| |
By Barry Boyce,
CyclingRevealed Historian
|
|
Italian Superstar Repeats
Defending Tour de France champion Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) returned in 1925 with great form. As in 1924 Bottecchia started very well, winning the first stage to Le Harve in a long solo breakaway. One new and talented Belgian rider lined up to challenge the Italian champion. The new challenger was Adelin Benoit, who took the overall lead from Bottecchia by 8 seconds after stage 3. Bottecchia and Benoit battled as the overall lead swapped back and forth until the Tour reached the Pyrenees Mountains on stage 8.
Benoit attacked over the climbs of the Col d'Aspin, Col d'Aubisque, Col du Tourmalet and Col de Peyresourde, breaking away from the leaders. He won the stage by 10 minutes. The win took back the overall lead for Benoit by almost 7 minutes.
The second day in the Pyrenees was equally as hard. The talented Italian Bottecchia fought back winning all four climbs and gained 45 minutes on a struggling Benoit. After this superb ride Bottecchia took back the overall lead.
SPECIAL NOTE: On Stage 12 Toulon to Nice, 280 km, Bottecchia and Belgian Lucien Buysse broke away from the peloton. Buysse went on to win the stage by more than 4 minutes over third place, but in Nice race officials penalized both Buysse and Bottecchia 10 minutes for failing to sign the stage start sheet.
Wearing the Maillot Jaune again, Bottecchia controlled the remainder on the race. He became one of the very few weraers of the Malloit Jaune to win a sprint on the final stage in Paris.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 PARIS-LE HAVRE, 340 km |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 2 LE HAVRE-CHERBOURG, 371 km |
Romain Bellenger (Fra) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 3 CHERBOURG-BREST, 405 km |
Louis Mottiat (Bel) |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Stage 4 BREST-VANNES, 208 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Stage 5 VANNES- SABLES D'OLONNE, 204 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Stage 6 SABLES D'OLONNE-BORDEAUX, 293 km |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Stage 7 BORDEAUX-BAYONNE, 189 km |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 8 BAYONNE-LUCHON, 326 km |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Stage 9 LUCHON-PERPIGNAN, 323 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 10 PERPIGNAN-NIMES, 215 km |
Theophile Beeckman (Bel) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 11 NIMES-TOULON, 215 km |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 12 TOULON-NICE, 280 km |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 13 NICE-BRIANCON, 275 km |
Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 14 BRIANCON-EVIAN, 303 km |
Hector Martin (Bel) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 15 EVIAN-MULHOUSE, 373 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 16 MULHOUSE-METZ, 334 km |
Hector Martin (Bel) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 17 METZ-DUNKERQUE, 433 km |
Hector Martin (Bel) |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
Stage 18 DUNKERQUE-PARIS/Parc des Princes, 343 km |
Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita) |
 Ottavio Bottecchia (Ita)
|
| TdF June 21-July 19, 1925 |
| 5,440 Km |
1. Ottavio BOTTECCHIA (Ita) 219h10'18" |
2. Lucien Buysse (Bel) +54'20" |
3. Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita) +56'37" |
Starters: 130 |
| Finishers: 49 |
Average Speed: 24.775 km/h |
TdF 1924
TdF 1926
Return to the Timeline ToC
Return to the Race Snippets ToC |
|
19th Tour de France 1925
