Bol d'Or cycle race

Bol d'Or
Race details
Region
English name The Golden Bowl
Discipline Track
Type 24-hour endurance race
History
First edition 1894 (1894)
Editions 25
Final edition 1950
First winner  Constant Huret (FRA)
Most wins  Léon Georget (FRA) (9)
Final winner  Fiorenzo Magni (ITA)

The Bol d'Or was a bicycle track race that ran in France between 1894 and 1950. It was a paced, 24-hour endurance event. It has been won by several notable cyclists including Constant Huret (4 times), the Australian Hubert Opperman and three time hour record breaker Oscar Egg. The person with the most wins is Léon Georget (brother of Émile) with nine (including eight in a row).

Origins

In the nineteenth century, English and French cyclists were trying to get the world record for 24 hours cycling. Usually, the English cyclists had the record, but in 1892 a French cyclist (Stephane) broke the record, riding 631 km. The English cyclists organized a cycling event a few days later, and in that race they took back the record when Shorland rode 665 km. The record changed hands a few more times during irregularly scheduled competitions, but in 1894 the French created the Bol d'Or so they would have a yearly go at the record.[1]

The race was created on 23 and 24 June 1894 by a Monsieur Decam. It first ran at the Vélodrome Buffalo in Paris and was sponsored by Chocolate Meunier.

The race gets its name from the prize awarded to the winner - a gilded bronze bowl or cup.

Rules

During the Bol d'Or, riders had 24 hours to ride as many laps as possible. The riders were helped by pacers; details of the pacing changed over the years. In 1899, electric tandems were tried, which resulted in a record distance. In 1902, riders were only paced in the first two and last two hours, which resulted in a lower distance.[1]

In the early years riders were paced by tandems or triplets. Motor (derny) pacing was used in 1950. The 1900 event was one of the cycling events during the 1900 Summer Olympics, but it is not considered an Olympic event by the IOC because professional cyclists were allowed to enter.

Winners

Year Rider Country Distance Pacing Velodrome
1894 Constant Huret France736.946 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1895 Constant Huret France829.498 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1896 Gaston Rivierre France859.120 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1897 Lucien Stein France764.826 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1898 Constant Huret France852.468 kmtriplet pacedRoubaix Vélodrome
1899 Albert Walters Great Britain1020.977 kmelectric tandem pacedParc des Princes Vélodrome
1900 Mathieu Cordang Netherlands956.775 kmtriplet pacedVélodrome de Vincennes
1902 Constant Huret France779.488 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1903 Léon Georget France847.803 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1904 Lucien Petit-Breton France852.000 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1905 Arthur Vanderstuyft Belgium943.666 kmtandem pacedVélodrome d'hiver
1906 René Pottier France925.290 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1907 Léon Georget France904.420 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1908 Léon Georget France973.666 kmtandem pacedVélodrome d'hiver
1909 Léon Georget France845.700 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1910 Léon Georget France923.300 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1911 Léon Georget France915.160 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1912 Léon Georget France951.750 kmtandem pacedVélodrome d'hiver
1913 Léon Georget France909.984 kmtandem pacedVélodrome d'hiver
1919 Léon Georget France924.680 kmtandem pacedVélodrome d'hiver
1924 Oscar Egg  Switzerland936.325 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1925 Honoré Barthélémy France1035.114 kmtandem pacedBordeaux Vélodrome
1927 Honoré Barthélémy France924.500 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1928 Hubert Opperman Australia950.060 kmtandem pacedVélodrome Buffalo
1950 Fiorenzo Magni Italy867.609 kmderny pacedVélodrome d'hiver

References

  1. 1 2 "De geschiedenis van den "Bol d'Or"". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Delpher. 19 June 1924. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
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