1903 MAURICE GARIN A Real Pioneer of Paris-Roubaix
MAURICE GARIN (1871-1957) began his cycling career in 1892 when the secretary of the cycling club in Maubeuge persuaded him to sign up for the regional race Maubeuge-Hirson-Maubeuge pver 200 kilometers. Garin finished fifth in this race and decided to take part in competitions more often. It soon became clear that Garin was a talent. In 1893 he won a race over 800 kilometers in Paris, in 1894 he became first in a 24-hour race in Liège and in 1895 he booked a world record in the 500 km after derny.
Maurice also participated in the first three editions of PARIS-ROUBAIX.
In 1896, HE finished third in the first performance of the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic. A year, 1897, later he wrote the race on his name when he managed to stay ahead of the Dutchman Mathieu Cordang on the cycling track in Roubaix . In 1898, the victory in Paris-Roubaix went back to Garin. After a solo he reached the finish line with a twenty minute lead.
In 1900 Garin managed the finish on a thrird place.
In 1901 Maurice Garin won the second performance of the Paris-Brest Paris trial, which was held once every ten years. Garin put the 1208 kilometers in 52 hours 11 minutes and 1 second and reached the finish almost two hours ahead of the number two.
When Henri Desgrange organized the first TOUR DE FRANCE in 1903, Maurice Garin was the first cyclist to sign up. Although he was already 32 years old by now and in the autumn of his cycling career, he appeared on July 1 as the big favorite at the start in Montgeron, a suburb of Paris.
By winning the first stage, which went to Lyon over 467 kilometers, Garin immediately took the lead in the general classification. He would no longer lose this leading position. With victories in the fifth (Bordeaux-Nantes over 425 kilometers) and the sixth stage (the final stage Nantes-Paris over 471 kilometers) Garin even extended his lead. In the final classification he had almost three hours ahead of the number two, Lucien Pothier. Since then, the time difference between number one and two has never been greater. With his victory Garin earned 6000 francs, which was a considerable amount for that time.
In 1904 Garin also appeared as a big favorite at the start. Again he seemed to be making his favorite role coming true as he won, just like in 1903, the first stage. He kept the conquered lead to Paris. The lead on the number two, Lucien Pothier, was 'only' 3 minutes and 28 seconds, but on the other hand Garin had covered the 2428 kilometers more than an hour faster than in the previous year.
However, nothing happened two weeks after the last stage, when normally the final results would be announced. It was not until 2 December that it became clear why: Garin and the numbers two, three and four of the final classification were removed from the final ranking because they would have covered parts of the course by train.
Garin, who always denied (*) the allegations, was suspended for two years. Although he still participated in a single race in 1905, this suspension actually meant the end of his cycling career.
Garin invested his race winnings in a garage in the city of Lens, which he ran the rest of his working life.
(* by Bill McGann's bikeraceinfo) Garin publicly maintained his innocence, but historian Les Woodland found an old friend of Garin who said that in his old age Garin laughed about the 1904 Tour and acknowledged his culpability.
1903 MAURICE GARIN A Real Pioneer of Paris-Roubaix
MAURICE GARIN (1871-1957) began his cycling career in 1892 when the secretary of the cycling club in Maubeuge persuaded him to sign up for the regional race Maubeuge-Hirson-Maubeuge pver 200 kilometers. Garin finished fifth in this race and decided to take part in competitions more often. It soon became clear that Garin was a talent. In 1893 he won a race over 800 kilometers in Paris, in 1894 he became first in a 24-hour race in Liège and in 1895 he booked a world record in the 500 km after derny.
Maurice also participated in the first three editions of PARIS-ROUBAIX.
In 1896, HE finished third in the first performance of the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic. A year, 1897, later he wrote the race on his name when he managed to stay ahead of the Dutchman Mathieu Cordang on the cycling track in Roubaix . In 1898, the victory in Paris-Roubaix went back to Garin. After a solo he reached the finish line with a twenty minute lead.
In 1900 Garin managed the finish on a thrird place.
In 1901 Maurice Garin won the second performance of the Paris-Brest Paris trial, which was held once every ten years. Garin put the 1208 kilometers in 52 hours 11 minutes and 1 second and reached the finish almost two hours ahead of the number two.
When Henri Desgrange organized the first TOUR DE FRANCE in 1903, Maurice Garin was the first cyclist to sign up. Although he was already 32 years old by now and in the autumn of his cycling career, he appeared on July 1 as the big favorite at the start in Montgeron, a suburb of Paris.
By winning the first stage, which went to Lyon over 467 kilometers, Garin immediately took the lead in the general classification. He would no longer lose this leading position. With victories in the fifth (Bordeaux-Nantes over 425 kilometers) and the sixth stage (the final stage Nantes-Paris over 471 kilometers) Garin even extended his lead. In the final classification he had almost three hours ahead of the number two, Lucien Pothier. Since then, the time difference between number one and two has never been greater. With his victory Garin earned 6000 francs, which was a considerable amount for that time.
In 1904 Garin also appeared as a big favorite at the start. Again he seemed to be making his favorite role coming true as he won, just like in 1903, the first stage. He kept the conquered lead to Paris. The lead on the number two, Lucien Pothier, was 'only' 3 minutes and 28 seconds, but on the other hand Garin had covered the 2428 kilometers more than an hour faster than in the previous year.
However, nothing happened two weeks after the last stage, when normally the final results would be announced. It was not until 2 December that it became clear why: Garin and the numbers two, three and four of the final classification were removed from the final ranking because they would have covered parts of the course by train.
Garin, who always denied (*) the allegations, was suspended for two years. Although he still participated in a single race in 1905, this suspension actually meant the end of his cycling career.
Garin invested his race winnings in a garage in the city of Lens, which he ran the rest of his working life.
(* by Bill McGann's bikeraceinfo) Garin publicly maintained his innocence, but historian Les Woodland found an old friend of Garin who said that in his old age Garin laughed about the 1904 Tour and acknowledged his culpability.