Bastille Day is a National holiday in France.  History lessons tell us that Kings and Queens often used the Bastille (a prison in Paris) to lock up the dissidents.  To the people of France the Bastille was a symbol of all the bad things done by their Kings and Queens.  On July 14, 1789, a large force of French citizens stormed the Bastille and claimed independence for the people.  Today, July 14^th symbolizes the end of Monarchial rule in France.  It is an Independence Day and the beginning of a new form of government.

Almost every year the Tour de France organizers schedule a stage on Bastille Day.  For a Frenchman to win that stage is very prestigious.  The following is a list of Bastille Day stage winners:

[**Bold Letters are French Winners on Bastille Day**]

2009 -

2008 - Leonardo Piepoli (Ger), Stage 10 Pau to Hautacam, 156 km

2007 - Linus Gerdemann (Ger), Stage 7 Bourg-en-Bresse to Le Grand Bornand, 197 km

2006 - Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Stage 12 Luchon to Carcassonne, 211 km

2005 - David Moncoutie (Fra), Stage 12 Briancon to Digne les Bains, 187 km

2004 - Richard Virenque (Fra), Stage 10 Limoges to St Flour, 237 km

2003 - Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), Stage 9 Bourg d'Oisans to Gap, 184.5 km

2002 - Karsten Kroon (Hol), Stage 8 St Martin de Landelles to Plouay, 217.5 km

2001 - Laurent Jalabert (Fra), Stage 7 Strasbourg to Colmar , 162 km

2000 - Vic Garcia-Acosta (Spa), Avignon to Draguignan, 185 km

1999 - Giuseppe Guerini (Ita), Sestrieres (Ita) to Alpe d'Huez, 220 km

1998 - Jens Heppner (Ger), Stage 3 Roscoff to Lorient , 169 km

1997 - Laurent Brochard (Fra), Stage 9 Pau to Loudenvielle, 182 km

1996 - Djam. Abdoujaparov (Ouz), Stage 14 Besse to Tulle, 186 km

1995 - Laurent Jalabert (Fra), Stage 12 Saint Etienne to Mende, 222 km

1994 - Rest Day in Lourdes

1993 - Tony Rominger (Sui), Stage 10 Villard de Lans to Serre Chevalier, 203 km

1992 - Jean-Paul Van Poppel (Hol), Stage 10 Luxembourg to Strasbourg , 217 km

1991 - Mauro Ribeiro (Bre), Stage 9 Alencon to Rennes , 161 km

1990 - Eduardo Chozas (Spa), Stage 13 Villard de Lans to Saint Etienne, 149 km

1989 - Vincent Barteau (Fra), Stage 13 Montpellier to Marseille, 179 km

1988 - Steven Rooks (Hol), Stage 12 Morzine to Alpe d'Huez, 227 km

1987 - Dag-Otto Lauritzen (Nor), Stage 14 Pau to Luz Ardiden, 166 km

1986 - Rudy Dhaenens (Bel), Stage 11 Poitiers to Bordeaux , 258 km

1985 - Eduardo Chozas (Spa), Stage 15 Saint Etienne to Aurillac, 237 km

1984 - Rest Day in Grenoble

1983 - Henk Lubberding (Hol), Stage 13 Roquefort sur Soulzon to Aurillac, 210 km

1982 - Gerrie Knetemann (Hol), Stage 11 Valence d'Agen, 57 km ITT

1981 - Peter Winnen (Hol), Stage 17 Morzine to Alpe d'Huez, 230 km

1980 - Mariano Martinez (Fra), Stage 17 Le Lautaret/Serre Chevalier to Morzine, 242 km

1979 - Rest Day in Les Menuires

1978 - Joop Zoetemelk (Hol), Stage 14 Besse en Chandesse to Puy de Dome, 52 km ITT

1977b - Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (Fra), Stage 13b Altkrich to Besancon , 159 km

1977a - Patrick Sercu (Bel), Stage 13a Freibourg im Breisgau (Ger), 46 km

1976c - Gerben Karstens (Hol), Stage 18c Lacanau Ocean to Bordeaux , 70 km

1976b - Freddy Maertens (Bel), Stage 18b Langon to Lacanau Ocean , 123 km

1976a - Freddy Maertens (Bel), Stage 18a Auch to Langon, 86 km

1975 - Bernard Thevenet (Fra), Stage 16 Barcelonnette to Serre Chevalier, 107 km

1974 - Eddy Merckx (Bel), Stage 15 Colomiers- Seo de Urgel (Spa), 225 km

1973 - Rest Day in Bourg Madame

1972 - Lucien Van Impe (Bel), Stage 12 Carpentres- Orcieres Merlette, 192 km

1971b - Herman Van Springel (Bel), Stage 16b Gourette to Pau , 57 km

1971a - Bernard Labourdette (Fra), Stage 16a Luchon to Gourette, 145 km

1970 - Bernard Thevenet (Fra), Stage 18 Saint Gaudens to La Mongie, 135 km

1969 - Raymond Delisle (Fra), Stage 16 Revel/Castelnaudary to Luchon, 199 km

1968 - Roger Pingeon (Fra), Stage 15 Font Romeu to Albi, 251 km

1967 - Barry Hoban (GBr), Stage 14 Carpentras to Sete, 201 km

1966b - Rudi Altig (Ger), Stage 22b Rambouillet to Paris , 51 km ITT

1966a - Edward Sels (Bel), Stage 22a Orleans to Rambouillet, 111 km

1965 - Felice Gimondi (Ita), Stage 22 (Final) Versailles to Paris , 38 km ITT

1964b - Jacques Anquetil (Fra), Stage 22b (Final) Versailles to Paris , 27 km ITT

1964a - Benoni Beheyt (Bel), Stage 22a Orleans to Versailles , 119 km

1963 - Rik Van Looy (Bel), Stage 21 (Final) Troyes to Paris , 185 km

1962 - Dino Bruni (Ita), Stage 21 Lyon to Nevers/Pougues les Eaux, 232 km

1961 - Jacques Anquetil (Fra), Stage 19 Bergerac-Perigueux, 74 km ITT

1960 - Fern Manzaneque (Spa), Stage 18 Aix les Bains to Thonon les Bains, 215 km

1959 - Ercole Baldini (Ita), Stage 18 Le Lautaret to Saint Vincent (Ita), 243 km

1958 - Gastone Nencini (Ita), Stage 19 Carpentras to Gap, 178 Km

1957 - Jean Bourles (Fra), Stage 16 Barcelona (Spa) to Aix les Thermes, 220 km

1956 - Rest Day in Bordeaux

1955 - Charly Gaul (Lux), Stage 8 Thonon les Bains to Briancon, 253 km

1954 - Jacques Vivier (Fra), Stage 7 Brest to Vannes, 211 km

1953 - Jean Robic (Fra), Stage 11 Cauterets to Luchon, 115 km

1952 - Fausto Coppi (Ita), Stage 18 Bagneres de Bigorre to Pau , 149 km

1951 - Bernardo Ruiz (Spa), Stage 10 Clermont Ferrand to Brive, 216 km

1950 - Adolfo Leoni (Ita). Stage 2 Metz to Liege (Bel), 241 km

1949 - Emile Idee (Fra), Stage 13 Toulouse to Nimes , 289 km

1948 - Rest Day in Cannes

1947 - Giuseppe Tacca (Ita), Stage 16 Pau to Bordeaux , 195 km

1940-1946 World War 2

1939 - Amedee Fournier (Fra), Stage 5 Lorient to Nantes , 207 km

1938 - Felicien Vervaecke (Bel), Stage 8 Pau to Luchon, 194 km

1937 - Alphonse Antoine (Fra), Stage 12a Marseille to Nimes , 112 km

1936 - Theo Middelkamp (Hol), Stage 7 Aix les Bains to Grenoble , 230km

1935 - Jean Aerts (Bel), Stage 10 Digne to Nice, 156km

1934 - Rest Day in Nice

1933 - Jean Aerts (Bel), Stage 15 Perpignan to Ax les Thermes, 158km

1932 - Frans Bonduel (Bel), Stage 6 Luchon to Perpignan , 323km

1931 - Charles Pelissier (Fra), Stage 13 Marseille to Cannes , 181 km

1930 - Charles Pelissier (Fra), Stage 11 Perpignan to Montpellier , 164 km

1929 - Rest Day in Marseille

1928 - Antoine Magne (Fra), Stage 21 Malo les Bains to Dieppe , 234km

1927 - Nicolas Frantz (Lux), Stage 21 Strasbourg to Metz , 165km

1926 - Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita), Stage 14 Nice to Briancon, 275km

1925 - Rest Day in Mulhouse

1924 - Nicolas Frantz (Lux), Stage 12 Gex to Strasbourg , 360km

1923 - Henri Pelissier (Fra), Stage 11 Briancon to Geneva (Sui), 260km

1922 - Rest Day in Briancon

1921 - Leon Scieur (Bel), Stage 10 Nice to Grenoble , 333km

1920 - Rest Day in Nice

1919 - Rest Day in Marseille

1915-1918 World War 1

1914 - Jean Rossius (Bel), Stage 9 Marseille to Nice, 338km

1913 - Rest Day in Aix en Provence

1912 - Vincenzo Borgarello (Ita), Stage 8 Marseille to Perpignan , 335 km

1911 - Charles Crupelandt (Fra), Stage 7 Nice to Marseille, 334 km

1910 - Rest Day in Nice

1909 - Rest Day in Grenoble

1908 - Rest Day in Roubaix

1907 - Marcel Cadolle (Fra), Stage 4 Belfort to Lyon , 309 km

1906 - Georges Passerieu (Fra), Stage 6 Nice to Marseille, 308 km

1905 - Louis Trousselier (Fra), Stage 3 Besancon to Grenoble , 327 km

1904 - Hyppolite Aucouturier (Fra), Stage 3 Marseilles to Toulouse , 424 km

1903 - Maurice Garin (Fra), Stage 5 Bordeaux to Nantes , 425 km

NOTE: In 1903 and 1904, the stages of July 14 started the evening before.