Roger Lapébie facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Roger Lapébie | ||
| Born | 16 January 1911 Bayonne, France |
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| Died | 11 October 1996 (aged 85) Pessac, France |
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| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Roger Lapébie (born January 16, 1911 – died October 11, 1996) was a famous French bike racer. He is best known for winning the 1937 Tour de France, one of the biggest cycling races in the world. Lapébie also won the Critérium International race twice, in 1934 and 1937. He was born in Bayonne, France, and passed away in Pessac.
Contents
Roger Lapébie's Early Career
Roger Lapébie started his journey in the Tour de France in 1932. He was part of the French national team. In his first Tour, he won one stage, which is a single day's race within the larger event. He raced again in 1933, but he didn't win any stages that year.
In 1934, Lapébie returned to the Tour de France with the national team. This was a great year for him! He won five stages and finished in third place overall. He was a strong contender for winning the Tour in 1935. However, he had some disagreements with Henri Desgrange, who was in charge of the Tour. Because of this, Lapébie couldn't join the main French team and had to race on his own. In 1936, he didn't even get to race in the Tour.
Winning the 1937 Tour de France
In 1937, Henri Desgrange had retired, and Roger Lapébie was back in the Tour de France. Just a month before the race, Lapébie had an operation on his back. People wondered if he would be strong enough to compete.
Lapébie won the 1937 Tour by riding 4,415 kilometers (about 2,743 miles). His total time was 138 hours, 58 minutes, and 31 seconds. His victory was a bit controversial because he used a new type of gear system called a derailleur. This was a big deal at the time.
The Derailleur Advantage
Using a derailleur gave Lapébie a huge advantage. It meant he could change gears without stopping, getting off his bike, or flipping his wheel around. Other riders had to do all those things to change gears. Lapébie also got into trouble for getting help from outside the race, which wasn't allowed. He even got a 90-second penalty!
Rivalry and Protest
Lapébie's new gears and tactics made his rival, Sylvère Maes from Belgium, quite upset. Maes had won the Tour the year before. Maes was leading the race through the big mountains like the Alps and Pyrenees. But he was so annoyed by Lapébie's new gears and tactics that he quit the race after stage 16.
With Maes out of the race, Lapébie, who was in second place, took the famous yellow jersey. He kept it all the way to Paris and won the Tour. The French people were thrilled, but the Belgians, who are very proud of their cycling, were quite angry.
After Lapébie's victory, derailleurs became a standard part of racing bikes in the Tour de France. This changed cycling forever!
After the Victory
After his big win, Lapébie wrote about his experiences in some left-wing magazines. This didn't please Henri Desgrange, who still had influence. Because of this, Lapébie was prevented from racing in the 1938 Tour. So, he couldn't defend his title as champion.
Career Achievements
Roger Lapébie had many impressive wins throughout his career.
Major Race Wins
- 1932
- Tour de France: Won Stage 12
- 1933
- Circuit du Morbihan: Won Stage 2 and the overall race
- French National Road Race Championship
- Paris-Saint-Etienne: Won Stage 2
- GP de l'Echo d'Alger
- 1934
- Tour de France: Won Stages 3, 4, 12, 14, and 15; Finished 3rd overall
- Critérium International
- Paris–Nice: Won Stages 2 and 5B
- Paris-Saint-Etienne
- Paris-Vichy
- 1935
- Paris - Saint-Etienne
- Paris Routiers, Six Days
- Paris, Six Days
- 1937
- Critérium International
- Paris–Nice
- Tour de France:
Won the overall race; Won Stages 9, 17C, and 18A
- 1938
- Paris - Sedan
- 1939
- 1st stage Paris - Nice
Images for kids
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The yellow jersey, worn by the leader of the Tour de France.
See also
In Spanish: Roger Lapébie para niños
