176 km

• Nino Defilippis: 4hr 49min 46sec
• Marcel Ernzer s.t.
• Robert Gibanel s.t.
• Adolphe Deledda s.t.

GC after Stage 13:

• Jan Adriaenssens: 68hr 18min 5sec
• Fernand Picot @ 4min 38sec
• André Darrigade @ 7min 11sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 7min 46sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 13min 54sec
• Bruno Monti @ 18min 54sec

Stage 14: Thursday, July 19, Toulouse - Montpellier, 231 km

• Roger Hassenforder: 5hr 26min 5sec
• Pierre Beuffeuil @ 41sec
• Alessandro Fantini @ 1min 15sec
• René Marigil s.t.

GC after Stage 14:

• Jan Adriaenssens: 74hr 1min 35sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 1min 13sec
• Bruno Monti @ 2min 44sec
• Daan De Groot @ 12min 22sec

Stage 15: Friday, July 20, Montpellier - Aix en Provence, 204 km

• Joseph Thomin: 5hr 1min 10sec
• Salvador Botella s.t.
• Pierre Scribante s.t.
• Arrigo Padovan @ 14sec

80. Jan Adriaenssens @ 8min 46sec

GC after Stage 15:

• Wout Wagtmans: 79hr 4min 12sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 1min 40sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 2min 34sec
• Fernand Picot @ 3mn 25sec
• Roger Walkowiak @ 4min 27sec
• André Darrigade @ 5min 58sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 6min 33sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 7min 19sec
• Bruno Monti @ 7min 42sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 12min 41sec

Stage 16: Sunday, July 22, Aix en Provence - Gap, 203 km

• Jean Forestier: 5hr 30min 15sec
• Pierino Baffi s.t.
• Richard Van Genechten s.t.
• Maurice Lampre s.t.
• Jean Lerda s.t.
• Jésus Lorono s.t.

GC after Stage 16:

• Wout Wagtmans: 84hr 42min 14sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 1min 33sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 2min 27sec
• Fernand Picot @ 3min 25sec
• Alves Barbosa @ 11min 47sec

Stage 17: Monday, July 23, Gap - Torino, 234 km

• Nino Defilippis: 6hr 42min 9sec
• Gastone Nencini s.t.
• Alexandre Close s.t.
• Federico Bahamontes st.t.

GC after Stage 17:

• Wout Wagtmans: 91hr 24min 23sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 8min 54sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 11min 41sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 12min 53sec
• Fernand Picot @ 13min 51sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 18min 8sec
• Brun Monti s.t.

Stage 18: Tuesday, July 24, Torino - Grenoble, 250 km

• Charly Gaul: 8hr 14min 11sec
• Stan Ockers @ 3min 22sec
• Gastone Nencini @ 7min 29sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 7min 29sec
• Arrigo Padovan @ 9min 19sec

30. Wout Wagtmans @ 15min 38sec

GC after stage 18:

• Roger Walkowiak: 99hr 50min 30sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 3min 56sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 4min 12sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 8min 44sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 11min 2sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 13min 41sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 14min 40sec
• Fernand Picot @ 17min 35sec
• René Privat @ 19min 18sec
• Alves Barbosa @ 22min 17sec

Stage 19: Wednesday, July 25: Grenoble - St. Étienne, 173 km

• Stan Ockers: 5hr 32min 8sec
• Charly Gaul @ 2min 12sec
• Marcel Janssens s.t.
• Jean Forestier @ 3min 44sec
• André Darrigade @ 5min 8sec

GC after stage 19:

• Roger Walkowiak: 105hr 26min 52sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 3min 26sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 7min 17sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 8min 14sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 11min 39sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 11min 56sec'
• Nello Lauredi @ 15min 34sec
• Stan Ockers @ 20min 11sec
• René Privat @ 20min 12sec
• Gerrit Voorting @ 26min 41sec

Stage 20: Thursday, July 26, St. Étienne - Lyon 73 km Individual Time Trial

• Miguel Bover: 1hr 46min 57sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 1sec
• Claude Le Ber @ 1min 1sec
• Stan Ockers @ 1min 53sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 2min 37sec
• Charly Gaul @ 2min 39sec
• Roger Hassenforder @ 2min 41sec
• Jean Brankart @ 2min 48sec
• Joseph Mirando @ 3min 3sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 3min 5sec

24. Roger Walkowiak @ 4min 38sec

GC after stage 20:

• Roger Walkowiak: 107hr 18min 27sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 1in 25sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 3min 7sec
• Federico Bahamontes @ 10min 14sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 10min 56sec
• Nino Defilippis @ 10min 59sec
• Nello Lauredi @ 14min 1sec
• Stan Ockers @ 17min 26sec
• René Privat @ 22min 22sec
• Alves Barbosa @ 26min 37sec

Stage 21: Friday, July 27, Lyon - Montluçon, 237 km

• Roger Hassenforder: 7hr 4min 2sec
• Savador Botella @ 7min 35sec
• Stan Ockers @ 8min 8sec
• Tino Sabbadini s.t.
• Wies Van Dongen s.t.

GC after Stage 21:

• Roger Walkowiak: 114hr 30min 37sec
• Gilbert Bauvin @ 1min 25sec
• Jan Adriaenssens @ 3min 44sec
• Wout Wagtmans @ 11min 33sec
• René Privat @ 22min 59sec
• Alvesa Barbosa @ 26min 37sec

Stage 22 (Final Stage): Saturday, July 28, Montluçon - Paris, 331 km

• Gaston Nencini: 9hr 28min 5sec
• Gilbert Demet s.t.
• Alessandro Fantini @ 2min
• Agostino Coletto s.t.

Complete Final 1956 Tour de France General Classification

Pictures from the 1956 Tour de France:

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The story of how Roger Walkowiak won the 1956 Tour de France, and the men and women who pushed him all the way

1956 Tour de France: results and classification

General classification of the 1956 tour de france, jerseys of the 1956 tour de france, stages of the 1956 tour de france.

Stage 1 (Reims - Liège, 223 km)

Stage 2 (Liège - Lille, 217 km)

Stage 3 (Lille - Rouen, 225 km)

Stage 4a (Les Essarts - Les Essarts, 15.1 km in Individual Time Trial)

Stage 4b (Rouen - Caen, 125 km)

Stage 5 (Caen - St Malo, 189 km)

Stage 6 (St Malo - Lorient, 192 km)

Stage 7 (Lorient - Angers, 244 km)

Stage 8 (Angers - La Rochelle, 180 km)

Stage 9 (La Rochelle - Bordeaux, 219 km)

Stage 10 (Bordeaux - Bayonne, 201 km)

Stage 11 (Bayonne - Pau, 255 km)

Stage 12 (Pau - Bagnères-de-Luchon, 130 km)

Stage 13 (Bagnères-de-Luchon - Toulouse, 176 km)

Stage 14 (Toulouse - Montpellier, 231 km)

Stage 15 (Montpellier - Aix-en-Provence, 204 km)

Stage 16 (Aix-en-Provence - Gap, 203 km)

Stage 17 (Gap - Turin, 234 km)

Stage 18 (Turin - Grenoble, 250 km)

Stage 19 (Grenoble - St Etienne, 173 km)

Stage 20 (St Etienne - Lyon, 73 km in Individual Time Trial)

Stage 21 (Lyon - Montluçon, 237 km)

Stage 22 (Montluçon - Paris, 331 km)

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Anatomy of a Car: 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’

The 1950s were the glory days of GT racing, and no car from that period looms larger than Ferrari’s 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione. The car was so dominant in the Tour de France rally from 1956 to 1959 that today it is known simply by the initials of that event: the TdF. Today collectors prize these cars for their exquisite lightweight coachwork, advanced racing mechanicals and undeniable significance in Ferrari racing history. Ahead, we look at the features that define this Series III Ferrari TdF  to be offered at RM Sotheby’s Monaco sale. –Jake Auerbach

RM Sotheby’s: Monaco 12 May | Monaco

5. Tour de France Automobile 1956

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1956 Tour de France winner Roger Walkowiak dies aged 89

The oldest surviving Tour victor, the Frenchman was the most unexpected of yellow jersey champions

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Roger Walkowiak, overall winner, during the Tour de France 1956 Tour de France cycling race (Photosport Int/REX/Shutterstock)

Roger Walkowiak, the oldest surviving Tour de France champion, has died at the age of 89.

Winner of the 1956 race, the French rider of Polish heritage was the most unheralded and under-rated of yellow jersey winners, his success coming in a Tour lacking defending champion Louison Bobet and rising star Jacques Anquetil.

Born in 1927 to a Polish father and French mother in the Auvergne town of Montluçon, Walkowiak worked as an apprentice lathe worker and later as a mechanic in a bike shop before turning pro in 1950.

A strong climber, he made his Tour debut for the Ouest Sud-Ouest French regional team the following season, finishing 57th.

Described by British contemporary Brian Robinson as ‘a strong rider who was not in the class of the big names but had plenty of ability, especially as a climber,’ Walkowiak rode the 1953 and 1955 Tours for the Nord-Est team.

Initially overlooked for Tour selection in 1956 despite a stage victory at the Vuelta a España earlier that season, he was promoted into the Nord-Est team at the last moment following Gilbert Bauvin’s late selection for the French team.

The race came as the established generation of riders was on the wane and the coming generation had yet to establish themselves. Three-time defending champion Bobet was absent, as were past winners Fausto Coppi, Ferdi Kübler and Hugo Koblet, while the emerging Anquetil was judged to be too young for the Tour.

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Like the smaller outfits at modern-day Tours, the riders on the Nord-Est team had no pretentions with regard to the yellow jersey. From the start of the race, Nord-Est’s riders focused on getting into breakaways and looking for stage wins.

Walkowiak had already been in three during the opening week when he slipped into a counter-attacking group on the seventh stage to Angers, where 31 riders finished more than 18 minutes up on the peloton and Walkowiak took the race lead.

Blessed with a smart racing mind, Walkowiak hatched a plan with Nord-Est DS Sauveur Ducazeaux. With their sights set on a podium finish, the pair opted not to defend the yellow jersey in the Pyrenees.

The jersey passed to Dutchman Gerrit Voorting for a day, then to French sprinter André Darrigade for another, and on to Belgian Jan Adriaensens for three. Dutchman Wout Wagtmans took up the lead as the Tour entered its decisive phase in the Alps, where race favourites Charly Gaul and Federico Bahamontes were certain to attack.

On the 18th stage to Grenoble, Gaul rode away from the field to take a solo victory. Yet his performance was overshadowed by Walkowiak, who finished in a group with Bahamontes and regained the yellow jersey with a lead of almost four minutes over France’s Bauvin.

Although Bauvin more than halved his deficit in the final time trial, Walkowiak rode into Paris in the yellow jersey.

Relatively unknown and only the second rider after 1922 champion to win the Tour without taking a stage victory, Walkowiak didn’t receive the acclaim from French fans or the credit from the media that his canny and courageous performance deserved.

His victory gave birth to the phrase ‘gagner à la Walko’, to win in Walkowiak’s style, which initially suggested victory by a less talented rider in a mediocre race. As a result, following his retirement from racing in 1960, the Frenchman refused to talk about his victory for many years, regarding himself as an unworthy champion.

However, the perspective of his success gradually changed as writers such as Pierre Chany and Antoine Blondin paid tribute to Walkowiak’s bravery and tactical nous, emphasising that he had seen his opportunity and taken it in fine style.

Asked for his opinion on Walkowiak’s success, five-time champion Bernard Hinault stated: ‘No one has the right to say that the Tour was handed to him. He didn’t steal it. The Tour doesn’t come wrapped up like a present.’

The oldest surviving Tour winner following Ferdi Kübler’s death in December , Walkowiak’s mantle now passes to his old rival Bahamontes, the champion in 1959.

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Peter Cossins has been writing about professional cycling since 1993, with his reporting appearing in numerous publications and websites including Cycling Weekly ,  Cycle Sport  and  Procycling - which he edited from 2006 to 2009. Peter is the author of several books on cycling - The Monuments , his history of cycling's five greatest one-day Classic races, was published in 2014, followed in 2015 by  Alpe d’Huez , an appraisal of cycling’s greatest climb. Yellow Jersey - his celebration of the iconic Tour de France winner's jersey won the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards Cycling Book of the Year Award.

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1956 Tour de France winner Roger Walkowiak dies aged 89

Frenchman claimed surprise win on regional team

1956 Tour de France winner Roger Walkowiak has died near Vichy at the age of 89, his family announced on Tuesday. The Frenchman was the oldest living Tour champion following the death of Ferdi Kubler in December .

Former Tour de France champion Kubler dies at 97

Walkowiak's Tour victory was among the most surprising in the history of the race and the expression 'un Tour à la Walko' would pass into the popular lexicon in France to suggest an unexpected or even undeserved win, though it is usually overlooked that the 1956 Tour was the fastest to that point, at an average speed in excess of 36kph.

At the time the Tour was disputed by national teams, and Walkowiak upset the established hierarchy by winning the race while competing for the lowly Nord-Est Centre regional selection. He first took possession of the yellow jersey after stage 7 to Angers, when he was in a break of 31 riders that finished some 18 minutes clear of the peloton.

Walkowiak conceded the maillot jaune in the middle portion of the race, but regained the overall lead on the tough Alpine leg from Turin to Grenoble in the final week and held it all the way to Paris, beating Gilbert Bauvin of the French national team by 1:25. Future Tour winners Federico Bahamontes and Charly Gaul placed 4th and 13th, respectively.

Although Walkowiak was applauded at the finish in the Parc des Princes, the reaction to his victory elsewhere was muted, with many highlighting the divisions in the French national team and Bauvin's crash in the Pyrenees as explanations for the upset triumph. The journalist Albert Baker d'Isy complained that "it's clear that a winner of the Tour who didn't win a single stage lacks a bit of panache," though Tour director Jacques Goddet was vocal in his praise of the unexpected winner.

The son of a Polish immigrant from Lublin, Walkowiak grew up in Montlucon and started racing after World War II, later explaining that he turned professional in 1951 because he couldn't find a job after training as a metalworker.

In an era when cycling's star system was at its most pronounced, Walkowiak was often deployed a watercarrier, but his Tour victory did not come from nothing. He placed second overall at the 1955 Dauphiné Libéré, where he escaped on a mountain stage to Gap in the company of Louison Bobet, who would go on to win his third Tour de France that same year.

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Walkowiak won stages of the Vuelta a España, in 1956 and 1957, but his career will always be recalled for his surprise Tour win. His next best finish was 47th in 1953. He abandoned as defending champion in 1957 and placed 75th in 1958 before retiring after the 1960 season.

In an interview with American journalist James Startt in 2012, Walkowiak was asked to revisit the muted reception to his Tour victory of 1956. "Was it because my father was a Polish immigrant and I had a name not like the others? It was very hard to take. It is hard to explain how that feels. Even before the finish, the press started to be critical but also the team directors. It was like they were saying, 'How could we let this happen?'" Walkowiak said.

"Even during the race, things happened that shouldn't. There was a stage after I had won back the jersey, I crashed and a group of favourites that included Charly Gaul and Federico Bahamontes attacked. When I got back on my bike I was two minutes down and spent the next two hours chasing. And when I caught them what did they do? They took turns attacking! But it also gave me something to chew on."

After retirement, Walkowiak tended a sheep farm before returning to work in a metal factory in the 1970s. "I needed distance from cycling," he told Startt.

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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

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