1904 Tour de France (original) (raw)

2nd edition: July 2 to July 24, 1904

Results, stages with running GC, map and photos

1904 Tour de france route map

Map of the 1904 Tour de France

Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available as an audiobook here.

1904 Tour Quick Facts:

2,388 km raced at an average speed of 24.849 km/hr

88 starters and 15 classified finishers

The 1904 Tour was a mess. The passions raised by the first Tour caused protests, road blockages (often nails spread on the road) and even physical attacks on riders.

The misbehaving spectators were usually motivated by regional partisanship on behalf of certain riders. In addition, rider cheating was rampant. It was so bad that in November of 1904 the French Cycling Union disqualified the first four riders finishing the Tour.

Tour boss Henri Desgrange was so troubled by the entire scandal that he vowed never to put on the Tour again. He then immediately went to planning the 1905 edition.

At 19 years, 11 months, Henri Cornet is the youngest-ever Tour winner.

1904 Tour de France Compelte Final General Classification:

Before the disqualification, the top five General Classification riders were:

Maurice Garin (La Française) 93hr 6min 24sec
Lucien Pothier (La Française) @ 3min 28sec
César Garin (La Française) @ 1hr 51min 13sec
Hippolyte Aucouturier (Peugeot) @ 2hr 52min 26sec
Henri Cornet (Cycles JC-Michelin) @ 2hr 59min 31sec

Corrected and official complete final General Classification:

Henri Cornet (Cycles JC-Michelin) 96hr 5min 55sec
Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq (Elvish-Soly) @ 2hr 16min 14sec
Aloïs Catteau (La Française) @ 9hr 1min 25sec
Jean Degarssies (Gladiator) @ 13hr 4min 30sec
Julien Maitron (Griffon) @ 19hr 6min 15sec
Auguste Daumain (Peugeot) @ 22hr 44min 36sec
Louis Coolsaet @ 23hr 44min 20sec
Achille Colas (Davignon) @ 25hr 9min 50sec
René Saget (Cassignard) @ 25hr 55min 16sec
Gustave Drioul (Cycles JC-Pector) @ 30hr 54min 49sec
Henri Paret (Terrot) @ 32hr 18min 39sec
Auguste Gauthier (Perrin) @ 33hr 14min 2sec
Auguste Rist @ 35hr 1min 20sec
Damelincourt (Imperial) @ 48hr 39min 3sec
Antoine Deflotiere @ 101hr 28min 52sec

1904 Tour Stage results with running GC.

I've listed the results as they were first recorded. I've noted the official stage winner, according to the final November 1904 ruling. Disqualified riders have their names in parenthesis. The running GC results are rectified and reflect the November disqualifications

Stage 1: Saturday, July 2, Paris - Lyon, 467 km.

1. (Maurice Garin): 17hr 7min 6sec

2. (Lucien Pothier) @ 24sec

3. (Pierre Chevalier) @ 19min 54sec

4. Michel Frédérick @ 37min 54sec - Stage Winner

5. Giovanni Gerbi @ 43min 29sec

6. (César Garin) @ 1hr 4min 54sec

7. François Beaugendre s.t.

8. Emile Lombard @ 1hr 5min 24sec

9. Henri Gauban @ 1hr 6min 9sec

10. Alfred Faure @ 2min 2min 54sec

Rectified GC after stage 1:

1. Michel Frédérick

2. Giovanni Gerbi

3. François Beaugendre

Stage 2: Saturday, July 9, Lyon - Marseille, 374 km

Major Ascent: Col de la Républic

1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier): 15hr 9min

2. (César Garin) s.t.

3. (Lucien Pothier) @ 1sec

4. (Maurice Garin) s.t.

5. Alfred Faure @ 2sec - Stage Winner

6. Emile Lombard s.t.

7. Henri Cornet @ 3sec

8. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq s.t.

9. (Chaput) @ 4sec

10. Aloïs Catteau @ 40sec

GC after stage 2:

1. Emile Lombard

2. Alfred Faure @ 57min 30sec

3. François Beaugendre @ 1hr 21min 28sec

Stage 3: Wednesday, July 13, Marseille - Toulouse, 424 km

1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier) 15hr 43min 55sec

2. Henri Cornet s.t. - Stage Winner

3. François Beaugendre @ 8min 11sec

4. (Lucien Pothier) @ 8min 12sec

5. (Maurice Garin) @ 8min 13sec

6. Camille Fily @ 25min 8sec

7. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 52min 7sec

8. Aloïs Catteau @ 43min 5sec

9. (César Garin) @ 51min 41sec

10. Philippe Jousselin @ 1hr 30min 37sec

GC after Stage 3

1. Henri Cornet

2. François Beaugendre @ 5min 8sec

3. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 1hr 28min 59sec

Stage 4: Sunday, July 17, Toulouse - Bordeaux, 268 km

1. (Lucien Pothier) 8hr 40min 6sec

2. (César Garin) s.t.

3. François Beaugendre s.t. - Stage Winner

4. (Maurice Garin) @ 1sec

5. Philippe Jousselin @ 15min 56sec

6. (Hyppolite Aucouturier) @ 30min 59sec

7. Henri Cornet s.t.

8. Julien Maitron @ 40min 24sec

9. Aloïs Catteau @ 50min 9sec

10. Julien Gabory @ 1hr 8min 14sec

GC after stage 4:

1. François Beaugendre

2. Henri Cornet @ 25min 51sec

3. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 2hr 48min 53sec

Stage 5: Wednesday, July 20, Bordeaux - Nantes, 425 km

1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier): 16hr 49min 50sec

2. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 4sec - Stage Winner

3. (César Garin) s.t.

4. Henri Cornet @ 11sec

5. (Maurice Garin) s.t.

6. (Lucien Pothier) @ 18sec

7. Philippe Jousselin @ 24sec

8. Charles Prevost @ 30sec

9. Julien Gabory @ 1hr 10sec

10. Camille Fily @ 1hr 47min 10sec

GC after stage 5:

1. Henri Cornet

2. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 2hr 22min 54sec

3. Aloïs Catteau @ 6hr 48min 14sec

6th and Final Stage: Saturday, July 23, Nantes - Paris, 461 km

1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier) 19hr 28min

2. (Maurice Garin) s.t.

3. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 10sec - Stage Winner

4. (Lucien Pothier) @ 3min

5. (César Garin) s.t.

6. Louis Coolsaet @ 4min

7. Henri Cornet @ 11min 50sec

8. Julien Lootens "Samson" @ 18min 34sec

9. Achille Colas @ 20min

10. Philippe Jousselin @ 43min

Complete 1904 Tour de France Final General Classification

Roster of Starting Riders

Joseph Achten (B)

Hyppolite Aucouterier (F)

Francois Beaugendre (F)

Adrien Blanqui (F)

Felix Boyer (F)

H. Boyer (F)

Eugene Brange (F)

Maurice Carrere (F)

Alois Catteau (F)

Chaput (F)

Pierre Chevalier (F)

Cist (F)

Pierre Cnops (B)

Colas (F)

Louis Colsaet (B)

Henri Cornet (F)

Damelincourt (F)

Jean Dargassies (F)

Maurice Dartigue (F)

Daumain (F)

Philippe Deballade (F)

Antoine Deflotriere (F)

Eugene Delhaye (B)

Delmilhac (F)

Pierre Desvages (F)

V. Deveze (F)

Dome (B)

Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq (F)

Octave Doury (F)

Gustave Drioul (B)

P. Dufraix (F)

Durant (F)

Antoine Faure (F)

Camille Fily (F)

Georges Fleury

Michel Frederick (Switzerland)

Julien Gabory (F)

Cesar Garin (F)

Maurice Garin (F)

Henri Gauban (F)

Gauthier (F)

Eugene Geay (F)

Giovanni Gerbi (Italy)

Grimenwald (F)

Leon Habets (F)

P. Hibon (F)

Jean-Baptiste Jacquet (F)

Antoine Jaeck (Switzerland)

Dieudonne Jamar (B)

Philippe Jousselin (F)

Charles Laeser (Switzerland)

Lamboef (F)

Lamouline (F)

Lapree (F)

Romain Lardillier (F)

Louis Lecouna (F)

Legaux (B)

Albert Leroy (F)

Lipman (F)

Emile Lombard (B)

Julien Lootens, raced as "Samson" (B)

Maisonneuve (F)

Julien Maitron (F)

Marcastel (F)

Memo (B)

Monin (F)

Emile Moulin (F)

Albert Niepceron (F)

Henri Paret (F) At 50, oldest racer of the Tour

Ferdinand Payan (F)

Edouard Pillon (F)

Lucien Pothier (F)

Emile Poupin (F)

Charles Prevost (F)

Eugene Prevost (F)

Noel Prevost (F)

Reidenbach (F)

Leon Riche (F)

A. Rist (F)

Giovanni Rossignoli (Italy)

Saget (F)

Jules Sales (B)

Sylvain (F)

Tachet (F)

L. Treuvelot (F)

Ange Varalde (F)

Vassela (F)

Eugene Ventresque (F)

Photos from the 1904 Tour de France



Sign-in at the end of a stage


The end of stage 4 in Bordeaux. Note that this is an Italian sports magazine showing that the Tour was of international interest from the beginning.


The initial 1904 Tour podium. From the left, Lucien Pothier (2nd), Maurice Garin (1st) and his brother César Garin (3rd). They would all be later disqualified. Note that they have toe clips, but no straps.

Henri Cornet

And here is young Henri Cornet (shown in 1905), the youngest-ever winner of the Tour de France.