Horton Collection - 1910 Tour de France: Into the Big Mountains

I am subscribed to the "1K To Go" newsletter that Brett and Shelly Horton produce, as part of the Horton Collection, and the newsletter below is the most recent, about the 1910 Tour de France. If you are a fan of European bicycle racing, I suggest you stop what you're doing and vist the Horton Collection right now. Seriously. Brett and Shelly have amassed an amazing collection, and they graciously share it, and their knowledge, and stories like the one below.

This year I followed a few big bicycle races. Two have been my favorite; the Tour Divide and the Tour de France. What's interesting to me is that the 1910 Tour de France is a lot closer to the Tour Divide than it is to the 2025 Tour de France. Riders were self-supported. Roads were dirt. They had to carry what they needed, and get the rest en route. They had no team support, and they raced for glory. I love that form of racing. Of course, the terrain and country were different; those racers went through towns and cities, where the Tour Divide travels along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, far from people most of the time. But as you'll see below, those 1910 racers spent a lot of time in the high mountains.

I've asked for permission to share this newsletter, as it's not otherwise on the internet, and Shelly has given me permission. As I write this, we are on the eve of the eighteenth stage of the 2025 Tour de France, with four more to go. Pause and reflect, now on the 1910 race, one hundred and fifteen years ago, and the heroism and drama of that race. Enjoy! - MF 2025/07/23

1910 Tour de France: Into the Big Mountains The 1910 Tour de France was a far cry from the polished spectacle we see on TV today. Riders weren’t racing the clock—they were scored on daily placings, not overall time. There were no team cars, no radios, and no mechanics. If your bike broke, you fixed it yourself. And whatever you wore at the start of the day had to stay with you to the finish—even through snow, sun, or rain. Oh, and in the Pyrenees? Bear attacks were a genuine concern.   Count Zepplin greets Louis Trousselier in Metz

The Tour de France began in 1903 as a bold publicity stunt to boost circulation for the sports newspaper L’Auto. Géo Lefèvre, a 26-year-old cycling journalist, proposed a multi-day road race modeled loosely after the very popular Six-day track events, but held on the open roads of France. His editor, Henri Desgrange, agreed. Endurance racing was already a proven way to sell papers, but nothing of this scale had ever been attempted.

Count Zepplin waits for the Riders in Metz Stage 2

By 1910, with the Giro d’Italia newly launched in Italy, Tour organizers needed to reenergize interest. Desgrange, together with route scout Alphonse Steinès, introduced a dramatic twist: the Pyrenees. The press labeled the new mountain stages “dangerous” and “bizarre,” which only further thrilled Desgrange. The route changes were so extreme that 26 riders withdrew before the race even began.

Henri Cornet "The Joker" in Metz Stage 3

The 1910 edition marked the first time the Tour included team-based entries. Three squads—Alcyon, Legnano, and Le Globe—entered 10 riders each. The remaining 80 competitors rode as isolés, or independents. These riders could be loosely affiliated with manufacturers but received no team support, such as mechanics or soigneurs. It was a way for smaller companies to gain publicity without the costs of a whole team.

Emile Georget and Lucien Petit-Breton (Tour winner in 1907 & 1908) after the arrival in Nice Stage 4

Another key innovation emerged: geared bicycles. Though still rare and controversial,  Lucien Petit-Breton, Maurice Brocco, Henri Cornet, Charles Pavese, and Jean Alavoine used bikes with gears at the 1910 Tour. This emerging technology would, of course, eventually revolutionize road racing.

Georget at the Epinal checkpoint

Charles Crupelandt won the opening stage from Paris to Roubaix. But it was François Faber who dominated early, taking the second stage and holding the leader’s position from Stages 3 through 12. His reign was challenged after Stage 7, when he crashed into a dog and sustained injuries that weakened his grip on the race. That opened the door for teammate Octave Lapize.

The leading group in Cannes

Stage 9 took the peloton into the high Pyrenees for the first time in Tour history. Multiple brutal climbs left riders broken and scattered. Even Desgrange himself, overwhelmed by the logistical challenge, temporarily handed control of the race to assistant Victor Breyer.

Lapize, Trousselier, and Blaise on the rest day in Biaritz betwen Stages 10 and 11

This edition also saw the debut of the broom wagon, not to eliminate lagging riders, but to confirm that finishers completed the course unaided. Organizers made an exception for Stage 10, a monstrous 326 km ride from Luchon to Bayonne, opting not to enforce eliminations given the unprecedented difficulty. Riders were allowed to catch a ride in the broom wagon on Stage 10 and still start the following day on Stage 11.

Gustave Garrigou on the Tourmalet Stage 10

On Stage 10, the riders faced the Col du Tourmalet, the highest point of the race. They set off at 3:30 a.m. to ensure daylight through the mountains. Only Gustave Garrigou managed to summit the Tourmalet without dismounting, earning a 100-franc bonus.

Octave Lapize walking up the Tourmalet Stage 10

Octave Lapize was relentless, but the climbs were so severe that he often had to walk or push his bike. At the summit of the Col d’Aubisque where race official were waiting, he let out a now-legendary cry: “Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins!” (“You are murderers! Yes, murderers!”) Lapize recovered over the ridge, chased down early breakaway rider François Lafourcade, and won the stage into Bayonne.

Octave Lapize walking up the Tourmalet Stage 10

Charles Cruchon and Ernest-Paul Faber arrive in Bordeaux Stage 11

Lapize and Blaise refuel at the Port-Audemer checkpoint

Stage 14 - The depart from Caen

Petit-Breton and Geoget after a Stage

Lapize at the checkpoint in Rouen

In Stage 14, Faber made a last-ditch attack and briefly looked like he might reclaim the yellow jersey. A flat tire destroyed his momentum, and Lapize won the stage, stretching his lead to six points.

Georget in Clarmont

The lead group arrives in Rouen

Octavae Lapize, winner of the 1910 Tour

On the final stage, Lapize punctured early, and Faber charged ahead in a breakaway that included his half-brother, Ernest-Paul. But Ernest-Paul also punctured, derailing the attack. Faber finished ahead of Lapize on the stage, but not by enough to win the Tour. Octave Lapize won the 1910 Tour de France over his teammate by just four points. Out of 110 riders who started the race, only 41 finished the arduous trek around France at the Parc des Princes velodrome in Paris. With zero riders attacked by bears.

Francois Faber, 2nd overall

Gustave Garrigou, 3rd overall

Charles Cruchon, 5th in the overall standings

Ernesto Azini of Italy in 13th place

Ernest-Paul Faber finishes in 7th overall