1934 Tour de France

28th edition: July 3 - July 29, 1934

Results, stages with running GC, photos and history

1933 Tour | 1935 Tour | Tour de France Database | 1934 Tour Quick Facts | 1934 Tour de France Final GC | Stage results with running GC | The Story of the 1934 Tour de France

Map of the 1934 Tour de France

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The Golden Sayings of Epictetus is available as an audiobook here.

1934 Tour Quick Facts:

4,363 km raced at an average speed of 30.36 km/hr

60 starters (40 on national teams and 20 are independent touristes-routiers) and 39 classified finishers

23 stages with a half-stage for the Tour's first-ever individual time trial. French team rides won 19 stages.

Antonin Magne took the lead and with the energetic backing of the French team, held it to the end.

René Vietto became a Tour legend when twice in the Pyrenees he gave a wheel to Magne, destroying his own chances.

Time bonuses: 90 and 45 seconds for the first and second-place riders in each stage in the case of a sprint.

If the victory was solo, the bonus was the winner's lead, up to 2 minutes. The same rule applied to the first rider to the top of the mountains in the climbers' competition.

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1934 Tour de France Complete Final General Classification:

1. Antonin Magne (France): 147hr 13min 58sec
2. Giuseppe Martano (Italy) @ 27min 31sec
3. Roger Lapébie (France) @ 52min 15sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke (touriste-routier) @ 57min 40sec
5. René Vietto (France) @ 59min 2sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli (touriste-routier) @ 57min 40sec
7. Ludwig Geyer (Germany) @ 1hr 12min 51sec
8. Sylvère Maes (touriste-routier) @ 1hr 20min 56sec
9. Mariano Cañardo (Switzerland-Spain) @ 1hr 19min 2sec
10. Vicente Trueba (Switzerland-Spain) @ 1h 29min 39sec
11. Georges Speicher (France) @ 1hr 52min 21sec
12. Raymond Louviot (France) @ 2hr 3min 21sec
13. Edoardo Molinar (touriste-routier) @ 2hr 16min 52sec
14. Eugenio Gestri (Italy) @ 2hr 21min 9sec
15. Adriano Vignoli (Italy) @ 2hr 21min 58sec
16. Giovanni Cazzulani (Italy) @ 2hr 32min 38sec
17. Albert Büchi (Switzerland-Spain) @ 2hr 35min 17sec
18. Frans Bonduel (Belgium) @ 2hr 44min 47sec
19. Federico Ezquerra (Switzerland-Spain) @ 2hr 53min 3sec
20. August Erne (Switzerland-Spain) @ 2hr 55min 26sec
21. Léon Level (touriste-routier) @ 2hr 57min 51sec
22. Kurt Stoepel (Germany) @ 3hr 1min 13sec
23. Dante Franzil (tourister-routier) @ 3hr 1min 48sec
24. Giovanni Gotti (Italy) @ 3hr 22min 40sec
25. René Le Grevès (France) @ 3hr 26min 26sec
26. Théo Herckenrath (touriste-routier) @ 3hr 30min 51sec
27. Vincent Salazard (touriste-routier) @ 3hr 55min 39sec
28. Marcel Renaud (touriste-routier) @ 3hr 57min 54sec
29. Ettore Meini (touriste-routier) @ 4hr 0min 9sec
30. Luciano Montero (Switzerland-Spain) @ 4hr 3min 25sec
31. Jean Wauters (touriste-routier) @ 4hr 27min 7sec
32. Romain Gijssels (Belgium) @ 4hr 28min 12sec
33. Yves Le Goff (touriste-routier) @ 4hr 29min 40sec
34. Sylvain Marcaillou (touriste-routier) @ 4hr 38min 57sec
35. Jean Bidot (touriste-routier) @ 4hr 39min 37sec
36. Fabien Galateau (touriste-routier) @ 5hr 0min 50sec
37. Willi Kutschbach (Germany) @ 5hr 46min 38sec
38. Rudolf Risch (Germany) @ 6hr 37min 55sec
39. Antonio Folco (Italy) @ 7hr 15min 36sec

Climbers' Competition:

1. René Vietto (France): 111 points
2. Vicente Trueba (Switzerland-Spain): 93
3. Giuseppe Martano (Italy): 78

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1934 Tour stage results with running GC:

Stage 1: Tuesday, July 3, Paris - Lille, 262 km

1. Georges Speicher: 8hr 16min 50sec
2. Romain Maes s.t.
3. Vasco Bergamaschi s.t.
4. Maurice Archambaud s.t.
5. Sylvère Maes s.t.
6. Willi Kutzbach s.t.
7. Antonin Magne s.t.
8. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
9. Romain Gijssels @ 43sec
10. Roger Lapébie s.t.

GC after Stage 1:

1. Georges Speicher
2. Romain Maes @ 45sec
3. Vasco Bergamaschi @ 1min 30sec
4. Maurice Archambaud s.t.
5. Sylvère Maes s.t.
6. Willi Kutschbach, Antonin Magne, Félicien Vervaecke

9. Romain Gijssels @ 2min 13sec
10. Roger Lapébie s.t.

Stage 2: Wednesday, July 4, Lille - Charleville, 192 km

1. René Le Grevès: 5hr 49min 30sec
2. Antonin Magne s.t.
3. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
4. Raymond Louviot s.t.
5. Hermann Buse s.t.
6. Vasco Bergamaschi s.t.
7. Yves Le Goff s.t.
8. Gabriel Viratelle s.t.
9. Eugenio Gestri @ 4sec
10. Giovanni Gotti s.t.

GC after Stage 2:

1. Antonin Magne: 14hr 5min 35sec
2. Vasco Bergamaschi @ 45sec
3. René Le Grevès @ 2min 35sec
4. Raymond Louviot @ 6min 28sec
5. Yves Le Goff s.t.
6. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
7. Hermann Buse s.t.
8. Ludwig Geyer @ 9min 44sec
9. Georges Speicher @ 14min 51sec
10. Romain Maes @ 15min 36sec

Stage 3: Thursday, July 5, Charleville - Metz, 161 km

Places 7 - 15 given same time and place

1. Roger Lapébie: 5hr 1min 55sec
2. Romain Maes s.t.
3. Raymond Louviot s.t.
4. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
5. Georges Speicher s.t.
6. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
7. Sylvère Maes, Hermann Buse, Félicien Vervaecke, Vasco Bergamaschi, etc. s.t.

GC after Stage 3:

1. Antonin Magne: 19hr 7min 30sec
2. Vasco Bergamaschi @ 45sec
3. René Le Grevès @ 3min 29sec
4. Raymond Louviot @ 6min 28sec
5. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
6. Hermann Buse s.t.
7. Yves Le Goff @ 8min 23sec
8. Ludwig Geyer @ 10min 38sec
9. Georges Speicher @ 14min 51sec
10. Romain Maes s.t.

Stage 4: Friday, July 6, Metz - Belfort, 220 km

Major ascent: Ballon d'Alsace

1. Roger Lapébie: 7hr 16min 27sec
2. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
3. Federico Ezquerra s.t.
4. René Vietto s.t.
5. Edoardo Molinar s.t.
6. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
7. Vicente Trueba s.t.
8. Antonin Magne s.t.
9. Giuseppe Martano @ 1min 29sec
10. Maurice Archambaud s.t.

42. Vasco Bergamaschi @ 10min 28sec

GC after Stage 4:

1. Antonin Magne: 26hr 23min 57sec
2. René Le Grevès @ 6min 40sec
3. Giuseppe Martano @ 7min 57sec
4. Vasco Bergamaschi @ 11min 13sec
5. Raymond Louviot @ 12min 55sec
6. Ludwig Geyer @ 13min 53sec
7. Roger Lapébie @ 14min 4sec
8. Félicien Vervaecke @ 14min 43sec
9. Yves Le Goff @ 14min 50sec
10. Hermann Buse @ 15min 33sec

Stage 5: Saturday, July 7, Belfort - Evian, 293 km

Major ascent: Faucille

Le Grevès and Speicher awarded tie for first place and they share the time bonus. Tour Encyclopedie says photos clearly show Le Grevès the winner.

And indeed, this photo of the stage five finish shows Le Grevès the winner.

Places 6 - 22 given same time and place

1. René Le Grevés: 9hr 47min 16sec
2. Georges Speicher s.t.
3. Giovanni Cazzulani s.t.
4. Antonin Magne s.t.
5. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
6. Edgard De Caluwé, Giuseppe Martano, Eugenio Gestri, Albert Büchi, Kurt Stettler, etc. s.t.

GC after Stage 5:

1. Antonin Magne: 36hr 11min 13sec
2. René Le Grevès @ 5min 33sec
3. Giuseppe Martano @ 7min 57sec
4. Raymond Louviot @ 12min 55sec
5. Ludwig Geyer @ 13min 53sec
6. Roger Lapébie @ 14min 4sec
7. Yves Le Goff @ 14min 50sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 19min 20sec
9. Ambrogio Morelli @ 19min 26sec
10. Hermann Buse @ 19min 53sec

Stage 6: Monday, July 9, Evian - Aix les Bains, 207 km

Major ascents: Aravis, Tamié

Places 9 - 16 given same time and place

1. Georges Speicher: 6hr 45min 16sec
2. Roger Lapébie s.t.
3. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
4. Edgard De Caluwé s.t.
5. Giocanni Cazzulani s.t.
6. René Vietto s.t.
7. Sylvère Maes s.t.
8. Mariano Cañardo s.t.
9. Giovanni Gotti, Giuseppe Martano, etc. s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

1. Antonin Magne: 42hr 56min 29sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 7min 57sec
3. Raymond Louviot @ 12min 55sec
4. Roger Lapébie @ 13min 19sec
5. Ludwig Geyer @ 13min 53sec
6. Mariano Cañardo @ 19min 20sec
7. Ambrogio Morelli @ 19min 26sec
8. Georges Speicher @ 20min 44sec
9. Hermann Buse @ 21min 39sec
10. Félicien Vervaecke @ 22min 22sec

Stage 7: Tuesday, July 10, Aix les Bains - Grenoble, 229 km

Major ascent: Galibier

1. René Vietto: 8hr 40min 27sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 3min 23sec
3. Antonin Magne s.t.
4. Federico Ezquerra s.t.
5. Edoardo Molinar s.t.
6. Vicente Trueba @ 3min 29sec
7. Sylvère Maes @ 11min 45sec
8. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
9. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
10. Adriano Vignoli s.t.

GC after Stage 7:

1. Antonin Magne: 51hr 40hr 19min
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 7min 12sec
3. Roger Lapébie @ 22min 39sec
4. Raymond Louviot @ 27min 30sec
5. Ambrogio Morelli @ 27min 58sec
6. Félicien Vervaecke @ 20min 44sec
7. Mariano Cañardo @ 33min 55sec
8. Ludwig Geyer @ 34min 33sec
9. Georges Speicher @ 35min 19sec
10. Hermann Buse @ 36min 14sec

Stage 8: Wednesday, July 11, Grenoble - Gap, 102 km

Major ascents: Côte de Laffrey, Bayard

1. Giuseppe Martano: 3hr 28min 16sec
2. Antonin Magne @ 7sec
3. René Vietto @ 28sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
5. Ludwig Geyer @ 1min 34sec
6. Edoardo Molinar @ 1min 52sec
7. Georges Speicher @ 1min 58sec
8. Roger Lapébie s.t.
9. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
10. Sylvère Maes @ 4min 15sec

GC after stage 8:

1. Antonin Magne: 55hr 7min 57sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 6min 13sec
3. Roger Lapébie @ 25min 16sec
4. Ambrogio Morelli @ 30min 25sec
5. Félicien Vervaecke @ 31min 50sec
6. Raymon Louviot @ 35min 19sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 36min 45sec
8. Georges Speicher @ 37min 56sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 39min 26sec
10. Edoardo Molinar @ 42min 40sec

Stage 9: Thursday, July 12, Gap - Digne, 227 km

Major ascents: Vars, Allos

1. René Vietto: 8hr 8min 44sec
2. Edoardo Molinar @ 2min 24sec
3. Vicente Trueba s.t.
4. Georges Speicher @ 6min 28sec
5. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
6. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
7. Giovanni Cazzulani s.t.
8. Mariano Cañardo s.t.
9. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
10. Antonin Magne s.t.

GC after stage 9:

1. Antonin Magne: 63hr 23min 9sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 6min 13sec
3. Ambrogio Morelli @ 30min 25sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 31min 50sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 34min 33sec
6. René Vietto @ 35min 9sec
7. Edoardo Molinar @ 37min 50sec
8. Georges Speicher @ 37min 56sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 39min 26sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 41min 43sec

Stage 10: Friday, July 13, Digne - Nice, 156 km

1. René Le Grevès: 4hr 58min 26sec
2. Roger Lapébie s.t.
3. Raymond Louviot s.t.
4. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
5. René Vietto s.t.
6. Albert Büchi s.t.
7. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
8. Eugenio Gestri s.t.
9. Giovanni Gotti s.t.
10. Giovanni Cazzulani s.t.

GC after Stage 10:

1. Antonin Magne: 68hr 21min 35sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 6min 13sec
3. Ambrogio Morelli @ 30min 25sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 31min 50sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 33min 48sec
6. René Vietto @ 35min 9sec
7. Edoardo Molinar @ 37min 50sec
8. Georges Speicher @ 37min 56sec
9. Vicente Trueba @ 41min 43sec
10. Mariano Cañardo @ 43min 37sec

Stage 11: Sunday, July 15, Nice - Cannes, 125 km

Major ascents: Braus, Castillon, La Turbie

1. René Vietto: 4hr 9min 7sec
2. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
3. Antonin Magne @ 3min 23sec
4. Vicente Trueba s.t.
5. Roger Lapèbie @ 6min 19sec
6. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
7. Ettore Meini @ 9min 40sec
8. Raymond Louviot s.t.
9. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
10. Pierre Pastorelli s.t.

GC after Stage 11:

1. Antonin Magne: 72hr 34min 5sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 2min 5sec
3. René Vietto @ 29min 51sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 34min 46sec
5. Ambrogio Morelli @ 36min 42sec
6. Roger Lapébie @ 36min 44sec
7. Vicente Trueba @ 41min 43sec
8. Edoardo Molinar @ 45min 24sec
9. Georges Speicher @ 48min 48sec
10. Mariano Cañardo @ 49min 54sec

Stage 12: Monday, July 16, Cannes - Marseille, 195 km

1. Roger Lapébie: 6hr 49min 29sec
2. Kurt Stoeppel s.t.
3. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
4. Frans Bonduel s.t.
5. Raymond Louviot s.t.
6. Edgard De Caluwé s.t.
7. August Erne s.t.
8. Vicente Trueba s.t.
9. Mariano Cañardo s.t.
10. Ludwig Geyer s.t.
11. Antonin Magne s.t.
12. René Vietto s.t.

GC after Stage 12:

1. Antonin Magne: 79hr 23min 34sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 2min 57sec
3. René Vietto @ 29min 51sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 34min 46sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 35min 14sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 36min 42sec
7. Vicente Trueba @ 41min 43sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 49min 54sec
9. Ludwig Geyer @ 50min 32sec
10. Georges Speicher @ 52min 39sec

Stage 13: Tuesday, July 17, Marseille - Montpellier, 172 km

Places 9 - 13 given same time and place

1. Georges Speicher: 5hr 4min 54sec
2. Antonin Magne s.t.
3. Raymond Louviot s.t.
4. Frans Bonduel s.t.
5. Marcel Renaud s.t.
6. Vincent Salazard s.t.
7. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
8. Edgard De Caluwé s.t.
9. Sylvère Maes, Ludwig Geyer, Eugenio Gestri, Jean Wauters & Félicien Vervaecke

18. René Vietto @ 6min 3sec

GC after Stage 13:

1. Antonin Magne: 84hr 27min 43sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 3min 42sec
3. Félicien Vervaecke @ 35min 31sec
4. René Vietto @ 36min 39sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 42min 2sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 43min 30sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 51min 17sec
8. Geroges Speicher @ 51min 54sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 56min 42sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 59min 23sec

Stage 14: Wednesday, July 18, Montpellier - Perpignan, 177 km

1. Roger Lapébie: 6hr 33min 13sec
2. René Le Grevès s.t.
3. Ettore Meini s.t.
4. Georges Speicher s.t.
5. Raymond Louviot s.t.
6. Marcel Renaud s.t.
7. Edgard De Caluwé
8. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
9. Romain Gijssels s.t.
10. Antonio Folco s.t.

GC after Stage 14:

1. Antonin Magne: 91hr 0min 56sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 3min 42sec
3. Félicien Vervaecke @ 35min 31sec
4. René Vietto @ 36min 39sec
5. R0ger Lapébie @ 40min 32sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 43min 30sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 51min 17sec
8. Georges Speicher @ 51min 54sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 56min 42sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 59min 23sec

Stage 15: Friday, July 20, Perpignan - Aix les Thermes, 158 km

Major ascent: Puymorens

Places 6 - 14 given same time and place

1. Roger Lapébie: 5hr 47min 3sec
2. Eugenio Gestri s.t.
3. Giovanni Cazzulani s.t.
4. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
5. Marcel Renaud s.t.
6. Luciano Montero, Mariano Cañardo, Kurt Stoepel, Ludwig Geyer, Léon Level, etc. s.t.

GC after Stage 15:

1. Antonin Magne: 96hr 48min 44sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 2min 57sec
3. Félicien Vervaecke @ 35min 19sec
4. Roger Lapébie @ 38min 17sec
5. René Vietto @ 40min 27sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 42min 45sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 50min 32sec
8. Georges Speicher @ 55min 42sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 55min 57sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 2min 5sec

Stage 16: Saturday, July 21, Aix les Thermes - Luchon, 165 km

Major ascents: Port, Portet d'Aspet, Ares

1. Adriano Vignoli: 5hr 26min 14sec
2. Roger Lapébie @ 4min 2sec
3. Antonin Magne s.t.
4. Romain Gijssels s.t.
5. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
6. Sylvère Maes s.t.
7. Félicien Vervaecke, Ludwig Geyer, Giovanni Cazzulani, Giuseppe Martano, s.t.

11. Dante Franzil @ 7min 41sec
12. Frans Bonduel @ 8min 37sec

18. René Vietto s.t.

GC after Stage 16:

1. Antonin Magne: 102hr 19min 0sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 2min 57sec
3. Félicien Vervaecke @ 35min 19sec
4. Roger Lapébie @ 37min 57sec
5. Ambrogio Morelli @ 42min 45sec
6. René Vietto @ 44min 57sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 50min 32sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 0min 32sec
9. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 4min 31sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 6min 40sec

Stage 17: Sunday, July 22, Luchon - Tarbes, 91 km

Major ascents: Peyresourde, Aspin

1. Antonin Magne: 2hr 51min 46sec
2. Vicente Truebe @ 6min 31sec
3. Sylvère Maes @ 7min 4sec
4. René Vietto @ 7min 46sec
5. Mariano Cañardo s.t.
6. Félicien Vervaecke @ 9min 50sec
7. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
8. Edoardo Molinar s.t.
9. Raymond Louviot @ 11min 53sec
10. Edgard De Caluwé s.t.

22. Giuseppe Martano @ 12min 59sec

GC after Stage 17

1. Antonin Magne: 105hr 6min 55sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 19min 47sec
3. Félicien Vervaecke @ 48min 58sec
4. Roger Lapébie @ 54min 22sec
5. Ambrogio Morelli @ 56min 26sec
6. René Vietto @ 56min 33sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 6min 53sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 12min 9sec
9. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 15min 26sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 16min 17sec

Stage 18: Monday, July 23, Tarbes - Pau, 172 km

Major ascents: Tourmalet, Aubisque

1. René Vietto: 6hr 32min 1sec
2. Roger Lapébie @ 2min 57sec
3. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
4. Eugenio Gestri s.t.
5. Sylvère Maes @ 5min 50sec
6. Kurt Stoepel @ 5min 57sec
7. Mariano Cañardo @ 5min 58sec
8. Félicien Vervaecke @ 6min
9. Théo Hackenrath s.t.
10. Ludwig Geyer s.t.
11. Vicente Trueba s.t.
12. Ambrogio Morelli @ 7min 10sec
13. Giovanni Gotti s.t.
14. Antonin Magne s.t.

GC after Stage 18:

1. Antonin Magne: 111hr 46min 6sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 15min 34sec
3. René Vietto @ 43min 5sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 47min 48sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 49min 24sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 56min 26sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 5min 43sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 10min 57sec
9. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 14min 6sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 15min 7sec

Stage 19: Wednesday, July 25, Pau - Bordeaux, 215 km

Places 10 - 38 given same time and place

1. Ettore Maini: 7hr 7min 58sec
2. Romain Gijssels s.t.
3. Raymond Louviot s.t.
4. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
5. Georges Speicher s.t.
6. Frans Bonduel s.t.
7. Giovanni Gotti s.t.
8. Jean Wauters s.t.
9. René Le Grevès s.t.
10. Sylvain Marcaillou s.t.

GC after Stage 19:

1. Antonin Magne: 118hr 54min 4sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 15min 34sec
3. René Vietto @ 43min 5sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 47min 48sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 49min 24sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 56min 26sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 5min 43sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 10min 57sec
9. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 14min 6sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 15min 7sec

Stage 20: Thursday, July 26, Bordeaux - La Rochelle, 183 km

Places 7 - 37 given same time and place

1. Georges Speicher: 6hr 48min 26sec
2. René Le Grevès s.t.
3. Romain Gijssels s.t.
4. Marcel Renaud s.t.
5. Kurt Stoepel s.t.
6. Edoardo Molinar s.t.
7. Frans Bonduel, Théo Herckenrath, Sylvère Maes, Jean Wauters, etc. s.t.

GC after Stage 20:

1. Antonin Magne: 125hr 42min 30sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 15min 34sec
3. René Vietto @ 43min 5sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 47min 48sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 49min 24sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 56min 26sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 5min 43sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 10min 57sec
9. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 14min 6sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 15min 7sec

Stage 21A: Friday, July 27, La Rochelle - La Roche sur Yon, 81 km

Places 7 - 39 given same time and place

1. René Le Grevès: 3hr 0min 6sec
2. Frans Bonduel s.t.
3. Ettore Maini s.t.
4. Georges Speicher s.t.
5. Romain Gijssels s.t.
6. Raymond Louviot s.t.
7. Antonin Magne, René Vietto, Jean Wauters, Sylvère Maes, etc. s.t.

GC after Stage 21A:

1. Antonin Magne: 128hr 42min 36sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 15min 34sec
3. René Vietto @ 43min 5sec
4. Félicien Vervaecke @ 47min 48sec
5. Roger Lapébie @ 49min 24sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 56min 26sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 5min 43sec
8. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 10min 57sec
9. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 14min 6sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 15min 7sec

Stage 21B: Friday, July 27, La Roche sur Yon - Nantes 90 km Individual Time Trial.

This is the Tour's first-ever individual time trial.

1. Antonin Magne: 2hr 32min 5sec
2. Roger Lapébie @ 1min 6sec
3. Ludwig Geyer @ 5min 56sec
4. Sylvère Maes @ 7min 48sec
5. Giuseppe Martano @ 8min 1sec
6. Félicien Vervaecke @ 8min 40sec
7. René Vietto @ 9min 42sec
8. Raymond Louviot @ 9min 58sec
9. Albert Büchi @ 11min 40sec
10. Georges Speicher @ 11min 41sec

GC after Stage 21B:

1. Antonin Magne: 131hr 12min 5sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 26min 11sec
3. Roger Lapébie @ 52min 21sec
4. René Vietto @ 55min 23sec
5. Félicien Vervaecke @ 58min 34sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 1hr 10min 59sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 14min 15sec
8. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 24min 30sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 25min 13sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 38min 3sec

Stage 22: Saturday, July 28, Nantes - Caen, 275 km

1. Raymond Louviot: 8hr 47min 55sec
2. René Le Grevès @ 33sec
3. Frans Bonduel s.t.
4. Ambrogio Morelli s.t.
5. Georges Speicher s.t.
6. Vincent Salazard s.t.
7. Albert Büchi s.t.
8. Ludwig Geyer s.t.
9. Sylvère Maes s.t.
10. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
11. Giuseppe Martano s.t.
12. Antonin Magne s.t.

GC after Stage 22:

1. Antonin Magne: 140hr 0min 33sec
2. Giuseppe Martano @ 26min 11sec
3. Roger Lapébie @ 53min 54sec
4. René Vietto @ 57min 59sec
5. Félicien Vervaecke @ 58min 34sec
6. Ambrogio Morelli @ 1hr 10min 59sec
7. Ludwig Geyer @ 1hr 14min 15sec
8. Sylvère Maes @ 1hr 24min 30sec
9. Mariano Cañardo @ 1hr 27min 59sec
10. Vicente Trueba @ 1hr 39min 36sec

Stage 23 (final stage): Sunday, July 29, Caen - Paris, 221 km

1. Sylvère Maes: 7hr 11min 41sec
2. Roger Lapébie @ 20sec
3. Kurt Stoepel s.t.
4. Félicien Vervaecke s.t.
5. Georges Speicher s.t.
6. Ludwig Geyer s.t.
7. Antonin Magne @ 1min 44sec
8. René Le Grevès @ 2min 47sec
9. Marcel Renaud s.t.
10. Vincent Salazard s.t.

Complete Final 1934 Tour de France General Classification

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The Story of the 1934 Tour de France

This excerpt is from "The Story of the Tour de France", Volume 1 If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print, eBook or audiobook. The Amazon link here will make the purchase easy.

The 1934 Tour's story is one of the greatest and most famous in the history of racing. Its tale of noble sacrifice electrified French sports fans and created one of its most endearing and enduring heroes.

The Tour de France as we now know it was almost completely in place by 1933. The only major missing component was the individual time trial. Team time trials had been an integral part of the Tour in the late 1920s, but never had a rider been sent out as a lone man against the clock in the Tour. The origins of the inclusion of the time trial make for an interesting story and give another insight into the complex mind of Henri Desgrange.

The newspaper L'Auto carried most of the costs of the Tour because of the introduction of the national team format in 1930. The burden grew with this change because the trade teams no longer covered the housing, travel and feeding of the riders while they raced the Tour. The basic purpose of the Tour de France was to stir up excitement for news of the Tour that L'Auto could then be in the best position to satisfy. Other journalistic competitors were eating into L'Auto's information franchise. One newspaper in particular gave L'Auto and its editor Henri Desgrange, who was also the Tour boss, cause for concern.

L'Auto was a morning paper, reporting the details of the previous day's stage in full. Paris-Soir was an evening paper and was getting the story of the day's stage, with results, into that same evening's edition. In order to make its deadline Paris-Soir had its writers report the race on the fly. As a stage progressed, the writers following the race would write a few pages and hand them off to be phoned in. Desgrange's paper, which had the results the following morning, was selling old news.

An undated photo of Henri Desgrange

Desgrange, ever the competitor, countered by having his Tour stages start later in the day so the stages ended too late for the results to make the evening papers. Paris-Soir may have had some race details in their evening paper, but the final results had to wait for the next morning. Advantage Desgrange.

Paris-Soir's sports editor Gaston Bénac and his paper followed a hallowed tradition by starting a bicycle race. Not just any race. He started the Grand Prix des Nations, a time trial that eventually became the unofficial world championship of time trialing. Benac's first edition was in 1932 and was not at all well received by the professional riders. Bénac had trouble getting enough of them to enroll in his first race. The sport of time trialing hadn't become the essential fixture that it is in today's racing scene. He did succeed, however. One of the main protagonists in the 1933 Tour, Maurice Archambaud, won the first Grand Prix des Nations. Raymond Louviot, also a French rider, won the 1933 Grand Prix des Nations.

If the patient reader has been following this Tour history from the beginning, one thing should be clear by now. Desgrange was adaptable. He was always willing to change his Tour if he thought he could improve it. He didn't seem to care where the idea came from. If it were a good idea, after a bit of consideration, he would use it. If an innovation didn't work, it was dropped. Seeing the success French riders were having in his antagonist's competition, Desgrange quite happily adopted the individual race against the clock for the Tour. He placed the Tour's first crono as the second part of a 2-stage day, late in the schedule of the 1934 Tour. The last 2 Tours (1932 and 1933) had ended up being very close affairs. Only the huge 4-minute time bonuses in the 1932 edition made Leducq's win seem big. A 90-kilometer time trial coming with only 3 stages to go could be decisive.

Many riders were unhappy with this new element. Climber René Vietto thought it just a test of dull, brutish horsepower when a bike race should be a contest that tested both head and legs. Vietto even cited Desgrange's book with that same title (La Tête et Les Jambes) to make his point. Others thought it would negate the effect of good teamwork since the individual time trial was, well, an individual effort. The rider's objections were met and overcome by 2 forces. This first was the power of the fine, exciting drama of a lone man on his bike in what has become known as the 'race of truth'. The second was the immediate success of French riders in the discipline. That sealed the time-trial's destiny as a crucial part of the Tour. It also gave new balance to the race as the powerful rouleurs could take time back from the smaller climbers who couldn't ride as fast on the flats. Climbing is a test of a rider's relative power output. Time trialing measures a racer's absolute horsepower. Now, to win the Tour, a racer had to have both qualities.

The French team for the 1934 Tour was another magnificent collection of outstanding athletes. The team's core was made up of Georges Speicher, 1933's Tour winner and World Champion, future Tour winner Roger Lapébie, previous Tour winner Antonin Magne, and Maurice Archambaud, who had held the Yellow Jersey for much of 1933's Tour. Rounding out the French squad were Charles Pélissier, René Le Grevès and a 20-year-old rider named René Vietto. Vietto, a hotel bellboy before he turned pro, had shown from the beginning a startling ability to climb. There was some debate about his inclusion in the team because of his youth but his talent silenced the naysayers.

Instead of riding as an independent touriste-routier as he had in 1933, gifted climber Giuseppe Martano headed an Italian team that did not measure up to his talent. Belgium sent a lackluster squad of whom only 2 found their way to Paris. The rest started abandoning in stage 2.

Of the 60 riders who started Tuesday, July 3 in Paris, the French national team was in a league of their own. The race was theirs to lose.

From the first stage of this clockwise Tour (Alps first), the French were off to the races. 1933 Tour winner Georges Speicher started where he had left off the year before by winning the first stage and again donning his Yellow Jersey. Speicher's time in Yellow was very short. The next day during the Lille to Charleville stage there was a split in the pack. 11 men beat the field to the finish by more than 15 minutes. Antonin Magne, "Tonin the Silent", winner of the 1931 Tour, was in this lead group. His second place that day gave him the lead in the General Classification. The Yellow Jersey stayed a French possession, passing from Speicher to his teammate Magne.

The French, from Speicher's stage 1 win, put on an impressive display of power. René Le Grevès won the second stage, Roger Lapébie took the third and fourth stages. Le Grevès and Speicher finished in a near dead heat at the end of stage 5. After looking at the photo finish the judges gave the stage win to Le Grevès but split the time bonus between them. Speicher took stage 6 with its climbs over the Aravis and the Tamié. All this time Magne kept a firm grip on the Yellow Jersey.

So, before the heavy climbing in the Alps, here was the General Classification:

1. Antonin Magne

2. Giuseppe Martano @ 7 minutes 57 seconds

3. Raymond Louviot @ 12 minutes 55 seconds

Stage 7 from Aix-les-Bains to Grenoble went over the great Galibier. There the ex-bellhop from Cannes showed what a brilliant talent he was. René Vietto won the stage with a 3½-minute gap on the field. Giuseppe Martano was second, with Antonin Magne and several others right on his wheel. The rest of the field started coming in almost 12 minutes later.

The next day, stage 8 with the Laffrey and Bayard climbs, Martano was first but Magne was only 7 seconds behind. Vietto came in 21 seconds behind his leader.

Stage 9: Italian rider Edoardo Molinar crests the Vars. Vietto is up ahead. The 2 riders would maintain this relationship over the Allos. Vietto finished 2 minutes and 23 seconds ahead of Molinar.

Stage 9 was another Vietto showcase. He was first over both of the major climbs of the day, the Vars and the Allos. He continued down the road and soloed in for the stage victory. 3 days later Vietto finished off the Maritime Alps in the Nice to Cannes stage by being first over the Braus, the Castillon and La Turbie. He beat Martano in the sprint thereby denying the Italian racer the time bonus that the stage win would have given him. Magne finished the stage 3½ minutes later. Magne still held the lead, but Martano had made the gap dangerously close. After the Alps and the 3 wonderful mountain stage wins by young Vietto, the General Classification stood thus:

1. Antonin Magne

2. Giuseppe Martano @ 2 minutes 5 seconds

3. René Vietto @ 29 minutes 51 seconds

During the first 2 stages Vietto had lost a lot of time with several flat tires. Barring that misfortune he would have been in serious contention for the lead. As we will see, misfortune should be Vietto's middle name.

The stages between the Alps and the Pyrenees were another series of French romps with victories in stages 12, 13, and 14 by Lapébie, Speicher, and Lapébie respectively.

The next stage, number 15 from Perpignan to Ax-les-thermes, is the real beginning of the story of Vietto's sacrifice and his rise to immortality. On one of the earlier climbs of the day Magne tried to test Martano with an attack, but Martano was not to be dropped. The big climb of the day was the 25-kilometer long road up the Puymorens. René Vietto led Magne and Martano over the top. On the descent Magne crashed and broke the wooden rim of his front wheel. Seeing the Yellow Jersey's misfortune, Martano jumped away in an effort to put distance between himself and Magne.

"René, give me your bike," Magne demanded of Vietto

"No, but take my front wheel."

Vietto dutifully gave his team leader the front wheel of his bike. Unfortunately, Magne's frame was bent in the crash. When Georges Speicher—who had been behind on the climb—showed up, Magne took Speicher's bike. Magne was able to hook up with Lapébie and chase down Martano and the rest of the leaders. Magne limited his time loss that day to a mere 45 seconds and kept his Yellow Jersey. Vietto had to wait several minutes for the support car to bring him a replacement. He and Speicher finished together, 4½ minutes behind the stage winner Lapébie.

There is a picture of Vietto, weeping by the side of a mountain road, the front wheel of his bike missing. He knows that the Tour is going down the road without him. In some pictures of the scene a man in street clothes holds a smashed wheel in his hands. Vietto's anguish, 70 years later, still moves me when I see this picture. I wasn't the only one affected by the scene. The entire cycling world was touched by the scene of a man who made a huge sacrifice and was abject in the realization of the cost of that gift. The next day the newspapers proclaimed him Le Roi René (King René).

Things did not get better for the brilliant young climber. The next day, the stage from Ax-les-Thermes to Luchon was another big day of climbing with the Port, Portet d'Aspet and the Ares passes to overcome. Vietto was first over the Port and rode ahead of his team leader Magne who was keeping an eye on second place Giuseppe Martano. Over the next mountain, the Portet d'Aspet, Vietto was slightly ahead of Magne. He eased a bit so that he could be with Magne on the descent. Magne was still following Martano when he hit a rock and crashed. This time Magne wrecked his rear wheel. Vietto, thinking that Magne would be joining him shortly, continued. This was over a half-century before earphones. Often, in the "fog of war", riders are confused about what is actually going on in a race. A Tour course marshal on a motorcycle zoomed up ahead and told Vietto that his team leader had crashed and was stranded without any teammates. Lapébie was off the front and the rest of the team was well behind.

Hearing the news, Vietto turned around and rode back up the mountain against the tide of descending riders in order to reach his leader. Magne couldn't believe his good fortune. He grabbed Vietto's bike and took off after Lapébie who was now waiting for him and could help him regain the leaders. Adriano Vignoli, the stage winner, was long gone, but Magne and Lapébie did catch Martano and the rest of the riders who were up the road. Again Vietto had to wait for the service car to give him a new bike. He came in over 8 minutes after Vignoli, but only about 4 minutes after Magne, Lapébie and Martano. Vietto’s selfless move preserved Magne’s lead of 2 minutes, 57 seconds over Martano.

But, was everybody happy? Not Vietto, who had a sharp tongue. He complained that Magne didn't really know how to ride a bike and that Lapébie had taken off looking for a stage win instead of sticking with Magne. Magne, on the other hand, was profoundly grateful to both Vietto and Lapébie for saving his race.

The General Classification after stage 16:

1. Antonin Magne

2. Giuseppe Martano @ 2 minutes 57 seconds

3. Félicien Vervaecke @ 35 minutes 17 seconds

Stage 17 was where Magne sealed his victory in the 1934 Tour de France. Since the second stage he had been the leader, but Martano had been able to keep it close. Only great good fortune and a team that would do anything to make sure one of its own won the Tour had allowed Magne to keep the Yellow Jersey. On the road from Luchon to Tarbes, over the great Peyresourde and Aspin climbs, Magne built a lead that was almost invulnerable to challenge. Vietto was first over the Peyresourde but Magne led over the Aspin and came in alone, over 6 minutes ahead of Vicente Trueba, nearly 8 minutes ahead of Vietto. More tellingly, Martano wasn't able to stay with Magne and finished 13 minutes behind him. The gap in the General Classification between Magne and Martano was now 19 minutes, 47 seconds after time bonuses.

The next day, stage 18, Magne lost 4 minutes to Martano. Again, having a brilliant team was invaluable. René Vietto was first over the 2 major climbs, the Tourmalet and the Aubisque and won the stage with Lapébie coming in second. Martano was third, but Vietto had scooped up most of the time bonuses that were in play that day, minimizing Martano's possible time gain.

Stage 18: Vietto flies away on the Tourmalet. He held his solo lead over the Aubisque and all the way to the finish, beating the day's second place rider, Roger Lapébie, by 2 minutes and 57 seconds.

The French continued to win stages. The race for the Yellow Jersey was almost finished with the major climbing completed and the Tour heading back to Paris. There was one obstacle left in the way of Magne's likely triumph and that was the Tour's first individual time trial, 90 kilometers from La Roche-sur-Yon to Nantes. On the afternoon of Friday, July 27, Antonin Magne made history by winning the Tour's first individual time trial. He beat his teammate Lapébie, who came in second, by over a minute. He crushed Giuseppe Martano, besting him by 8 minutes. Magne's decisive time-trial win made it clear that he was truly the deserving victor.

The Tour was settled. Magne had taken the Yellow Jersey on the second stage and held it for the balance of the Tour. The time gaps between Magne and the rest of the peloton were huge, more like the Tours of a decade before. The French made the 1934 Tour their private property. Not only did Magne win the General Classification, the French team won 19 stages, King of the Mountains and Team General Classification. Yet, without Vietto's and Speicher's willingness to sacrifice everything for him, Magne's chances would have been doubtful. Would Martano have been higher up in the standings if he had not suffered two broken frames? Undoubtedly. But, to win a 3 week race one must have both strength and good luck.

The final 1934 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Antonin Magne (France): 147 hours 13 minutes 58 seconds

2. Giuseppe Martano (Italy) @ 27 minutes 31 seconds

3. Roger Lapébie (France) @ 52 minutes 15 seconds

4. Félicien Vervaecke (Belgium) @ 57 minutes 40 seconds

5. René Vietto (France) @ 59 minutes 2 seconds

Climber's Competition:

1. René Vietto: 111 points

2. Vicente Trueba: 93 points

3. Giuseppe Martano: 78 points

Vietto remained convinced until his death that he could have won the 1934 Tour if he could have kept riding up the mountain and left Magne to wait for a spare. I don't think so. Before the Tour hit the mountains he had lost a huge amount of time. He lost an additional near 10 minutes in the time trial. Vietto's class was real. He still won the King of the Mountains and came in fifth in General Classification. But he wasn't a complete enough rider to win the Tour. We'll run into "King René" again in this history. He will wear the Yellow for many days in the future, but he would never wear it in Paris as the overall winner.

Still, the French love a gallant man and Vietto was that. He became a hero and to this day is remembered with fondness for his sacrifices. He earned a terrific amount of money racing after the Tour because the French were so taken by his generosity. Sadly, he was swindled out of his winnings later in life.

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