Pic of the Day 21 April 2006
Eighty-Five Years Ago April Blizzard for Pairs-Tours
http://www.wooljersey.com/
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The Paris-Tours race of April 18th, 1921, was one of the all-time most difficult events in cycling history. The 85 starters who lined up that morning would face 342 kms of violent snow squalls, freezing rain, and massive winds. Only 8 riders would finish - the last man, Frenchman Pierre Herbette, came in alone, four hours and 21 minutes hours after the winner, Francis Pélissier (Fra).
Here we see Francis Pélissier leading his brother Henri, and Belgians Louis Mottiat and Albert Dejonghe, struggling through heavy snow between Chatres and Châteaudun.
Henri would quit the race at the feed station in Châteaudun. Francis Pélissier covered the 342 kms in 14h56'20". Mottiat was second at 1'32", with Eugène Christophe (Fra) in third at 1'40" and Dejonghe in fourth at 9'10".
5th Fernand Moulet (Fra), at 58'40"
6th Louis Heusghem (Bel), at 1h04'40"
7th Joseph Muller (Fra), at 2h44'00"
8th Pierre Herbette (Fra), at 4h21'00"
>From "Le Miroir des Sports" No.383/42, 21 April 1921.
Aldo Ross
Middletown, Ohio