Eugène Christophe
Eugène Christophe (also le Vieux Gaulois , French for the old Gaul ; born January 22, 1885 in Paris , † February 1, 1970 ibid) was a French cyclist .
In 1910 Christophe (who was known to the public by his nickname "Cri-Cri") won the classic Milan – Sanremo bike race . The race took place under extreme weather conditions (cold, snow, rain) and it was only finished by three drivers. After his victory, which left him completely exhausted, he spent four weeks in the hospital receiving treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. In 1919 he was the first to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France . Christophe wasn't enthusiastic about it because the bright yellow was too noticeable for him.
In first place, his bike broke a fork in the Tour de France 1913 in the Pyrenees on the descent from the Col du Tourmalet . To fix it, he had to walk 14 km to the nearest blacksmith shop, where he was not allowed to be helped. He lost more than two hours of walking and repairs. Nevertheless, he got a minute's penalty because a boy was operating the bellows for him. According to tradition, he commented on this penalty minute with non-printable expressions. He finished seventh overall, and got his nickname after this race. In 1919, too, a broken fork put an end to his hopes for victory. This time he took third place. Christophe was also a pioneer of cross-country races , he was several times French champion in this discipline.
Web links
- Palmarès - List of achievements and placements
- Eugène Christophe in the Tour de France database(French / English )
- Eugène Christophe in the Radsportseiten.net database
Individual evidence
- ↑ procycling . No. 03/2004 . bede-Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden, p. 103 .
- ↑ Hervé Paturle, Guillaume Rebière: Un siècle de cyclisme . Calmann- Lévy, Paris 1997, p. 66 (French).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Christophe, Eugène |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | le Vieux Gaulois (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French cyclist and first wearer of the yellow jersey in the Tour de France |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 22, 1885 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st February 1970 |
| Place of death | Paris |