1952 Tour de France
The 39th Tour de France led from June 25 to July 19, 1952 on 23 stages over 4807 km. After the winner of the previous years, the Swiss Ferdy Kübler and Hugo Koblet could not participate in the tour because of injuries, the tour ended with a clear victory of Fausto Coppi, who won in 1949. Like three years ago, he managed the Double Tour - Giro d' Italia. On the tour 122 racers participated, of which 78 were classified.
Race course
The Belgian classics specialist Rik Van Steenbergen won the first stage and took the overall lead, but he could only defend one day. Up to the first mountain stage of the yellow jersey changed five times the owner, then Fausto Coppi could ever take a stage win the lead in the first mountain stage to Alpe d' Huez.
Coppi won the stage the next day to Sestriere, as well as in the further course of the tour two stages, including the target arrival at the Puy de Dôme. Due to its superiority in the mountains Coppi celebrated at the end of an unchallenged victory and also won the mountain nor price. On the stage to Monaco was Coppi's teammate Gino Bartali, who was the fiercest rival at Coppi's first victory in 1949 still, to keep him after a defect in his wheel Coppis residue limits. Bartali came at the end as a 38 -year-old still in fourth place overall.
The Frenchman Jean Robic, winner of 1947 was able to convince with a stage victory. For placement on the podium it was not enough, however, because he on the stage to Sestriere - lying together with Coppi in the lead - had a flat tire. However, his team boss was not around, Robic had to repeatedly inflate even his front tire and lost more than 10 minutes.
On the ninth stage drove Andrea Carrea, a water carrier of Coppi, in a breakaway group with the later stage winner Walter Diggelmann and found himself unexpectedly as the yellow jersey again. He learned the news only when he was already at the hotel in the bathtub, and the blind masseur Biagio Cavanna and other riders were jostling in the bathroom, to congratulate him. However Carrea burst into tears and insisted: "I really did not want to .... " It was only when he Coppi personally assured that he had earned the yellow jersey and he also congratulated Carrea calmed down.
For the first time in 1952 television pictures were shot at the track and were broadcast on the same evening.