21th Tour de France 1927

Desgrange's New Race Formula, the TTT

Tour de France director Henri Desgrange was constantly looking for new innovations to make his race bigger, better, and a little tougher. During the 1926 Tour Desgrange became increasingly angry with the apathy of the powerful teams on the flat stages. Desgrange's latest innovation was meant to counter the negative race tactics of these powerful teams. In the Tour of 1927 he introduced the “separate departure” stages (a crude introduction to the Team Time Trial). The riders had to start each “separate departure stage” in team groups, well away from their main rivals in the General Classification.

Francis Pelissier (Fra) led his Dilecta-Wobler team to the stage 1 victory and the lead in the General Classification. Pelissier and Dilecta-Wobler held the race lead until stage 6, when the pressure of wearing the Maillot Jaune (race leader's Yellow Jersey) became too much. In typical “Pelissier” fashion, he abandoned the race wearing the Maillot Jaune.

The favored Alcyon team struggled with numerous punctures through the early stages and team leader Nicolas Frantz (Lux) trailed Belgian Hector Martin (Bel), from the J.B. Louvet team, by over 20 minutes as the Pyrenees climbing stages began. The legendary Bayonne to Luchon stage was again hampered by terrible weather in 1927. Exceptional climber Frantz stepped up to the challenge and broke away from the peloton to win all four mountain climbs and take the stage win in Luchon. Race leader Hector Martin did not fare as well. He lost over 2 hours and surrendered the Maillot Jaune to Frantz.

The talented Luxembourger took over again and destroyed the field in the Alpine climbs. Frantz took such a large lead in the GC that he would not be challenge on the remaining nine stages. Nicolas Frantz became the first Luxembourger to win the TdF since the great Francois Faber in 1909.

SPECIAL NOTE: The new formula did not generate the excitement that Henri Desgranges wanted. The interest in the Tour again began to fade. Race organizers knew that more innovations were necessary for the Tour to regain its previous glory.

TdF 1926

TdF 1928

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