It's kind of startling to remember that the Tour de France existed before Lance Armstrong, Greg Lemond, or even the 7-Eleven cycling team.
The Tour de France dates back to 1903 and had a long, rich history before Phil Liggett first saw the cyclists dancing on their pedals or the bike race appeared live on American TV in high definition.
Brent Hugh posted this charming short film about the 1962 Tour de France at the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation website. Entitled “Vive le tour,” it was written and directed by the brilliant French filmmaker Louis Malle early in his career.
The film isn't about who won or lost. It's about the spectators, the advertising caravan, and the cyclists who raid cafes along the route for beer and wine. I especially like the press tent before computers, where reporters bang out their stories on typewriters or phone them in off the top of their head: “The Eagle has torn apart the Angel of the Mountain!”
In this second segment, the film also examines the big issue of the day: doping. The narrator says it doesn't give the cyclists extra strength, but suppresses the pain so they don't know their limits. Although it shows a cyclist collapsing from exhaustion, this is five years before the tragic death of cyclist Tom Simpson from the deadly combination of amphetamines and alcohol. Ironically, Simpson that year became the first British cyclist ever to wear the yellow jersey.
For the record, this Tour de France was won by France's Jacques Anquetil. He finished in the maillot jaune five times in his career, the first cyclist to do so.
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