André Darrigade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
André Darrigade

Darrigade at the 1956 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	André Darrigade
Nickname	Le Lévrier des Landes (The Landes Greyhound) Le Landais bondissant (The Leaping Landais) Dédé
Born	(1929-04-24) 24 April 1929 (age 96) Narrosse, France
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Points classification (1959, 1961) Combativity classification (1956) 22 individual stages Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage One-day races and Classics World Road Race Championships (1959) National Road Race Championships (1955) Giro di Lombardia (1956) Critérium International (1959)

André Darrigade (born 24 April 1929) is a famous retired French road bicycle racer. He competed professionally from 1951 to 1966. André was known as a top sprinter. He won the World Championship in 1959. He also won an amazing 22 stages in the Tour de France. Five of these wins were on the very first day of the Tour, which is a record!

André Darrigade's Early Life and Amateur Career

André Darrigade was born in Narrosse, a town near Dax in the Landes region of France. He first became known for his skills on the track. He even beat a future world sprint champion, Antonio Maspes, in a race in Paris.

People in northern France loved his name, especially when he said it with his southern accent. André was strongly built, with blond hair and clear eyes. When he first raced in Paris after the war, he was a beginner. He didn't have a helper (called a soigneur) or anyone to support him at the start. He was on his own but very brave. And guess who he beat? Antonio Maspes!

André stayed in Paris and joined a top cycling club. He won many races on the track and on the road. He became a professional cyclist in 1951.

André Darrigade's Professional Cycling Career

Darrigade wearing the world champion's rainbow jersey at the 1960 Tour de France

Many people say André Darrigade was the greatest French sprinter ever. He was not just a sprinter who waited for the end of a race. He was an "animateur," meaning he would often start important attacks during a race. He would begin his sprints from far away, daring other riders to try and pass him. This made him very popular with the French public.

André wore the famous yellow jersey in the Tour de France 19 times. He won 22 stages in total. He won the first stage of the Tour de France in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1961. Even though he was a great sprinter, he often lost time in the mountains. His best overall finish in the Tour was 16th place.

In one-day races, he won the French national championship in 1955. He beat Louison Bobet, who was a reigning world champion at the time. In 1956, he won the Giro di Lombardia race in Italy. He even beat the famous Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi in his home country! A few weeks later, he beat Coppi again in another race.

André won the World Championship in 1959 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. He was the best out of a group of eight riders who broke away from the main pack. He also came in fourth place in the 1957 Paris–Roubaix race, third in the 1958 Milan–San Remo, and second in Paris–Brussels in 1960.

André always saw himself as a team player. He said he was lucky to race with great champions like Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil. He was good friends with Anquetil.

In 1958, during the Tour de France finish at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, an unfortunate accident happened. Constant Wouters, an official at the stadium, accidentally ran onto the track. André Darrigade, who was sprinting to the finish, crashed into him. Both were seriously hurt. André suffered a cracked skull and broken ribs. Despite his injuries, he was able to return later to take a lap of honor.

Honours and Personal Life

After André Darrigade stopped racing bikes, he owned a newspaper shop in Biarritz. When he fully retired, he became a big fan of the Biarritz Olympique rugby team. He often watched games with his friend Pierre Albaladejo.

A sports stadium in Dax is named after him: the Stade Omnisports André Darrigade. On July 12, 2017, a 6-meter-tall statue was put up in his honor in Narrosse, his hometown.

André's younger brother, Roger, was also a professional cyclist. In 1955, both brothers were French national champions. André was the professional champion, and Roger was the amateur champion. André Darrigade has two sons and two grandsons. He is also an officer of the Légion d'honneur, a very high award in France.

Career Achievements

Major Results

Major Championships Timeline

Event	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966
World Championships	—	—	17	—	DNF	13	3	3	1	2	DNF	16	4	DNF	—	—
National Championships	—	36	—	15	1	21	10	DNF	7	3	14	—	13	11	29	22

Grand Tour General Classification Results Timeline

Grand Tour	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	42	64	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	—	37	49	49	16	27	21	16	16	32	21	DNF	66	93	62
Vuelta a España	Has not contested during his career

Classics Results Timeline

See Also

In Spanish: André Darrigade para niños

• List of French people
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race
• Grand Tour (cycling)
• Tour de France records and statistics
• Yellow jersey statistics
• List of Tour de France secondary classification winners
• List of Grand Tour points classification winners
• Combativity award in the Tour de France