André Darrigade facts for kids
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Darrigade at the 1956 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | André Darrigade | ||
| Nickname | Le Lévrier des Landes (The Landes Greyhound) Le Landais bondissant (The Leaping Landais) Dédé |
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| Born | 24 April 1929 Narrosse, France |
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| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Sprinter | ||
| Major wins | |||
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André Darrigade is a famous French bicycle racer. He rode professionally from 1951 to 1966. André was known as a fantastic sprinter. He won the World Championship in 1959. He also won an amazing 22 stages in the Tour de France. Five of those Tour victories were on opening days, which is a record!
Contents
André Darrigade's Early Life and Amateur Career
André Darrigade was born on April 24, 1929, in Narrosse, France. This town is near Dax in the Landes region. He first became known for his skills on the track. He even beat Antonio Maspes, who would later become a world sprint champion. This happened at a big event in Paris called the Vélodrome d'Hiver.
People in northern France loved his name, especially when he said it with his southern accent. A sports writer named René de Latour described André as strong, like a good football player. He had blond hair, clear eyes, and rosy cheeks. He was also a bit shy.
When André first came to Paris after the war, he was new to road racing. He was alone and had no one to help him with his bike. But he was very brave. He joined a top cycling club in Paris, the Vélo-Club d'Asnières-Courbevoie. He was invited by Francis Pélissier, a former professional racer. André continued to win races on the track and on the road. He became a professional cyclist in 1951.
André Darrigade's Professional Cycling Career
Raphaël Géminiani, another famous cyclist, said that André Darrigade was the best French sprinter ever. He said André was more than just a sprinter. He could also start important attacks in races. André would begin his sprints far from the finish line, daring other riders to try and pass him. This made him very popular with the French public.
Tour de France Achievements
André Darrigade wore the famous yellow jersey in the Tour de France for 19 days. He won 22 individual stages in the Tour. He won the very 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 finishes in the Tour were 16th place in 1956, 1959, and 1960.
One-Day Races and Championships
André was also very successful in one-day races. In 1955, he won the French national championship. He beat Louison Bobet, who was a world champion and a three-time Tour de France winner at the time.
In 1956, André won the Giro di Lombardia, a very important race in Italy. He beat the legendary Italian rider Fausto Coppi right in front of Coppi's home crowd. A couple of weeks later, he beat Coppi again to win the Trofeo Baracchi with Rolf Graf.
His biggest win was the World Championship in Zandvoort on August 16, 1959. He was part of a group of eight riders who broke away from the main pack. He won the sprint against them, beating riders like Michele Gismondi and Noël Foré.
André was usually at his best in the middle of the cycling season. He found the spring races too early and the autumn races too late. However, he still had good results in some famous races. He finished fourth in Paris–Roubaix in 1957, third in Milan–San Remo in 1958, and second in Paris–Brussels in 1960.
André always saw himself as a team player. He said he was happy to race alongside great champions like Louison Bobet and Jacques Anquetil. He was good friends with Anquetil.
An Unfortunate Accident
On July 19, 1958, the Tour de France finished at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. A 70-year-old stadium official, Constant Wouters, ran onto the track to stop photographers from getting in the way. Journalists were blocking the view, and André Darrigade accidentally rode into Wouters. Both fell hard and were taken to the hospital. Sadly, Wouters passed away on July 31. André Darrigade suffered a cracked skull and broken ribs. Despite his injuries, he was able to return later that day to complete a lap of honor.
André Darrigade's Life After Cycling
After André Darrigade retired from professional cycling, he ran 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, called the Stade Omnisports André Darrigade. On July 12, 2017, a 6-meter-tall statue of André was unveiled in his honor in Narrosse.
André's younger brother, Roger, was also a professional cyclist. In 1955, both brothers were French national champions. André won as a professional, and Roger won as an amateur. André Darrigade has two sons and two grandsons. He is also an officer of the Légion d'honneur, which is a very high award in France.
Career Highlights
André Darrigade had many impressive wins and achievements throughout his career.
Major Race Wins
- 1949
- Winner of La Médaille
- 1950
- 1st Grand Prix de Boulogne
- 1951
- 1st Grand Prix des Alliés in Joinville
- 1952
- 1st Stage Paris-Saint Etienne
- 1st Stage Paris-Côte d'Azur
- 1953
- 1st Stage 12 Tour de France
- 1954
- 1st Overall Tour de Picardie
- 1955
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 1st Stage 6 Tour de France
- 1st
- 1956
- 1st Stage 1 Tour de France
- 1st Giro di Lombardia
- 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Rolf Graf)
- 1957
- 1st Stages 1, 3a, 21 & 22 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de Romandie
- 1st Six Days of Paris (with Jacques Anquetil and Ferdinando Terruzzi)
- 1958
- 1st Stages 1, 9, 15, 17 & 22 Tour de France
- 1st Six Days of Paris (with Jacques Anquetil and Ferdinando Terruzzi)
- 1959
- 1st
Road race, UCI Road World Championships - 1st
Points classification Tour de France - 1st Stages 1 & 11 Tour de France
- 1st Critérium International
- 1st
- 1960
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 15 Giro d'Italia
- 1961
- 1st Points classification Tour de France
- 1st Stages 1a, 2, 13 & 20 Tour de France
- 1st
- 1962
- 1st Stage 2a Tour de France
- 1963
- 1st Stage 12 Tour de France
- 1964
- 1st Stages 2 & 18 Tour de France
- 1st Genoa–Nice
- 1966
- 1st Ronde de Monaco
Images for kids
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Darrigade at the 1956 Tour de France
See also
In Spanish: André Darrigade para niños
