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By Barry Boyce CyclingRevealed Historian
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The Longest Tour of All Time
The 1926 Tour de France started outside the city limits of Paris for the first time in race history. The Alpine Town of Evian hosted the first stage in 1926, as the riders set out on what proved to be an epic journey. This was the longest Tour de France in history, set at 5,745 Km long over 17 stages.
This year the race route was extremely difficult because of the added length and a greater number of demanding mountain passes. Race director Henri Desgrange had always planned to make each race a little more difficulty than the year before, but this year he could never have factored in a third punishing element, the weather. Exceptionally foul weather hampered the riders throughout the race and only 41 of the 126 starters finished in Paris .
Two-time defending champion Ottavio Bottecchia returned but was clearly off his winning form of previous years. The race again went in a counter-clockwise direction, proceeding from Evian back to Evian before the final two stages directly into Paris
SPECIAL REPORT: The Untimely Death of an Italian Champio: Ottavio Bottecchia
The stage win on the infamous stage 10 was a four mountain, 326 Km trek into the “Circle of Death” gave Buysse a large enough lead that even the strong attacks from Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita) and Nicolas Frantz (Lux) in the Alps could not take back enough time to seriously challenge his race lead.
Lucien Buysse rode proudly into Paris with the hard earned TdF victory.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Stage 1 EVIAN-MULHOUSE, 373 km |
Jules Buysse (Bel) |
Jules Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 2 MULHOUSE-METZ, 334 km |
Aime Dossche (Bel) |
Jules Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 3 METZ-DUNKERQUE, 433 km |
Gus Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stage 4 DUNKERQUE-LE HAVRE, 361 km |
Felix Sellier (Bel) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stage 5 LE HAVRE-CHERBOURG, 357 km |
Adelin Benoit (Bel) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stage 6 CHERBOURG-BREST, 405 km |
Joseph Van Dam (Bel) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stage 7 BREST-L'SABLES D'OLONNE,412 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stg 8 LES SABLES D'OLONNE-BORDEAUX, 285 km |
Joseph Van Dam (Bel) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stage 9 BORDEAUX-BAYONNE, 189 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Gustaaf Van Slembrouck (Bel) |
Stage 10 BAYONNE-LUCHON, 326 km |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 11 LUCHON-PERPIGNAN, 323 km |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 12 PERPIGNAN-TOULON, 427 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 13 TOULON-NICE, 280 km |
Nicolas Frantz (Lux) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 14 NICE-BRIANCON, 275 km |
Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 15 BRIANCON-EVIAN, 303 km |
Joseph Van Dam (Bel) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 16 EVIAN-DIJON, 321 km |
Camille Van de Casteele (Bel) |
Lucien Buysse (Bel) |
Stage 17 DIJON-PARIS/Parc des Princes, 341 km |
Aime Dossche (Bel) |
 Lucien Buysse (Bel)
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| TdF June 20-July 18, 1926 |
| 5,745 Km |
1. Lucien BUYSSE (Bel) 238h44'25" |
2. Nicolas Frantz (Lux) +1h22'25" |
3. Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita) +1h22'51" |
Starters: 126 |
Finishers: 41 |
Average Speed: 24.273 km/h |
TdF 1925
TdF 1927
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20th Tour de France 1926
