1961 Tour de France
The 48th Tour de France takes place from 25 June to 16 July 1961, listed 21 stages over 4398 km. It was attended by 132 racers participated in the tour, of which 72 were classified.
Race course
The Frenchman André Darrigade won the first stage, but in the afternoon of the same day Jacques Anquetil could take the yellow jersey and defend it to Paris with a victory in the time trial. After his victory, even on the second individual time trial Anquetil made his second Tour victory after 1957 perfectly.
Anquetil lost in the mountains to the strong climbers to the Luxembourg Charly Gaul little time, so his Tour victory at the end was unharmed. Gaul could win the stage to Grenoble, but had to settle for second place in the standings behind mountain Imerio Massignan. On the stage to Superbagnères succeeded Massignan the first mountain stage of the tour de France win. In the overall standings Gaul was long in second place, but was still repressed by two seconds on the final stage to the Parc des Princes from the Italians Guido Carlesi.
André Darrigade, won four stages for next to the green jersey. He succeeded in winning for the fifth time the opening stage. The German Junker Hennes man took fifth place in the overall standings and third in the mountains classification.