filter.
THE
RISE OF
BOBET
We know Louison Bobet as one of
nine riders in history who has three or
more Tour de France victories. It’s an
elite group; more people have walked
on the moon. Philippe Thys was the
first rider to amass three victories
and would likely have claimed more
victories had World War I not brought
Europe to a standstill.
Bobet’s achievement was significant in
that he was the first to notch that third
win in the modern, post-World War
II era. In that regard, he paved the
way for riders like Jacques Anquetil,
Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.
But “Zonzon,” as his fans called him,
wasn’t hailed as a future champion in
the early days of his career. He was
seen as a talented rider, but not one
who could go for the jugular.
Most of our current crop of
champions have a kind of spiritual
ancestor. In his manner of playing
head games, intimidating the
competition and wresting control
of his team, Lance Armstrong was
the second coming of Bernard
Hinault. Because he never won a
single monument and is remembered
as the greatest time trialist of his
generation, Miguel Indurain was
cast from Jacques Anquetil’s mold.
Alberto Contador is Lucien Van Impe
reincarnated, but with a hunger to
actually win Grand Tours that the
Van Impe never developed.
And Bobet? Like Merckx, they haven’t
made another like him. In his early
career he was seen as a talented
climber but without the ability to
really bring home the win. Such an
assessment was justified following
his first Tour de France in 1947; he
dropped out after nine stages.
However, he came back the next year,
and as a virtual unknown took the
maillot jaune on stage three. He lost
it the next day, but won the sprint
into Biarritz at the end of a long flat
run from Bordeaux on stage 6. He
briefly intensified his grip on the
jersey on stage 12, the first of the
Alpine stages, but Gino Bartali’s
wins in the next three stages ripped
