1970 Tour de France
The 1970 Tour de France was the 57th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 27 June and 19 July, with 23 stages covering a distance of 4,254 km (2,643 mi). It was the second victory for Belgian Eddy Merckx, who also won the mountains classification, and nearly won every major jersey for a 2nd year in a row but finished second in the points classification behind Walter Godefroot by five points. The previous year only one rider was able to keep him within 20:00 and in 1970 a mere four other riders were within 20:00, with only debutant Joop Zoetemelk finishing inside 15:00 of Merckx.
 Route of the 1970 Tour de France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 27 June – 19 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 23 + Prologue, including five split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,254 km (2,643 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 119h 31' 49" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Teams
The Tour de France started with 15 teams, of 10 cyclists each, from five different countries.[1][2] A few days before the Tour started, it became known that Paul Gutty had failed a doping test when he won the French national road championship. Gutty was removed from his Frimatic team,[3] and replaced by Rene Grelin.
The teams entering the race were:[1]
Pre-race favourites
After his dominating victory in the previous year, Merckx was the major favourite.[4] The main competition was expected from Luis Ocaña and Bernard Thévenet. Early in the race, 86 journalists predicted who would be in the top five of the Tour. 85 of them expected Merckx to be in the top five; Ocana was named by 78, Poulidor by 73.[5] Merckx had already won important races in 1970, including Paris–Roubaix, Paris–Nice, the Giro d'Italia and the Belgian national road championship.[6] Luis Ocaña, who had won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and the Vuelta a España, suffered from bronchitis, but still started the Tour, unable to seriously challenge Merckx.[6]
Route and stages
The 1970 Tour de France started on 27 June, and had no rest days.[7] After the financial success of the split stages in the 1969 Tour de France, even more split stages were used in the 1970 Tour.[6] The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,115 m (6,939 ft) at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet mountain pass on stage 19.[8][9]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 27 June | Limoges | 7.4 km (4.6 mi) |  | Individual time trial | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| 1 | 27 June | Limoges to La Rochelle | 224.5 km (139.5 mi) |  | Plain stage |  |
| 2 | 28 June | La Rochelle to Angers | 200 km (120 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 3a | 29 June | Angers | 10.7 km (6.6 mi) | | Team time trial | Faemino–Faema |
| 3b | Angers to Rennes | 140 km (87 mi) | | Plain stage | | |
| 4 | 30 June | Rennes to Lisieux | 229 km (142 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 5a | 1 July | Lisieux to Rouen | 94.5 km (58.7 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 5b | Rouen to Amiens | 223 km (139 mi) | | Plain stage | | |
| 6 | 2 July | Amiens to Valenciennes | 135.5 km (84.2 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 7a | 3 July | Valenciennes to Forest (Belgium) | 120 km (75 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 7b | Forest (Belgium) | 7.2 km (4.5 mi) | | Individual time trial | .svg.png){kind=small} | |
| 8 | 4 July | Ciney to Felsberg (Saar) (West Germany) | 232.5 km (144.5 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 9 | 5 July | Saarlouis (West Germany) to Mulhouse | 269.5 km (167.5 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) |  |
| 10 | 6 July | Belfort to Divonne-les-Bains | 241 km (150 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 11a | 7 July | Divonne-les-Bains | 8.8 km (5.5 mi) | | Individual time trial | |
| 11b | Divonne-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains | 139.5 km (86.7 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | | |
| 12 | 8 July | Thonon-les-Bains to Grenoble | 194 km (121 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 13 | 9 July | Grenoble to Gap | 194.5 km (120.9 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 14 | 10 July | Gap to Mont Ventoux | 170 km (110 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 15 | 11 July | Carpentras to Montpellier | 140.5 km (87.3 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 16 | 12 July | Montpellier to Toulouse | 160 km (99 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 17 | 13 July | Toulouse to Saint-Gaudens | 190 km (120 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 18 | 14 July | Saint-Gaudens to La Mongie | 135.5 km (84.2 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 19 | 15 July | Bagnères-de-Bigorre to Mourenx | 185.5 km (115.3 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 20a | 16 July | Mourenx to Bordeaux | 223.5 km (138.9 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 20b | Bordeaux | 8.2 km (5.1 mi) | | Individual time trial | | |
| 21 | 17 July | Ruffec to Tours | 191.5 km (119.0 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 22 | 18 July | Tours to Versailles | 238.5 km (148.2 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 23 | 19 July | Versailles to Paris | 54 km (34 mi) | | Individual time trial | |
| Total | 4,254 km (2,643 mi)[12] | |||||
Race overview
_(cropped).jpg)
The big favourite Merckx won the opening prologue, but he decided not to try to keep this leading position during the entire race.[13] In the next stage, Merckx' team chased back all the escapees, so the stage ended in a bunch sprint, and Merckx kept the lead. In the second stage, a few cyclists escaped, and two of Merckx' teammates, Italo Zilioli and Georges Vandenberghe, joined the escape. Merckx' teammate Zilioli was ranked highest amongst the escaped cyclists, and none of them were considered competitors for the general classification, so Guillaume Driessens, Merckx's team leader, allowed the breakaway to work, and told Zilioli and Vandenberghe to give their best.[6] Merckx however chased his own teammates.[6] The group stayed away, Zilioli won the sprint and became the new leader, 4 seconds ahead of Merckx.[14][15] After the stage, Merckx was angry at his team leader, because he had allowed Zilioli to "steal" Merckx' yellow jersey, but Driessens explained him that the other teams had spent energy to chase Zilioli, and the argument was over.[16] Merckx team won the team time trial, and controlled the next stages, keeping Zilioli the leader with Merckx in second place.[16]
In the sixth stage, Zilioli had a flat tire. Normally, if the leader in the Tour de France suffers a flat tire, a teammate would offer his wheel, and some teammates would stay with him to help him get back into the peloton. However, this time Merckx was considered more important, and Zilioli was given no help. Zilioli finished the stage one minute behind, and Merckx was the new leader.[17]
The seventh stage was split in two. Merckx won the first stage with a solo break, and finished second in the second part, a time trial. In that time trial, run during the rain, Roger de Vlaeminck, third in the general classification, took too much risk, fell down and left the race in an ambulance. Merckx saw De Vlaeminck lying on the street during his race, and decided to take less risks, allowing José Antonio González Linares to win the stage by three seconds.[18] Because Roger de Vlaeminck had left the race, his team Mars needed a new captain. Debutant Joop Zoetemelk was the highest ranked cyclist, and became the new captain.[19]
In the ninth stage, Mogens Frey and Joaquim Agostinho, teammates, broke away together. They worked together to stay away, but near the end of the stage Frey stopped working and had Agostinho do all the work, even after his team manager told him to help. In the sprint, Agostinho expected his teammate to give him the victory because he had done all the work, but to his surprise Frey started to come around him. Agostinho then grabbed Frey's handlebars, and crossed the finish line first. The race jury did not allow this, and gave the victory to Frey, putting Agostinho in second place.[6]
In the tenth stage, when the first medium mountains showed up, Merckx won the stage, and only three cyclists were able to stay with him, including Zoetemelk. Zoetemelk then rose to the second place, and he became the most important rival for Merckx.[20]
Zoetemelk, along with Luis Ocana and Bernard Thevenet would be the only serious rivals for the remainder of Merckx's career.
Zoetemelk said that he would focus on defending his second place, because he thought Merckx was better than the rest of the world.[21]
After the thirteenth stage, Merckx heard that Vicenze Giacotto, who started the Faema team around Merckx, had died of a heart attack.[22]
Merckx increased his lead steadily in the mountain stages in the Alps. After he won the stage to the Mont Ventoux, Merckx briefly lost consciousness.[4][6]
In the two Pyrenéan stages, Merckx did not win. He was suffering from stomach problems, and changed bicycles several times. The young Bernard Thévenet won the first, showing his potential as a future Tour winner.[4][6]
Merckx was the third cyclist to win the Tour-Giro double in one year; Fausto Coppi and Jacques Anquetil had done it before. Coppi and Anquetil were over thirty years old at their doubles, Merckx was only 25.[23] The margin with the second placed cyclist was less than the year before; according to J.B. Wadley, the difference was that Merckx stopped attacking in 1970 after the Mont Ventoux; had he been inclined to win more time, he probably would have been able to.[6]
Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were several classifications in the 1970 Tour de France, three of them awarding jerseys to their leaders.[24] The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[25]
Additionally, there was a points classification, where cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.[26]
There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorised some climbs as either first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, but was not identified with a jersey in 1970.[27]
Another classification was the combination classification. This classification was calculated as a combination of the other classifications, its leader wore the white jersey.[28]
The fifth individual classification was the intermediate sprints classification. This classification had similar rules as the points classification, but only points were awarded on intermediate sprints. In 1970, this classification had no associated jersey.[29]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that led this classification wore yellow caps.[29]
The intermediate sprints classification, sponsored by Miko, was also named "hot spot". In addition, there was a combativity award given after each mass-start stage to the cyclist considered most combative. The split stages each had a combined winner. The decision was made by a jury composed of journalists who gave points. The cyclist with the most points from votes in all stages led the combativity classification.[30] Roger Pingeon won this classification, and was given overall the super-combativity award.[7] The new rider classification was first calculated in 1970. It is not the same as the young rider classification, introduced in 1975.[4] The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col d'Aubisque on stage 19. This prize was won by Raymond Delisle.[31][32]
- During the stages when Merckx was leading the general classification and the points classification, Merckx wore the yellow jersey and the number two of the points classification was wearing a black/green jersey. When Merckx was leading the general classification and the combination classification, the number two of the combination classification wore a black/white jersey.[36]
Final standings
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Denotes the winner of the general classification |  |
Denotes the winner of the points classification | |
 |
Denotes the winner of the combination classification | |||
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Faemino–Faema | 119h 31' 49" |
| 2 | | Flandria–Mars | + 12' 41" |
| 3 |  | Ferretti | + 15' 54" |
| 4 | | Molteni | + 18' 53" |
| 5 | | Willem II–Gazelle | + 19' 54" |
| 6 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | + 20' 34" |
| 7 | | Fagor–Mercier–Hutchinson | + 20' 35" |
| 8 | | Salvarani | + 21' 34" |
| 9 | | Kas–Kaskol | + 21' 45" |
| 10 | | Dr. Mann–Grundig | + 23' 23" |
Points classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Salvarani | 212 |
| 2 | | Faemino–Faema | 207 |
| 3 | | Molteni | 161 |
| 4 | | Bic | 151 |
| 5 | | Fagor–Mercier–Hutchinson | 138 |
| 6 | | Willem II–Gazelle | 116 |
| 7 | | Dr. Mann–Grundig | 100 |
| 8 | | Caballero–Laurens | 77.5 |
| 9 | | Bic | 75 |
| 10 | | Frimatic–de Gribaldy | 73 |
Mountains classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Faemino–Faema | 128 |
| 2 | | Kas–Kaskol | 94 |
| 3 | | Molteni | 85 |
| 4 | | Salvarani | 68 |
| 5 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 65 |
| 6 | | Salvarani | 64 |
| 7 | | Ferretti | 59 |
| 8 | | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 57 |
| 9 | | Kas–Kaskol | 52 |
| 10 | | Molteni | 32 |
Combination classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Faemino–Faema | 4 |
| 2 | | Molteni | 21.5 |
| 3 | | Willem II–Gazelle | 23 |
| 4 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 25.5 |
| 5 | | Flandria–Mars | 32.5 |
Intermediate sprints classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Fagor–Mercier–Hutchinson | 67 |
| 2 | | Scic | 48 |
| 3 | | Flandria–Mars | 22 |
| 4 | | Flandria–Mars | 20 |
| 5 | | Fagor–Mercier–Hutchinson | 18 |
| 6 | | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 12 |
| 7 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 10 |
| 8 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 9 |
| 9 | | Faemino–Faema | 8 |
| 10 | | Willem II–Gazelle | 8 |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salvarani | 354h 22' 56" |
| 2 | Kas–Kaskol | + 1' 14" |
| 3 | Faemino–Faema | + 9' 45" |
| 4 | Sonolor–Lejeune | + 29' 21" |
| 5 | Dr. Mann–Grundig | + 34' 23" |
| 6 | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | + 35' 35" |
| 7 | Molteni | + 45' 35" |
| 8 | Bic | + 51' 17" |
| 9 | Fagor–Mercier–Hutchinson | + 59' 39" |
| 10 | Frimatic–de Gribaldy | + 1h 04' 11" |
Combativity classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Faemino–Faema | 366 |
| 2 |  | Frimatic–de Gribaldy | 340 |
| 3 | | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 273 |
| 4 | | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 252 |
| 5 | | Kas–Kaskol | 176 |
| 6 | | Salvarani | 172 |
| 7 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 164 |
| 8 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 148 |
| 9 | | Scic | 125 |
| 10 | | Frimatic–de Gribaldy | 122 |
New rider classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Frimatic–de Gribaldy | 77 |
| 2 | | Flandria–Mars | 67 |
| 3 | | Sonolor–Lejeune | 36 |
| 4 | | Kas–Kaskol | 34 |
| 5 | | Kas–Kaskol | 33 |
| 6 | | Ferretti | 31 |
| 7 | | Kas–Kaskol | 27 |
| 8 | | Ferretti | 22 |
| 9 | | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 21 |
| 10 | | Willem II–Gazelle | 18 |
Aftermath
Merckx had been so dominant during the entire Tour, that the organisation was afraid the race would become dull. The director Félix Lévitan announced that rule changes were considered to break the power of Merckx's team, that he was considering to return to national teams, and to reduce the number of time trials in the Tour.[45] The 1971 Tour did not see major changes in rules, but the number of individual time trials decreased from five to two.
Notes
- No jersey was awarded to the leader of the mountains classification until a white jersey with red polka dots was introduced in 1975.[27]
- Schiavon did not finish the race, but left the race after the last mountain stage. In 1970, the rules were such that Schiavon was still listed in the mountains classification.
References
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1970 – The starters". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Equipos participantes en el Tour" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 24 June 1970. p. 30. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
- "Franse kampioen Gutty betrapt". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 25 June 1970. p. 21.
- "57ème Tour de France 1970" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- "Zoetemelk vijfde in Paris?". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). Leiden.courant.nu. 3 July 1970. p. 7. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- McGann & McGann 2008, pp. 47–53.
- Augendre 2016, p. 61.
- Augendre 2016, p. 188.
- "Tour de France 1970". Het Parool (in Dutch). 25 June 1970. p. 19 – via Delpher.
- Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC top ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1970 – The stage winners". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 109.
- "Eddy Merckx "ongewild" leider". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 27 June 1970. p. 15. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Driessens' plan lukt: Zilioli in gele trui". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 29 June 1970. p. 20. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "57ème Tour de France 1970 – 2ème étape" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Eddy Merckx controleert peloton Tour de France". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 30 June 1970. p. 19. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Ploegleider en knechten lieten Zilioli in de steek". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 3 July 1970. p. 21. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Eddy Merckx heeft Tour reeds beslist". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 4 July 1970. p. 13. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Zoetemelk ineens kopman van Mars". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 4 July 1970. p. 13. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Merckx krijgt Zoetemelk als naaste concurrent". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 7 July 1970. p. 13. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "57ème Tour de France 1970 – 10ème étape" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Eddy Merckx reed huilend ereronde". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). De krant van toen. 10 July 1970. p. 21. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "Eerste double voor Merckx". Leidse Courant (in Dutch). Leiden.courant.nu. 20 July 1970. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–455.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–453.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 453–454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 454–455.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 455.
- van den Akker 2018, pp. 211–216.
- "El francés Raymond ganó, en solitario, la etapa de ayer" [The Frenchman Raymond won the stage yesterday alone]. ABC (in Spanish). 16 July 1970. p. 60.
- "Grote bergpris" [Large mountain prizes]. Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 16 July 1970. p. 25.
- "Dag na dag en rit na rit in de Tour" [Day after day and stage after stage in the Tour]. Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 20 July 1970. p. 15. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
- Wadley 1970, pp. 58–60.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Informatie over de Tour de France van 1970" [Information about the Tour de France from 1970]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- Jean-Louis Bey. "Mémoire du cyclisme: Les maillots du Tour de France 1970" (in French). Archived from the original on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1970 – Stage 23 Versailles > Paris". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Clasificaciones oficiales" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 20 July 1970. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
- Wadley 1970, p. 62.
- "1970 Tour de France - June 27 to July 19". Bike Race Info. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Sprintdoorkomsten in de Tour de France 1970" [Sprint results in the Tour de France 1970]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- "Il Tour in cifre" [The Tour in figures]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 20 July 1970. p. 5. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019.
- "Classements" [Standings] (PDF). Feuille d'Avis de Neuchâtel (in French). 20 July 1970. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2019 – via RERO.
- "Jongerenprijs: Frey eindoverwinnaar". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 20 July 1970. p. 15. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- Nelissen, Jean (20 July 1970). "Merckx is dodelijk voor Tour". Leidse Courant (in Dutch). Leiden.courant.nu. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
Bibliography
- Augendre, Jacques (2016). Guide historique [Historical guide] (PDF). Tour de France (in French). Paris: Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol (2008). The Story of the Tour de France: 1965–2007. 2. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59858-608-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-300-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- van den Akker, Pieter (2018). Tour de France Rules and Statistics: 1903–2018. Self-published. ISBN 978-1-79398-080-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Wadley, J. B. (1970). Eddy Merckx and the 1970 Tour de France. Keighley, UK: Kennedy Brothers Publishing. OCLC 00483041.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
