Lucien Petit-Breton facts for kids
 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lucien Georges Mazan | ||
| Nickname | Lucien Petit-Breton | ||
| Born | 18 October 1882 Plessé, France |
||
| Died | 20 December 1917 (aged 35) Troyes, France |
||
| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
|
|||
Lucien Georges Mazan (born October 18, 1882 – died December 20, 1917) was a famous French racing cyclist. He was also known by his nickname, Lucien Petit-Breton. He made history as the first cyclist to win the famous Tour de France race two times!
Lucien was born in Plessé, a town in France. When he was six years old, his family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is where he became an Argentine citizen. His journey into cycling began in a fun way: he won a bicycle in a lottery when he was sixteen! His father wanted him to have a "real" job, so Lucien started using the name "Lucien Breton" for races to keep his cycling a secret. Later, he changed it to "Petit-Breton" because there was already another cyclist named Lucien Breton.
Contents
Becoming a Cycling Star
Lucien's first big win was the track cycling championship in Argentina. In 1902, he moved back to France to join the French Army. Two years later, in 1904, he won the Bol d'Or cycle race, which is a track event. He had tried to win it the year before but came in second.
In 1905, Lucien set a new world record for the hour record on the Vélodrome Buffalo track in Paris. He cycled an amazing 41.110 kilometers in one hour! That same year, he started road racing and finished fifth overall in the Tour de France. This was a fantastic result for a beginner. In 1906, he won the Paris–Tours race and improved his Tour de France performance, finishing fourth.
Winning the Tour de France
In 1907, Lucien won the very first Milan–San Remo race before entering the Tour de France. During the Tour, things looked tough for him at one point. After stage five, he was far behind the leaders. However, the Tour de France used a points system back then, not just time. This meant that even if you were slower, you could still win if you consistently placed well.
In a later stage, another rider, Emile Georget, broke a rule by changing bicycles illegally. This cost him many points. Because of this, Lucien Petit-Breton took the lead. He won two stages himself and placed second or third in eight other stages. He ended up winning the 1907 Tour de France with 47 points!
Lucien won the Tour de France again in 1908, becoming the first person to win it twice. Before the Tour, he also won the Paris–Brussels race. He was part of the strong Peugeot team, which took the top four spots in the Tour that year. Lucien won even more easily in 1908, with only 36 points. He finished outside the top four in only one stage.
Later Life and Legacy
After his second Tour de France victory, Lucien didn't have any more big wins. His cycling career ended because of World War I. He joined the French army and worked as a driver. Sadly, he died in 1917 near Troyes, France, when his vehicle crashed into a horse and cart.
Before the war, Lucien had opened a bicycle shop. High-quality bicycles with his name on them were made in Nantes, France, until the 1960s. He is remembered as a true pioneer in cycling history.
Major Cycling Achievements
- 1906
- Paris–Tours
- 1907
- Milan–San Remo
- Tour de France:
Winner overall classification- Winner stages 9 and 11
- 1908
- Tour de France:
- Winner overall classification
- Winner stages 2, 7, 9, 11 and 14
- Paris–Brussels
- Tour of Belgium (including 4 stages)
- 1911
- Giro d'Italia
- Winner stage 5
See also
In Spanish: Lucien Petit-Breton para niños
