Gustave Garrigou facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Cyprien Gustave Garrigou | ||
| Born | 24 September 1884 Vabres, France |
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| Died | 28 January 1963 (aged 78) Paris, France |
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| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Cyprien Gustave Garrigou (born September 24, 1884 – died January 23, 1963) was a famous French professional cyclist. He was known as one of the best riders of his time. Gustave competed in the challenging Tour de France eight times. He even won the entire race once! Out of 117 race sections, called stages, he won eight. He also finished in the top ten 96 times.
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Gustave Garrigou's Cycling Career
Gustave Garrigou was born in Vabres, France. He later lived in Paris. Gustave was a strong rider who was good in the mountains. He was also powerful on flat roads. He had an amazing ability to recover quickly after tough races.
Early Races and First Wins
Before becoming a professional, Gustave won some smaller races. These included Paris-Amiens and Paris-Dieppe. He became a professional cyclist in 1907. That same year, he won the French national championship. He also won the Giro di Lombardia and Paris–Brussels races. In the 1907 Tour de France, he finished second. He was just 19 points behind his teammate, Lucien Petit-Breton.
Teamwork and Tour de France Success
Gustave was a great team player. For the next three years, he helped his teammates win. He finished fourth in the 1908 Tour de France. He was second in 1909 and third in 1910. His teammates Francois Faber and Octave Lapize won those years.
Winning the Tour de France in 1911
Gustave Garrigou won the Tour de France in 1911. This was a very challenging race for him. During the race, another French rider, Paul Duboc, had a problem. Duboc became very ill after drinking from a bottle. Some fans thought Gustave was involved. They believed he had something to do with Duboc's illness.
Gustave had a good lead in the race. But Duboc was catching up. When Duboc got sick, Gustave's lead grew bigger. This made some of Duboc's fans very angry. They even put up signs in Rouen, Duboc's hometown. The signs suggested that Duboc was poisoned. They encouraged people to get revenge on Gustave.
The race organizers and Duboc himself were worried. Three cars had to drive around Gustave to protect him from the crowd. Later, it was found that a helper from a rival team was responsible. But many of Duboc's supporters had suspected Gustave. They thought he would benefit most from Duboc being out of the race.
Gustave won the 1911 Tour de France by a good margin. In those early years, the winner was decided by points. Riders earned points based on their finishing position in each stage.
Later Tour de France Races
In 1912, Gustave was expected to win again. He was the leader of the all-French team, Alcyon. But a last-minute change affected his chances. A Belgian rider named Odile Defraye joined the team. Defraye ended up winning the race. Gustave finished third that year, behind Eugene Christophe.
The 1913 Tour de France changed how the winner was decided. They stopped using the points system. Instead, the winner was the rider with the fastest total time. Gustave finished second in 1913. He was just over eight minutes behind another Belgian rider, Philippe Thys.
Gustave was a very versatile cyclist. He won many important races besides the Tour de France. These included Paris–Brussels (1907), Milan–San Remo (1911), and the Giro di Lombardia. He was also the national champion in France in both 1907 and 1908. His cycling career ended in 1914. This was when World War I began.
Life After Cycling
After his racing career, Gustave Garrigou retired. He moved to Esbly, a town near Paris. There, he started his own business.
Gustave Garrigou's Achievements
Gustave Garrigou had an impressive career. Here are some of his major wins and top finishes:
- 1907
- Tour de France - 2nd Overall, won 2 stages
- Giro di Lombardia - 1st Place
- Paris–Brussels - 1st Place
- 1908
- Tour de France - 4th Overall
- 1909
- Tour de France - 2nd Overall, won 1 stage
- 1910
- Tour de France - 3rd Overall, won 1 stage
- 1911
Tour de France - 1st Overall, won 2 stages- Milan–San Remo - 1st Place
- 1912
- Tour de France - 3rd Overall
- Paris–Roubaix - 2nd Place
- 1913
- Tour de France - 2nd Overall, won 1 stage
- 1914
- Tour de France - won Stage 11
See also
In Spanish: Gustave Garrigou para niños
