came alive in the legend by becoming the first winner of the Tour. And nothing more deserved because he was the archetype of the rider in all that constitutes its greatness and popularity. Maurice Garin Aviers born in the Aosta valley, a March 23, 1871. It was, therefore, could not speak Italian but a single word that was not in the dialect of the valley (according to the Italian authorities at the time), who was none other than French.
Maurice made his living across the border to work as a chimney sweep in French cities. It was a tradition in the Alps is to provide chimney sweeps who tended to the large cities and middle-class families.
was established finally (after a long walking with his father and brothers) in a town called Lens, where work as a miner escaped thanks to his skills as a bricklayer and the recommendation of a fellow-arrived several years before him - who got a job at a masonry company.
When he became a glory rider nicknamed him the Little Chimney Sweep, as Small was on his short stature (1.62 m 61 kg), which shocked even those who said that this was a sport athletes.
Encouraged by the success of the first cycles, saved enough to buy a machine when he was twenty. Two years later he became a star, by winning both races plagued sportmen large fund, the name given to the amateurs of the era. The 800 km. Paris and the Dinant-Namur-Dinant.
With metronomic regularity, and exceptional courage and endurance, he won two years in the 24 hours from Paris, and Paris-Le Mans (1896), and participated in the first edition of Paris-Roubaix, test would win the next two seasons.
His victory in the Hell of the North caused waves of excitement, and this is not a euphemism. In his second triumph, the Velodrome Parc Barbieux was crowded and the fans who found no place in it climbed onto the roof of a nearby house causing it to collapse ...
A star was born. A star that grow in every heart in the coming years, in which Maurice Garin, accompanied by his brothers César and Ambroise, accumulated a good number of victories.
When Henri Desgranges launched the idea of \u200b\u200bthe first Tour de France, Maurice was the first to sign up. All his fans waited for their victory, and were not disappointed.
This popularity explains why the following year, the commissioners waited four months to disqualify (think it was better to wait for it to cool the passions unleashed by his victory on the road). If they had taken this decision walk from goal, surely there had been a riot with lynchings in the ranks of the commissioners ...
This disqualification to which was added a suspension for two seasons, ended the career of the Little Chimney Sweep, who was then thirty years. He retired to Lens where he opened a garage that remained until the fifties.
Invited to give the output of the 1953 Tour, Maurice Garin, good-looking despite his 82 years, contented himself with a brief statement:
My young friends, you can never understand the difficulties we faced with our machines rudimentary on roads impossible. These were more hostile our enemies, however, have left many beautiful memories in me.
The memory of a glory never tarnished, of a life that would not have achieved without the bike and, above all, an unexpected social promotion. 1902 Maurice Garin told a journalist: "Before I am a man champion of the people. I did not know that these two notions are inherent to the sport would cyclist.
KEY MOMENTS OF THE FIRST TOUR (1903)
were seventy-six in the exit in front of the restaurant The Alarm., In Montgeron. Seventy-six pioneers into the unknown starting in the first Tour de France, run over six stages for a total distance of 2407 km., Or upper half to 400 km. by stage.
On July 1 at 15 h. 16 'turned out to Lyon. Maurice Garin would first at 9 am the following day. The runners were put back on track, it is time
ta to Marseille, on the night of 4 to 5 at 2h 30 'in the morning. In the Canebière, around 17 hours this time, win Acouturier, but Garin problems since the Colossus was left in the first stage and did not run it as part (a category invented by the organizers, fearful of running out of riders in the race .) This formula live just two days. In the third stage was blatantly Acouturier of Georget, so it was decided to separate the two squads. First came the brokers that applied for the general classification and an hour later, partial. Garin was in the lead throughout the race, attacking vigorously to eliminate his most fearsome enemy: Georget. Garin came fresh to the finish and still had the guts to declare to reporters: mission accomplished, but did not hide his disappointment at losing the sprint ahead of Orange, Sanson and Pothier, who were all the way to his wheel without giving a relief.
The stage ended in Bordeaux (268 km.) Saw its output at 3 o'clock in the morning in front of the Café de Sion, where a cinematographer projected images of the previous stages in a white sheet. Garin
This time he took the stage, if only the referees saw him cross the finish line in first position. For many there was no doubt that was the Bruseles Sanson who had won the stage in a clean and honest but ...
On July 14, Nantes, unanswered won their final victory possible and ensuring that Georget had left, and Pothier - revelation, "I had a good lead. Not content with previously acquired, won the final stage in Paris, entering into history. Its advantage over Pothier (2 º), was 2 hours 49 '45 ", and Millocheau, 21 º and last-placed 6h 24 '22 ".
0 comments:
Post a Comment