Maurice Garin

Maurice Garin (1901)

Maurice Garin (left in white) after his victory in the 1903 Tour

Garin with masseur and son 1903

Maurice Garin (born March 3, 1871 in Arvier , Italy , † February 19, 1957 in Lens , France ) was an Italian-French cyclist .

Athletic career

Born in the Aosta Valley in Italy , Garin was a trained chimney sweep and took French citizenship in December 1901. In 1897 and 1898 he won the Paris – Roubaix bike classic , and in 1901 the Paris-Brest-Paris bike race . In 1903 he finally won the first edition of the Tour de France with a lead of almost three hours, a record that has not yet been beaten. The “little chimney sweep”, as he was called because of his job, owed his victory to the disqualification of the actually leading participant, Hippolyte Aucouturier , who let himself be pulled by a car.

The 1904 Tour de France was also able to win Garin. But then it came to a scandal when it could be proven that he - like other drivers - abbreviations z. B. had taken over forest paths and used the train to get to the destination faster. It is also known that he used tires that could withstand a bar more pressure and thus drive 2 km / h faster than the other drivers. After several months of investigation, his victory was finally revoked and instead awarded to young Henri Cornet , who came fifth, at the green table .

Garin attached great importance to a balanced diet during the races, but was also an intense cigarette smoker and wine drinker. He had two brothers ( Ambroise Garin and César Garin ) who were also racing cyclists.

literature

• Ralf Schröder, Hubert Dahlkamp: Not all heroes wear yellow. The history of the Tour de France. Verlag Die Werkstatt, Göttingen 2003, ISBN 3-89533-406-5 , p. 299.

Web links

Commons : Maurice Garin  - Collection of Images

• Palmarès - List of achievements and placements
• Maurice Garin in the Tour de France database(French / English )
• Maurice Garin in the Radsportseiten.net database