Tour de France history: July 13.07.1967, XNUMX was one of the blackest days in Tour de France history. Tom Simpson died on the slopes of Mont Ventoux - and the Tour de France lost its innocence.
He wanted to win the Tour de France
Tom Simpson – now known as "the man who fell dead off his bike" – was a gifted cyclist. In his native Great Britain he was considered one of the best of his time. In 1965 he celebrated his greatest success when he beat the German Rudi Altig World Champion became on the street. Only about two years later his life would come to an abrupt end. As one of the co-favourites, he started in the Tour de France 1967. But in the Alps he lost time to his competitors. He suffered from diarrhea and stomach problems. At the 13 July he wanted to start his race to catch up. The 13th stage was 211,5 kilometers long and led from Marseille to Carpentras. At 40 degrees in the shade, the dreaded one was still there at the end of the day Mont Ventoux on the program. "Devil's Mountain" the drivers called it more than 50 years ago.
Tom Simpson dies on the side of the road
When Raymond Poulidor and Julio Jimenez attack, Tom Simpson doesn't hesitate. The Briton also dismounts and tries to close the gap. But three kilometers from the summit he suddenly falls over. The spectators on the side of the road react immediately. They help him get back on the bike. But Tom Simpson doesn't get very far. After some Serpentine lines he collapses again – and doesn't get up again. Although the tour doctor Pierre Dumas is immediately on the spot and resuscitation measures initiates, any help comes too late. Tom Simpson dies on the side of the road. "Put me back on my bike" should have been his last words. At 17.40:XNUMX p.m., the doctors at the hospital pronounced him dead. The first diagnosis: physical overexertion.
The Tour de France loses its innocence
Tom Simpson is aged just 29 years died. He was extremely popular in the field of drivers because he had a fine English sense of humor and was always considered a fair sportsman. But his innocent death would later have a very different meaning. Doctors found out that Tom Simpson had one during the stage Mixture of amphetamines, narcotics and alcohol took to himself. The regulations at that time - and especially the doping controls - were not comparable to today's. Just a few years earlier, Tom Simpson openly admitted that doping to consume. The public and the officials didn't care. But with the death of Tom Simpson, the Tour de France lost its innocence. At the same time, however, people slowly began to look at the topic of doping from a slightly different perspective – very slowly.
Leave a Comment