Maurice Brocco
Encyclopedia
Maurice Brocco was a French professional road bicycle racer between 1906 and 1927. In 1911 he won a stage in the Tour de France
. He participated six times in the Tour de France, but finished the race only once. In his later career he was successful in six-day races.
In the 1911 Tour de France
, Brocco did not finish the ninth stage. Brocco then profited from a rule that allowed riders who did not finish a stage to continue racing, without competing for the general classification. The next stage was won by Brocco. Brocco was the only cyclist to profit from that rule, as it was abolished afterwards. He would eventually be disqualified and lost his stagewin.
. Brocco initially finished the race in fourth place but the first three riders, including Octave Lapize
who had crossed the line first, were disqualified for not observing a mid race neutralised section, leaving Brocco to be declared the winner. Throughout his career Brocco had a good record in the French National road cycling championships, he never won the race but finished 2nd on two occasions (1910 & 1913) and third on four occasions (1908, 1914, 1919 & 1920). The Giro di Lombardia was another race in which Brocco excelled, finishing 5th in 1911, 3rd in 1912 and 2nd in 1913. Brocco lost some of his best years as a rider to World War I but he did return to racing in 1919 as a 34 year old and found some success in Six-day racing
winning the Six Days Of New York on three occasions, in 1920 with Willy Coburn, in 1921 with Alfred Goullet and in 1924 with Marcel Buysse
. He also won the Six Days Of Chicago in 1923 partnered by Oscar Egg
.
Brocco's chances ended when he lost time on the day to Chamonix
. Unable to win, he next day offered his services to other riders, for which he had a reputation François Faber
was in danger of being eliminated for taking too long and the two came to a deal. Brocco waited for Faber and paced him to the finish. Henri Desgrange
, the organiser and chief judge, wanted to disqualify him for breaking the rules. But he had no proof and feared Brocco would appeal to the national cycling body, the Union Vélocipédique Française. He limited himself to scorn in his newspaper, L'Auto, writing: "He is unworthy. He is no more than a domestique."
Next morning Brocco greeted Desgrange with: "Today, monsieur, we are going to settle our accounts." He won the day by 34 minutes. Desgrange followed him and the yellow jersey
, Gustave Garrigou
as they climbed the Tourmalet. "So, am I forbidden to ride with him?", Brocco shouted. On the following mountain, the Aubisque
, he dropped Garrigou, passed Paul Duboc
, who had been poisoned and was in agony beside the road, and took the lead with Émile Georget
. Desgrange was still watching.
"Alors, quoi," Brocco shouted, "do I have the right to stay with him?" And then he rode off alone and won. He had made two points to Desgrange. The first was that he was a talented rider and not a servant. The second was that he had so much talent that his poor riding with Faber could only have been through a commercial arrangement. Desgrange said that any rider with such flair had clearly been selling the race.,
"He deserves his punishment," Desgrange wrote. "Immediate disqualification."
1910
1911
1914
1920
1921
1923
1924
1911 Tour de France
The 1911 Tour de France was the 9th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 30 July 1911. It was composed of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of 27.322 km/h. The results were computed by giving each rider points according to his finishing position on each stage, and the rider with...
. He participated six times in the Tour de France, but finished the race only once. In his later career he was successful in six-day races.
In the 1911 Tour de France
1911 Tour de France
The 1911 Tour de France was the 9th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 30 July 1911. It was composed of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of 27.322 km/h. The results were computed by giving each rider points according to his finishing position on each stage, and the rider with...
, Brocco did not finish the ninth stage. Brocco then profited from a rule that allowed riders who did not finish a stage to continue racing, without competing for the general classification. The next stage was won by Brocco. Brocco was the only cyclist to profit from that rule, as it was abolished afterwards. He would eventually be disqualified and lost his stagewin.
Racing career
Brocco first became prominent as a rider in 1907 when he won the Paris-Dieppe race as an amateur. He turned professional the following year (1908) and rode the Tour de France for the first time, abandoning the race on the ninth stage. 1910 saw Brocco take his best win of his road racing career when he triumphed in Paris-BrusselsParis-Brussels
Paris–Brussels is a semi classic European bicycle race. It is one of the oldest races on the international calendar.-History:Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur event over a distance of 397 km, Belgian Andre Henry took the inaugural victory from compatriot Charles...
. Brocco initially finished the race in fourth place but the first three riders, including Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize
Octave Lapize was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist.Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres, he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels.In his first...
who had crossed the line first, were disqualified for not observing a mid race neutralised section, leaving Brocco to be declared the winner. Throughout his career Brocco had a good record in the French National road cycling championships, he never won the race but finished 2nd on two occasions (1910 & 1913) and third on four occasions (1908, 1914, 1919 & 1920). The Giro di Lombardia was another race in which Brocco excelled, finishing 5th in 1911, 3rd in 1912 and 2nd in 1913. Brocco lost some of his best years as a rider to World War I but he did return to racing in 1919 as a 34 year old and found some success in Six-day racing
Six-day racing
A six or six-day is a track cycling race that lasts six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initially, individuals competed alone, the winner being the individual...
winning the Six Days Of New York on three occasions, in 1920 with Willy Coburn, in 1921 with Alfred Goullet and in 1924 with Marcel Buysse
Marcel Buysse
Marcel Buysse was a Belgian racing cyclist.After finishing fourth in the 1912 Tour de France, Buysse led the general classification for two days until a broken handlebar cost him dearly...
. He also won the Six Days Of Chicago in 1923 partnered by Oscar Egg
Oscar Egg
Oscar Egg was a Swiss track and road bicycle racer. He captured the world hour record three times before the First World War...
.
Origin of 'domestique'
A domestique in cycling is a rider employed to sacrifice his own chances for those of his leader. That is an accepted role today but was against the rules in the first decades of the Tour de France, when riders had to ride for themselves and not help or be helped by others. The word was first used in cycling as an insult for Brocco, in 1911. It happened on the stage he won in 1911.Brocco's chances ended when he lost time on the day to Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
. Unable to win, he next day offered his services to other riders, for which he had a reputation François Faber
François Faber
François Faber was a Luxembourgian/French racing cyclist. He was born in France. He was the first foreigner to win the Tour de France in 1909, and his record of winning 5 consecutive stages still stands...
was in danger of being eliminated for taking too long and the two came to a deal. Brocco waited for Faber and paced him to the finish. Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins...
, the organiser and chief judge, wanted to disqualify him for breaking the rules. But he had no proof and feared Brocco would appeal to the national cycling body, the Union Vélocipédique Française. He limited himself to scorn in his newspaper, L'Auto, writing: "He is unworthy. He is no more than a domestique."
Next morning Brocco greeted Desgrange with: "Today, monsieur, we are going to settle our accounts." He won the day by 34 minutes. Desgrange followed him and the yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
, Gustave Garrigou
Gustave Garrigou
Cyprien Gustave Garrigou was one of the best professional racing cyclists of his era. He rode the Tour de France eight times and won once...
as they climbed the Tourmalet. "So, am I forbidden to ride with him?", Brocco shouted. On the following mountain, the Aubisque
Col d'Aubisque
The Col d'Aubisque is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques , in the Aquitaine region of France....
, he dropped Garrigou, passed Paul Duboc
Paul Duboc
Paul Duboc was a French professional road bicycle racer from 1907 through 1927. Despite winning 5 career stages in the Tour de France, he may be most remembered for being disqualified at the 1919 Tour de France for borrowing a car to go and repair his pedal axle.In 1911, Duboc was close to...
, who had been poisoned and was in agony beside the road, and took the lead with Émile Georget
Émile Georget
Émile Georget was a French road racing cyclist. Born in Bossay-sur-Claise, he was the younger brother of cyclist Léon Georget.He died at Châtellerault.- Tour de France :...
. Desgrange was still watching.
"Alors, quoi," Brocco shouted, "do I have the right to stay with him?" And then he rode off alone and won. He had made two points to Desgrange. The first was that he was a talented rider and not a servant. The second was that he had so much talent that his poor riding with Faber could only have been through a commercial arrangement. Desgrange said that any rider with such flair had clearly been selling the race.,
"He deserves his punishment," Desgrange wrote. "Immediate disqualification."
- Domestiques had long been accepted in other races. Desgrange believed the Tour should be a race of individuals and fought repeatedly with the sponsors, bicycle factories, who saw it otherwise. Desgrange got rid of the factories' influence only by reorganising the Tour for national teams in 1930, with the effect that he thereby acknowledged teamwork and therefore domestiques.
Palmarès
1908- Hervé - Tienen - Hervé
- Rennes - Brest
1910
- Paris–Brussels
1911
- Tour de France1911 Tour de FranceThe 1911 Tour de France was the 9th Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 30 July 1911. It was composed of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of 27.322 km/h. The results were computed by giving each rider points according to his finishing position on each stage, and the rider with...
:- Winner stage 10
1914
- Paris-Nancy
1920
- Six days of New York
1921
- Six days of New York
1923
- Six days of Chicago
1924
- Six days of New York