The
1975 Tour de France was the 62nd
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, taking place June 26 to July 20, 1975. It consisted of 22 stages over 3999 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.899 km/h.
Eddy MerckxEdouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
was attempting to win his sixth Tour de France, but became a victim of violence. Many Frenchmen were upset that a Belgian might beat the record of five wins set by Frenchman
Jacques AnquetilJacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
. During stage 14 a spectator leapt from the crowd and punched Merckx in the kidney. Frenchman
Bernard ThevenetBernard Thévenet, born 10 January 1948, in Saint-Julien-de-Civry, Saône-et-Loire, is a retired French bicycle racer. He is a two-time winner of the Tour de France and known for ending the reign of five-time Tour champion Eddy Merckx...
took over the lead, and after Merckx fell and broke his cheekbone, he was unable to take back the lead, and Thevenet became the winner of the race.
Differences from the 1974 Tour de France
The combination classification was removed, and the
young rider classification-History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification...
was added; the leader of the young rider classification wore the white jersey. 1975 was also the first year that the leader of the mountains classification wore a polka-dot jersey.
The final stage had become more popular over the years, and the Tour organisers therefore moved the finish line from the
Vélodrome de VincennesThe Vélodrome de Vincennes is a stadium in Vincennes, near Paris, France.Initially built as a velodrome in 1894, it became the main stadium for the 1900 Summer Olympics; Events that took place in the Velodrome at the 1900 Summer Olympics included cycling, cricket, rugby union, football and...
to the more prestigious
Champs-ÉlyséesThe Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
.
The 1975 Tour de France did not include a
team time trialA team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
for the first time since 1962. After 1975, it would be included again every year until 1995.
The bonification for stage winners was removed.
Participants
There were 14 teams participating, with 10 cyclists each:
- Molteni
- Gan-Mercier
- Kas
- Jolly Ceramica
- Super-Ser
- Peugeot
- Bianchi
|
Gitane
Filotex
Flandria-Carpenter
Sporting-Lejeune
Miko-De Gribaldy
Frisol-GBC
Jobo-Sabliere-Wolber |
Eddy Merckx, who had won all five times that he participated, was again the big favourite. Merckx' first part of the season had been going well, winning Milan - San Remo, the
Tour of FlandersThe Tour of Flanders is a Flanders Classics road cycling race held in Belgium every spring, a week before the Paris–Roubaix road race. It is part of the UCI World Tour and one of the so-called monuments of the European professional calendar. It is the most important cycling race in Flanders...
and
Liège-Bastogne-LiègeLiège–Bastogne–Liège, often called La Doyenne , is one of the five 'Monuments' of the European professional road cycling calendar. It is run in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back....
.
If Merckx would win again, he would beat
Jacques AnquetilJacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
and become the first cyclist to win the Tour six times. Merckx did not care about that record: "The idea doesn't interest me very much because then people would want me to go for a seventh and then an eighth".
A few months before the race, Merckx was unsure if he would start the Tour. His race schedule had been very busy, and he thought riding the Giro and the Tour in the same year would not work. Merckx preferred to ride the Tour, but his Italian team preferred the Giro.
Bernard Thevenet contracted
shinglesHerpes zoster , commonly known as shingles and also known as zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe...
during the
1975 Vuelta a EspañaThe 30th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 22 to May 11, 1975. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,104 km, and was won by Agustin Tamames of the Super Seus cycling team...
, but recovered and won the
Dauphiné LiberéThe Critérium du Dauphiné is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. The race was inaugurated by a local newspaper, the Dauphiné Libéré, which gave its name to the event...
.
Race detail
Francesco MoserFrancesco Moser , nicknamed "Lo sceriffo" , is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the dominant riders from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, and won the 1984 Giro d'Italia, the 1977 world road racing championship and six victories in three of the five Monuments...
won the prologue, and kept the lead until the first time trial. Merckx started the Tour aggressively, which caused the peloton to split in two groups in the first stage. Merckx and Moser were in the first group, and won a minute on most of their competitors. In the second part of the first stage, the field split again, but this time Thevenet and Poulidor were also in the first group.
In stage six, a time trial, Merckx beat Moser and became the leader.
The first climbing was done in the tenth stage, but the favourites stayed together, and the general classification was not changed.
The major Pyrenéan mountains were scheduled in stage eleven. In that stage,
Bernard ThevenetBernard Thévenet, born 10 January 1948, in Saint-Julien-de-Civry, Saône-et-Loire, is a retired French bicycle racer. He is a two-time winner of the Tour de France and known for ending the reign of five-time Tour champion Eddy Merckx...
and
Joop ZoetemelkHendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started the Tour de France 16 times and finished every time, a record. He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth and second...
escaped together, while Merckx could not follow them. Zoetemelk won, with Merckx almost one minute behind. Other favourites finished much later, and lost their hopes of winning the Tour.
The fourteenth stage had its finish on top of the Puy de Dome. When Merckx was about to catch
Joop ZoetemelkHendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started the Tour de France 16 times and finished every time, a record. He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth and second...
, a French spectator punched Merckx in the stomach.
After the rest day, the fifteenth stage would end in Pra Loup. Merckx was still the leader, and escaped from the rest. But on the final climb, Merckx was out of energy, and Thevenet was able to reach Merckx two kilometers from the finish, leave Merckx behind, and win with a margin of two minutes. During that stage, the team car of Bianchi fell 150 meters down, but the driver survived. Thevenet was the new leader, and improved his margin in the sixteenth stage by winning with more than two minutes on Merckx.
While riding to the start of the seventeenth stage, Merckx collided with
Ole RitterOle Ritter is a former Danish racing cyclist.-Amateur years:As an amateur he rode for ABC Denmark....
, and broke a cheekbone.
Merckx' broken cheekbone gave him problems with eating, and the Tour doctor gave him the advise to abandon the race. Merckx decided to stay in the race, because of the prize money for his team mates that his second place in the general classification and other classifications would earn them.
Stages
The 1975 Tour de France started on 26 June, and had two rest days, the first in Auch the second after the finish on the Puy the Dôme, during which the cyclists were transferred to Nice.
Stage results
| Stage |
Route |
Terrain |
Length |
Winner |
| P |
CharleroiCharleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
|
Individual time trialAn individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
|
6 km (3.7 mi) |
|
| 1A |
Charleroi – Molenbeek |
Plain stage |
94 km (58.4 mi) |
|
| 1B |
Molenbeek – RoubaixRoubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:...
|
Plain stage |
109 km (67.7 mi) |
|
| 2 |
Roubaix – AmiensAmiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
|
Plain stage |
121 km (75.2 mi) |
|
| 3 |
Amiens – VersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
|
Plain stage |
170 km (105.6 mi) |
|
| 4 |
Versailles – Le Mans Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
|
Plain stage |
223 km (138.6 mi) |
|
| 5 |
Sablé-sur-SartheSablé-sur-Sarthe, commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in west France.-Geography:...
– Merlin Plage |
Plain stage |
222 km (137.9 mi) |
|
| 6 |
Merlin Plage – Merlin Plage |
Individual time trialAn individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
|
16 km (9.9 mi) |
|
| 7 |
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is situated on the Côte de Lumière...
– Angoulême-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...
|
Plain stage |
236 km (146.6 mi) |
|
| 8 |
Angoulême – BordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
|
Plain stage |
134 km (83.3 mi) |
|
| 9A |
Langon Langon is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Geography:Langon is in the southern part of the department southeast of Bordeaux on the left bank of the Garonne river...
– Fleurance Fleurance is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
|
Plain stage |
131 km (81.4 mi) |
|
| 9B |
Fleurance – Auch Auch is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.-The Ausci:...
|
Individual time trialAn individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
|
37 km (23 mi) |
|
| 10 |
Auch – Pau |
Stage with mountain(s) |
206 km (128 mi) |
|
| 11 |
Pau – Saint-Lary-SoulanSaint-Lary-Soulan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-Geography:Saint-Lary is located in Hautes-Pyrénées 80 km south of the départements capital Tarbes, next to the Le Néouvielle Nature Reserve and the Pyrenees National Park and is a 20 minute drive to...
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
160 km (99.4 mi) |
|
| 12 |
TarbesTarbes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.It is part of the historical region of Gascony. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées, with 110,000 inhabitants....
– Albi |
Plain stage |
242 km (150.4 mi) |
|
| 13 |
Albi – Super-Lioran Le Lioran is a small mountain resort in the heart of continental France. It consists of the original settlement of Le Lioran in the valley bottom as well as the settlements of Prairie de Sagnes, Font d'Alagon, Font de Cère, and Prat du Bouc, all of which are geared towards the mountain tourism market...
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
260 km (161.6 mi) |
|
| 14 |
AurillacAurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan....
– Puy de DômePuy de Dôme is a large lava dome and one of the youngest volcanoes in the Chaîne des Puys region of Massif Central in south-central France. This chain of volcanoes including numerous cinder cones, lava domes, and maars is located far from the edge of any tectonic plate. Puy de Dôme is located...
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
174 km (108.1 mi) |
|
| 15 |
Nice – Pra Loup Pra Loup, is a French ski resort in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in the town of Uvernet-Fours. 7 km from the town of Barcelonnette.The ski station is divided into two separate parts, 2 km apart:* Pra Loup 1500 * Pra Loup 1600Features...
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
217 km (134.8 mi) |
|
| 16 |
BarcelonnetteBarcelonnette is a commune in the Ubaye Valley, in the southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, of which it is a subprefecture.-History:...
– Serre ChevalierSerre Chevalier is one of the major French ski resorts. Located in the southern part of the Alps, close to the Parc National des Ecrins, in the Hautes-Alpes department of the French Alps, it enjoys a large skiing area and very sunny weather, boasting 300 days of sunshine a year...
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
107 km (66.5 mi) |
|
| 17 |
ValloireValloire is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The ski resort Valloire-Galibier is located in the commune, at the foot of the Col du Galibier and next to the ski resort of Valmeinier, France....
– MorzineMorzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune...
AvoriazAvoriaz is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses-junction on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix...
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
225 km (139.8 mi) |
|
| 18 |
MorzineMorzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune...
– Chatel |
Individual time trialAn individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
|
40 km (24.9 mi) |
|
| 19 |
Thonon-les-BainsThonon-les-Bains is a town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:...
– Chalon-sur-SaôneChalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
|
Stage with mountain(s) |
229 km (142.3 mi) |
|
| 20 |
Pouilly-en-Auxois Pouilly-en-Auxois is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.It is best known as the start of the Canal of Burgundy, which passes in a tunnel underneath the town.-Geography:...
– MelunMelun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement...
|
Plain stage |
256 km (159.1 mi) |
|
| 21 |
Melun – Senlis Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
|
Plain stage |
220 km (136.7 mi) |
|
| 22 |
Paris – ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
|
Plain stage |
164 km (101.9 mi) |
|
General classification
Final general classification (1–10)
| Rank |
Name |
Team |
Time |
| 1 |
|
Peugeot |
114h 35' 31" |
| 2 |
|
Molteni |
+2' 47" |
| 3 |
|
Gitane |
+5' 01" |
| 4 |
|
Gan |
+6' 42" |
| 5 |
|
KAS |
+19' 29" |
| 6 |
|
Bianchi |
+23' 05" |
| 7 |
|
Filotex |
+24' 13" |
| 8 |
|
Filotex |
+25' 51" |
| 9 |
|
Molteni |
+32' 01" |
| 10 |
|
Super Ser |
+35' 36" |
| Final general classification (11–86) |
| Rank |
Name |
Team |
Time |
| 11 |
|
Frisol |
+40' 45" |
| 12 |
|
Jobo |
+44' 24" |
| 13 |
|
Gan |
+44' 49" |
| 14 |
|
Gitane |
+45' 41" |
| 15 |
|
Lejeune |
+50' 46" |
| 16 |
|
Peugeot |
+55' 21" |
| 17 |
|
Molteni |
+55' 24" |
| 18 |
|
Frisol |
+56' 45" |
| 19 |
|
Gan |
+58' 57" |
| 20 |
|
Lejeune |
+1h 05' 27" |
| 21 |
|
Gan |
+1h 05' 54" |
| 22 |
|
Filotex |
+1h 06' 02" |
| 23 |
|
Flandria |
+1h 15' 23" |
| 24 |
|
Bianchi |
+1h 19' 54" |
| 25 |
|
Super Ser |
+1h 22' 29" |
| 26 |
|
Super Ser |
+1h 23' 27" |
| 27 |
|
Bianchi |
+1h 23' 56" |
| 28 |
|
Peugeot |
+1h 29' 23" |
| 29 |
|
KAS |
+1h 29' 23" |
| 30 |
|
Gitane |
+1h 34' 06" |
| 31 |
|
Flandria |
+1h 37' 52" |
| 32 |
|
Miko |
+1h 40' 54" |
| 33 |
|
Bianchi |
+1h 41' 22" |
| 34 |
|
KAS |
+1h 42' 06" |
| 35 |
|
Bianchi |
+1h 42' 09" |
| 36 |
|
Super Ser |
+1h 43' 22" |
| 37 |
|
Flandria |
+1h 46' 11" |
| 38 |
|
Jobo |
+1h 47' 01" |
| 39 |
|
Filotex |
+1h 55' 32" |
| 40 |
|
Peugeot |
+1h 57' 19" |
| 41 |
|
Miko |
+1h 58' 52" |
| 42 |
|
Flandria |
+2h 00' 39" |
| 43 |
|
Filotex |
+2h 03' 13" |
| 44 |
|
Super Ser |
+2h 04' 26" |
| 45 |
|
Gitane |
+2h 05' 37" |
| 46 |
|
Bianchi |
+2h 05' 45" |
| 47 |
|
Filotex |
+2h 05' 58" |
| 48 |
|
Bianchi |
+2h 06' 59" |
| 49 |
|
Lejeune |
+2h 08' 42" |
| 50 |
|
Gitane |
+2h 09' 47" |
| 51 |
|
Flandria |
+2h 15' 25" |
| 52 |
|
Peugeot |
+2h 15' 26" |
| 53 |
|
Gitane |
+2h 15' 56" |
| 54 |
|
Filotex |
+2h 16' 15" |
| 55 |
|
Gitane |
+2h 18' 15" |
| 56 |
|
Molteni |
+2h 19' 01" |
| 57 |
|
Molteni |
+2h 19' 02" |
| 58 |
|
KAS |
+2h 20' 25" |
| 59 |
|
Molteni |
+2h 20' 26" |
| 60 |
|
Molteni |
+2h 21' 37" |
| 61 |
|
Lejeune |
+2h 26' 52" |
| 62 |
|
Molteni |
+2h 27' 05" |
| 63 |
|
Gan |
+2h 28' 48" |
| 64 |
|
Jobo |
+2h 29' 01" |
| 65 |
|
Gan |
+2h 29' 54" |
| 66 |
|
Gan |
+2h 32' 56" |
| 67 |
|
Frisol |
+2h 35' 17" |
| 68 |
|
Gan |
+2h 41' 17" |
| 69 |
|
Miko |
+2h 43' 35" |
| 70 |
|
Gitane |
+2h 44' 49" |
| 71 |
|
Jobo |
+2h 44' 49" |
| 72 |
|
Gitane |
+2h 46' 48" |
| 73 |
|
Jobo |
+2h 47' 26" |
| 74 |
|
Jobo |
+2h 47' 50" |
| 75 |
|
Miko |
+2h 49' 35" |
| 76 |
|
Bianchi |
+2h 51' 26" |
| 77 |
|
Flandria |
+2h 54' 05" |
| 78 |
|
Peugeot |
+2h 54' 33" |
| 79 |
|
Bianchi |
+2h 55' 56" |
| 80 |
|
Flandria |
+2h 58' 43" |
| 81 |
|
Bianchi |
+3h 00' 09" |
| 82 |
|
Frisol |
+3h 04' 47" |
| 83 |
|
Lejeune |
+3h 10' 13" |
| 84 |
|
Frisol |
+3h 16' 59" |
| 85 |
|
Frisol |
+3h 24' 36" |
| 86 |
|
Jobo |
+3h 31' 21" |
Points classification
Final points classification (1–10)
| Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
|
Bianchi |
342 |
| 2 |
|
Molteni |
240 |
| 3 |
|
Filotex |
199 |
| 4 |
|
Flandria |
190 |
| 5 |
|
Gan |
183 |
| 6 |
|
Gitane |
182 |
| 7 |
|
Gitane |
155 |
| 8 |
|
Gan |
109 |
| 9 |
|
Peugeot |
108 |
| 10 |
|
Gitane |
107 |
Mountains classification
Final mountains classification (1–7)
| Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
|
Gitane |
285 |
| 2 |
|
Molteni |
206 |
| 3 |
|
Peugeot |
166 |
| 4 |
|
Gan |
161 |
| 5 |
|
Bianchi |
78 |
| 6 |
|
Super Ser |
63 |
| 7 |
|
KAS |
58 |
Team classification
Final team classification
| Rank |
Team |
Time |
| 1 |
Mercier |
345h 03' 49" |
| 2 |
Molteni |
+8' 28" |
| 3 |
Filotex |
+11' 17" |
| 4 |
Gitane |
+20' 08" |
| 5 |
Peugeot |
+28' 47" |
| 6 |
Bianchi |
+41' 13" |
| 7 |
Kas |
+1h 04' 48" |
| 8 |
Super-Ser |
+1h 05' 22" |
| 9 |
Lejeune |
+2h 34' 45" |
| 10 |
Frisol |
+2h 37' 19" |
| 11 |
Carpenter |
+2h 59' 51" |
| 12 |
Jobo |
+3h 08' 03" |
| 13 |
Miko |
+4h 21' 52" |
Team points classification
Final team points classification (1–5)
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Mercier |
950 |
| 4 |
Gitane |
1072 |
| 2 |
Molteni |
1425 |
| 6 |
Bianchi |
1538 |
| 5 |
Peugeot |
1633 |
Young rider classification
Final young rider classification (1–5)
| Rank |
Name |
Team |
| 1 |
|
Filotex |
| 2 |
|
Frisol |
| 3 |
|
Jobo |
| 4 |
|
Gan |
| 5 |
|
Frisol |
Sprints classification
Final sprints classification (1–5)
| Rank |
Name |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
|
Flandria |
77 |
| 2 |
|
Gan |
47 |
| 3 |
|
Gitane |
35 |
| 4 |
|
Jobo |
12 |
| 5 |
|
Lejeune |
10 |
Doping cases
After every stage in the 1975 Tour de France, the leader of the race, the winner of the stage and the runner-up, and two random cyclists were checked. In total, 110 tests were done, of which three returned positive:
- Régis Delépine
Régis Delépine was a French professional road bicycle racer. In the 1974 edition of Bordeaux–Paris, he was ranked first together with Herman Van Springel, after Van Springel went the wrong way in the final.- Palmarès :...
, after the fifth stage
- Felice Gimondi
Felice Gimondi is an Italian former professional racing cyclist.With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the second cyclist to win all three Grand Tours of road cycling: Tour de France , Giro...
, after the fifteenth stage
- José-Luis Viejo, also after the fifteenth stage
All three were fined with 1000
Swiss FrancThe franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s, received one month suspended sentence, were set back to the last place in the stage where they tested positive, and received 10 minutes penalty time in the general classification. This meant that Gimondi, who initially finished the Tour in fifth place, was set back to the sixth place.
Aftermath
Later, Merckx said that his decision to stay in the Tour after he broke his cheekbone was stupid. He felt that it cut his career short.
Thevenet later confessed that he had used
cortisoneCortisone is a steroid hormone. It is one of the main hormones released by the adrenal gland in response to stress. In chemical structure, it is a corticosteroid closely related to corticosterone. It is used to treat a variety of ailments and can be administered intravenously, orally,...
s in 1975.