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By Barry Boyce CyclingRevealed Historian
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Anquetil Struggles but Rules Again
Return of the Trade Team Format
SPECIAL NOTE: The National team structure of the Tour de France in place since 1930 was dropped in 1962. The very powerful trade teams, whose members rode for “team“ not “individual”, dominated the Tours of the late twenties. In 1930 race director Henri Desgrange believed very strongly in the Tour's founding ideal of “individual heroism" and he instituted the National team structure. Funding problems cause the Tour to return to the Trade Team format
The 1961 Tour also marked the first showdown of the great Anquetil-Poulidor rivalry. The rising French star Raymond “Pou Pou” Poulidor emergence at the Tour sparked the competitive juices of defending champion Jacques Anquetil. The French duo would battle on the roads of France for year to come.
SPECIAL NOTE: The Tour organizers add the Alpine climb of the Restefond Pass / La Bonnet to stage 18. At 2,802 meters in height, the Restefond Pass is the highest summit in TdF history.
Defending TdF champion Jacques Anquetil was clearly off his form during the 1962 Vuelta d'Espana, but he did help his St. Raphael-Helyett teammate Rudi Altig (Ger) gain the Spanish victory.
The early stages featured a great battle between Rudi Altig (Ger), Andre Darrigade (Fra), and World Champion Rik Van Looy (Bel) with the race lead changing hand five times before the first Pyrenees climbing on stage 12. Anquetil considered the strong Van Looy a major threat in the General Classification. The only question to be answered was “Could Van Looy survive the Pyrenees after aggressive racing in the first 10 days of the Tour?” The question was unfortunately never answered quickly. Van Looy found misfortune, when he was knocked to the ground by a motorcycle on the road to Pau. Van Looy re-injured an ailing kidney in the crash and abandoned the Tour on stage 11.
The Tour entered the Pyrenees Mountain 's “Circle of Death” (the hardest day in the Pyrenees) from Pau to St. Gaudens on stage 12. The strong climbers and overall contenders for the General Classification began to narrow the final selection of stars. England's Tom Simpson finished in the lead group and became the first British rider to wear the Maillot Jaune in Tour history. Simpson was the highest placed rider in the breakaway group of 18 riders and took his record setting Maillot Jaune. Simpson's hold on the Jersey was brief, when on the 19 km ITT climb of Superbagneres, Jos Planckaert (Bel) gained sufficient time to take the overall lead.
Belgian Planckaert gamely battle Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor through the Pyrenees and into the Alpine stages. Poulidor made a major attack on the second day in the Alps, stage 19 from Briancon to Aix les Bains. He rode solo into Aix les Bains for the stage win and moved into third place overall. Anquetil rode defensively in pursuit Poulidor's attack, preferring to remain ahead Poulidor in the GC and wait for the stage 20 individual time trial (ITT).
The final major effort of the race came on the 68 km ITT course into Lyon. Jacques Anquetil, second overall 1'08” behind Planckaert, rode brilliantly and won the stage. He beat Poulidor by 5'01” and Planckaert by 5'19”. The time gain was enough to put Anquetil in the race lead with only two stages until the finish in Paris. Maitre Jacques would not be challenge again in 1962.
Jacques Anquetil rode into the finish in Paris to gain the 1962 Tour de France victory. It was his third overall victory (1957, 1961, and 1962), tying him with Belgian Philippe Thys (1913, 1914, and 1920) and Frenchman Louison Bobet (1953, 1954, and 1955) for the most Tour victories.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 NANCY-SPA (Bel), 253 km |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Stage 2a SPA (Bel)-HERENTALS (Bel), 147 km |
Andre Darrigade (Fra) |
Andre Darrigade (Fra) |
| Stage 2b HERENTALS (Bel), 23 km TTT |
FLANDRIA - FAEMA |
Andre Darrigade (Fra) |
Stage 3 BRUXELLES (Bel)- AMIENS , 210 km |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Stage 4 AMIENS-LE HAVRE, 197 km |
Willy Van den Berghen (Bel) |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Stage 5 PONT L'EVEQUE-ST MALO, 215 km |
Emile Daems (Bel) |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Stage 6 DINARD-BREST, 235 km |
Robert Cazala (Fra) |
Albertus Geldermans (Ned) |
Stage 7 QUIMPER-ST NAZAIRE, 201 km |
Hubert Zilverberg (Ned) |
Albertus Geldermans (Ned) |
Stage 8a ST NAZAIRE-LUCON, 155 km |
Mario Minieri (Ita) |
Andre Darrigade (Fra) |
Stage 8b LUCON-LA ROCHELLE, 43 km ITT |
Jacques Anquetil (Fra) |
Andre Darrigade (Fra) |
Stage 9 LA ROCHELLE-BORDEAUX, 214 km |
Antonio Bailetti (Ita) |
Willy Schroeders (Bel) |
Stage 10 BORDEAUX-BAYONNE, 184 km |
Willy Vannitsen (Bel) |
Willy Schroeders (Bel) |
Stage 11 BAYONNE-PAU, 155 km |
Eddy Pauwels (Bel) |
Willy Schroeders (Bel) |
Stage 12 PAU-ST GAUDENS, 208 km |
Robert Cazala (Fra) |
Tom Simpson (GBr) |
Stage 13 LUCHON-SUPERBAGNERES, 18.5 km ITT |
Federico Bahamontes (Spa) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 14 LUCHON-CARCASSONNE, 215 km |
Jean Stablinski (Fra) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 15 CARCASSONNE-MONTPELLIER, 196 km |
Willy Vannitsen (Bel) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 16 MONTPELLIER-AIX EN PROVENCE , 185 km |
Emile Daems (Bel) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 17 AIX EN PROVENCE -JUAN LES PINS, 201 km |
Rudi Altig (Ger) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 18 JUAN LES PINS-BRIANCON, 242 km |
Emile Daems (Bel) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 19 BRIANCON-AIX LES BAINS, 204 km |
Raymond Poulidor (Fra) |
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) |
Stage 20 BOURGOIN-LYON, 68 km ITT |
Jacques Anquetil (Fra) |
Jacques Anquetil (Fra) |
Stage 21 LYON-NEVERS/POUGUES LES EAUX, 232 km |
Dino Bruni (Ita) |
Jacques Anquetil (Fra) |
Stage 22 NEVERS/POUGUES LES EAUX-PARIS, 271 km |
Rino Benedetti (Ita) |
 Jacques Anquetil (Fra)
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BEST CLIMBER PRIZE |
Federico Bahamontes (Spa) |
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POINTS CLASSIFICATION |
 Rudi Altig (Ger)
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| TdF June 24 - July 15, 1962 |
| 4,274 Km |
1.
Jacques ANQUETIL (Fra) 114h31'54" |
2.
Joseph Planckaert (Bel) +4'59" |
3.
Raymond Poulidor (Fra) +10'24" |
Starters: 150 |
Finishers: 94 |
Average Speed: 37.306 km/h |
TdF 1961
TdF 1963
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49th Tour de France 1962
