4th Tour de France 1906

The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Life

The Tour de France in 1906 captured the essence of the successful 1905 Tour by developing the sensation of the mountains. In addition to the climbs in the Vosges region, Henri Desgranges extended the race into the climbs of the Massif de la Chartreuse.

Contrary to predictions of a close competition Rene Pottier, “the first king of the climbers”, dominates the 1906 Tour from start to finish. His reputation as a fierce climber came on the first ever ascent of the Ballon d'Alsace in 1905. Pottier was the only rider to finish the climb of the Ballon d'Alsace without walking any part of the mountain.

This was a grand victory for an intensely quiet Frenchman, whose entire life was bicycle racing. Sadly for Pottier, the thrill of his grand victory was short lived. Less than six months after the jubilation of the Tour victory, Rene Pottier at the age of 29 succumbed to the agonies of life. On January 25, 1907 a Peugeot team mechanic found hanging from a hook used to hold his bicycle. His brother Andre claimed a failed love affair pushed this intense Frenchman over the edge. There is a monument at the top of the Ballon d'Alsace in his honor. The Ballon d'Alsace was the “un-rideable” mountain that Rene Pottier made look easy.

SPECIAL NOTE: The iron fisted Henri Desgranges could not stop all cheating but he was close. At the end of the third stage in Dijon three competitors were disqualified for taking a train to the finish.

TdF 1905

TdF 1907

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