1959 Tour de France
The 46th Tour de France takes place from 25 June to 18 July 1959, and led over 22 stages with a total distance of 4355 kilometers. It was attended by 120 racers participated in the tour, of which 65 were classified.
Race course
The French National Team came with a strong team and was a big favorite: Jacques Anquetil, Roger Rivière, Louison Bobet and Raphaël Géminiani should make up the victory to themselves. But the rivalry within the French team led to Federico Bahamontes caused Spain's first Tour victory.
The race for the Tour victory has long been open to the 16th stage were four riders within a minute. At the 17th stage ending in Grenoble Charly Gaul and Bahamontes torn out and came with three minutes ahead in the destination. There they shared the rewards of their work: Gaul was stage winner, Bahamontes won the yellow jersey, which he no longer had to give up Paris. The foundation for his Tour victory of the Spaniards had however already placed on the Puy de Dôme at ITT, where he took Gaul almost one and a half minutes. Bahamontes also still won the mountains classification.
Also, the regional team for the " Centre- Midi " launching Frenchman Henry Anglade benefited from the rivalry in the French national team and won second place in the overall standings ahead of Anquetil. André Darrigade won for the fourth time in a row the first stage and secured at the end of the tour for another stage win the green jersey.
Louison Bobet, winner of the Tour de France in 1953, gave up with his last appearance on the roof of the tour, the 2764 m high Col de l' Iseran; he was weakened by a disease. Jean Robic, Tour winner in 1947, was taken in Chalon -sur -Saône out of the race after he had crossed the waiting period.