Philippe Thys (cyclist) facts for kids
Thys in 1913
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| Personal information | |||
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| Nickname | Le basset (The Basset Hound) | ||
| Born | 8 October 1889 Anderlecht, Belgium |
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| Died | 16 January 1971 (aged 81) Anderlecht, Belgium |
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| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Philippe Thys (born October 8, 1889 – died January 16, 1971) was a famous Belgian cyclist. He is best known for winning the Tour de France three times. This was a huge achievement in his time!
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Becoming a Cycling Star
In 1910, Philippe Thys showed his talent by winning Belgium's first national cyclo-cross championship. Cyclo-cross is a type of bike race that involves riding on different terrains.
The next year, he won the Circuit Français Peugeot. He also won stage races from Paris to Toulouse and from Paris to Turin. After these wins, he decided to become a professional cyclist. His main goal was to compete in the Tour de France.
Winning the Tour de France: 1913
Thys won his first Tour de France in 1913. It was a very dramatic race! At one point, his bicycle's front fork broke. He had to find a bike shop to fix it himself. This repair caused him to get a 10-minute penalty.
Even with the penalty, he still won the race. His lead was just under nine minutes. Another rider, Eugène Christophe, also broke his fork. This allowed Thys to take the lead. But then, Thys had another broken fork near Nice. He managed to get the lead back.
The drama continued on the second-to-last stage. Thys fell and was knocked out! He was also penalized for getting help from his teammates to fix his bike. Despite all these problems, he still won the Tour by 8 minutes and 37 seconds.
Winning the Tour de France: 1914
In 1914, Thys won his first stage of the Tour, riding into Le Havre. He led the race from the very beginning to the end. However, he faced another challenge. He got a 30-minute penalty for changing a wheel without permission. This happened on the second-to-last stage.
His lead became very small, less than two minutes ahead of Henri Pélissier. On the final stage, French fans hoping for Pélissier to win actually helped Thys. They blocked Pélissier from making a final attack! Thys finished right behind Pélissier, winning his second Tour de France.
More Victories and a Third Tour Win
In 1917, Thys won two important races: Paris–Tours and the Giro di Lombardia. In 1918, he also won the Tours–Paris race.
After World War I, Thys returned to cycling. He won the Tour de France for a third and final time in 1920. He took the lead early in the race and kept it. The race director, Henri Desgrange, even said that if there hadn't been a war, Thys would have won five or six Tours!
Philippe Thys was the first cyclist to win the Tour de France three times. His record stood for a long time. It wasn't until 1955 that Louison Bobet also won three Tours. Then, in 1963, Jacques Anquetil broke the record with four wins. Thys also competed in the 1922 Tour, winning five stages. In the 1924 Tour, he won two more stages.
Many cyclists like Thys had their careers interrupted by World War I. After he retired, Thys remembered that his manager asked him to wear a yellow jersey as the race leader. This yellow jersey is now a famous symbol of the Tour de France leader.
Career Highlights
Philippe Thys had many great achievements throughout his cycling career. Here are some of his most important wins:
- 1910:
* Won the National Cyclo-cross Championships in Belgium.
- 1911:
* Won the overall Tour de France Independents (a race for non-professional riders). * Won the overall Paris-Turin race. * Won the Paris-Toulouse race. * Won the Circuit Française Peugeot.
- 1913:
* Won the overall Tour de France. * Won Stage 6 of the Tour de France.
- 1914:
* Won the overall Tour de France. * Won Stage 1 of the Tour de France. * Won the Paris-Menin race.
- 1917:
* Won the Giro di Lombardia (a famous one-day race). * Won Paris–Tours (another classic one-day race).
- 1918:
* Won the Tours-Paris race.
- 1920:
* Won the overall Tour de France. * Won Stages 2, 9, 12, and 13 of the Tour de France.
- 1921:
* Won the Critérium des As race.
- 1922:
* Won Stages 4, 8, 9, 10, and 15 of the Tour de France.
- 1924:
* Won Stages 3 and 9 of the Tour de France.
Honors and Recognition
Philippe Thys is still remembered today for his amazing cycling achievements:
- A velodrome (a special track for cycling) in Strasbourg, France, is named Piste Philippe Thys after him.
- A street in Strasbourg is also named Rue Philippe Thys.
- He was added to the UCI Hall of Fame in 2002, which honors the greatest cyclists of all time.
See also
In Spanish: Philippe Thys para niños
