Route of the 1932 Tour de France followed counterclockwise, starting in Paris | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | 6–31 July 1932 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 4,479 km (2,783 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 154h 11' 49" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
← 1931 1933 → | |||||||||||||||||||||
The1932 Tour de France was the 26th edition of theTour de France, taking place from 6 to 31 July. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,479 km (2,783 mi).
André Leducq, who also won six stages, won the race, thanks to the bonification system; had the bonification system not existed, the margin between Leducq andKurt Stöpel would only have been three seconds.[1]
In the1931 Tour de France, there had been a time bonification system, which gave 3 minutes of bonification to the winner of the stage, if he finished more than three minutes ahead of the second cyclist in that stage.[2] In 1932, this bonification system changed: now the winner of the stage received 4 minutes, the second-placed cyclist 2 minutes and the third-placed cyclist 1 minute, plus an extra three minutes if the margin was more than three minutes.[3][4] The bonification system was invented to give sprinters, who lost a lot of time in the mountains, a chance to battle for the general classification.[5]
The number of stages decreased from 24 to 21. The total distance also decreased, so the average length per stage remained about the same, 215 km (compared to 160–170 km in modern Tours).[6]
For the third year, the race was run in the national team format, with five different teams. Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and France each sent a team with eight cyclists, while Germany and Austria sent a combined team, with seven German cyclists and one Austrian cyclist. In addition, 40 cyclists joined astouriste-routiers.[7]
Charles Pélissier, who had won 13 stages in the 1930 and 1931 Tours, andAntonin Magne, the winner of 1931, were absent from the French team. Still, there were so many good French cyclists in that time that the French team was still considered superior.[6]
The Italian team included threeGiro d'Italia winners: the winner from the1930 Giro d'Italia,Luigi Marchisio; the winner from the1931 Giro d'Italia,Francesco Camusso and the winner from the1932 Giro d'Italia,Antonio Pesenti.[6]
The Belgium team hadJef Demuysere, who had fought for the victory in the previous Tour until the end and had come second, and two-time world championGeorges Ronsse.

In the first stage, the Belgians had a good start.Jean Aerts won the stage, withJef Demuysere in second place. In the second stage, there were struggles in the Belgian team between the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking cyclists.[6] Aerst, Dutch-speaking, did not get the support from his French-speaking teammates, and lost ten minutes in that stage, together with the Italian favourites.[6] German Kurt Stöpel won the stage, and donned the yellow jersey, thanks to the bonification. Stöpel was the first German cyclist to lead the general classification in the Tour de France.[1] In the third stage, the longest stage of this Tour with 387 km, Stöpel lost the lead to André Leducq.Leducq kept the lead for the rest of the race, winning six stages along the way.In the fifth stage, SpaniardVicente Trueba escaped and reached the top of theCol d'Aubisque first. On the way down,Benoît Fauré overtook him, and reached theTourmalet first. But he didn't win the stage, as ItalianAntonio Pesenti caught him. Behind the leaders in the stage, Leducq was fighting for the leading position in the general classification. He was not a good climber, but was one of the best descenders.[8]
On one stage, Leducq flatted, and received a wheel from his teammateGeorges Speicher, who would win the next Tour.[6]
In the tenth stage, Leducq almost lost the lead. Camusso had escaped, and Stöpel had followed him. Leducq lost more than five minutes in the stage, and even more due to the bonification time.[8] After that stage, Stöpel was within three minutes of Leducq, and Camusso within six minutes.[8]In the eleventh stage, Leducq could have lost the race.Benoît Fauré, a French cyclist riding as a touriste-routier, escaped, and was followed by Francesco Camusso. At one point, they were so far ahead that Camusso was the virtual leader, but eventually they were caught back.[6]
Leducq also crossed the finishline first in the eighteenth stage, but the jury relegated him because he had been pushed byAlbert Barthélemy.[6]
Leducq and Stöpel finished in the same group for most of the stages. Only in four stages was there a time difference:[1][9]
Without the bonification system, the time difference between Leducq and Stöpel was three seconds. Leducq received 31 bonification minutes (six first places, two second places and three third place), while Stöpel received only 7 bonification minutes (one first place and three third places).
The cyclist to reach the finish in the least time was the winner of the stage. The time that each cyclist required to finish the stage was recorded. For thegeneral classification, these times were added together. If a cyclist had received a time bonus, it was subtracted from this total; all time penalties were added to this total. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey.
The team classification was calculated by adding up the times in the general classification of the three highest ranking cyclists per team; the team with the least time was the winner.
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type[a] | Winner | Race leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 July | Paris toCaen | 208 km (129 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 2 | 7 July | Caen toNantes | 300 km (190 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 3 | 9 July | Nantes toBordeaux | 387 km (240 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 4 | 11 July | Bordeaux toPau | 206 km (128 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 5 | 12 July | Pau toLuchon | 229 km (142 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 6 | 14 July | Luchon toPerpignan | 322 km (200 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 7 | 16 July | Perpignan toMontpellier | 168 km (104 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 8 | 17 July | Montpellier toMarseille | 206 km (128 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 9 | 18 July | Marseille toCannes | 191 km (119 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 10 | 19 July | Cannes toNice | 132 km (82 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 11 | 21 July | Nice toGap | 233 km (145 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 12 | 22 July | Gap toGrenoble | 102 km (63 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 13 | 23 July | Grenoble toAix-les-Bains | 230 km (140 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 14 | 24 July | Aix-les-Bains toEvian | 204 km (127 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 15 | 25 July | Evian toBelfort | 291 km (181 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | |||
| 16 | 26 July | Belfort toStrasbourg | 145 km (90 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 17 | 27 July | Strasbourg toMetz | 165 km (103 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 18 | 28 July | Metz toCharleville | 159 km (99 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 19 | 29 July | Charleville toMalo-les-Bains | 271 km (168 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 20 | 30 July | Malo-les-Bains toAmiens | 212 km (132 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| 21 | 31 July | Amiens toParis | 159 km (99 mi) | Plain stage | |||
| Total | 4,479 km (2,783 mi)[13] | ||||||
Kurt Stöpel was the first German to reach the podium of the Tour de France.[3] He would be the only German on the podium untilJan Ullrich became 2nd in1996.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 154h 11' 49" | |
| 2 | Germany/Austria | + 24' 03" | |
| 3 | Italy | + 26' 21" | |
| 4 | Italy | + 37' 08" | |
| 5 | Belgium | + 41' 04" | |
| 6 | Belgium | + 45' 13" | |
| 7 | Germany/Austria | + 58' 44" | |
| 8 | Belgium | + 1h 03' 24" | |
| 9 | Touriste-routier | + 1h 06' 57" | |
| 10 | France | + 1h 08' 37" |
| Final general classification (11–57)[14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
| 11 | Switzerland | + 1h 13' 33" | |
| 12 | Touriste-Routier | + 1h 14' 12" | |
| 13 | Belgium | + 1h 16' 24" | |
| 14 | Italy | + 1h 18' 45" | |
| 15 | Belgium | + 1h 19' 18" | |
| 16 | France | + 1h 25' 27" | |
| 17 | Touriste-Routier | + 1h 29' 21" | |
| 18 | Touriste-Routier | + 1h 35' 28" | |
| 19 | Germany/Austria | + 1h 38' 23" | |
| 20 | Belgium | + 1h 39' 01" | |
| 21 | Touriste-Routier | + 1h 45' 56" | |
| 22 | Germany/Austria | + 1h 49' 48" | |
| 23 | France | + 1h 55' 27" | |
| 24 | Touriste-Routier | + 1h 56' 53" | |
| 25 | France | + 1h 58' 16" | |
| 26 | Italy | + 1h 59' 47" | |
| 27 | Touriste-Routier | + 2h 00' 40" | |
| 28 | Touriste-Routier | + 2h 22' 21" | |
| 29 | Switzerland | + 2h 24' 39" | |
| 30 | France | + 2h 29' 02" | |
| 31 | Touriste-Routier | + 2h 29' 31" | |
| 32 | Touriste-Routier | + 2h 30' 12" | |
| 33 | Italy | + 2h 35' 51" | |
| 34 | Belgium | + 2h 41' 25" | |
| 35 | Touriste-Routier | + 2h 44' 33" | |
| 36 | Switzerland | + 2h 59' 37" | |
| 37 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 04' 31" | |
| 38 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 10' 27" | |
| 39 | Germany/Austria | + 3h 15' 13" | |
| 40 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 32' 25" | |
| 41 | Switzerland | + 3h 34' 06" | |
| 42 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 38' 18" | |
| 43 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 43' 20" | |
| 44 | Touriste-Routier | + 3h 55' 22" | |
| 45 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 00' 17" | |
| 46 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 06' 02" | |
| 47 | France | + 4h 13' 53" | |
| 48 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 20' 41" | |
| 49 | France | + 4h 21' 05" | |
| 50 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 21' 15" | |
| 51 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 32' 29" | |
| 52 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 38' 35" | |
| 53 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 47' 05" | |
| 54 | Touriste-Routier | + 4h 47' 18" | |
| 55 | Switzerland | + 4h 54' 45" | |
| 56 | Germany/Austria | + 5h 03' 01" | |
| 57 | Germany/Austria | + 5h 05' 14" | |
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 464h 57' 41" |
| 2 | Belgium | + 7' 27" |
| 3 | France | + 11' 50" |
| 4 | Germany/Austria | + 38' 56" |
| 5 | Switzerland | + 4h 14' 25" |
The organising newspaper,l'Auto named ameilleur grimpeur (best climber), an unofficial precursor to the modernKing of the Mountains competition. This award was won byVicente Trueba.[16]
WinnerAndré Leducq kept riding the Tour de France until1938, but he never managed to win again,[6] although he had three more stage victories.[17]
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Media related toTour de France 1932 at Wikimedia Commons