WALKO - The Story of the 1956 Tour de France

The story of how Roger Walkowiak won the 1956 Tour de France, and the men and women who pushed him all the way

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A Man in a Hurry, or the Rise of André Darrigade, routier-sprinter

Stage 1, 5th July 1956, Reims to Liège, mostly flat until the stage reaches Liège, overcast at the start

12 min read

Belgium Attacks, Bidot Worries... as Le Tour Reaches 200,000km

Stage 2, 6th July 1956, Liege to Lille, 213km, mostly flat with some cobblestones and occasional punchy climbs

6 min read

Nine Men Stay Away For The Day

Stage 3, Lille to Rouen, 294, some hills but mostly flat and unchallenging, a day for the breakaway

5 min read

An Alsatian Among The Bretons, or "The Broken Pedal"

Stage 4, a stage split into two stages - a 15km hilly, challenging time trial and a flat 125km ride to Caen.

16 min read

Stage 5, Caen to Saint Malo, 189km, a rolling stage through Normandy and Brittany countryside

9 min read

The Yellow Jersey, the Level Crossing, and the Invisible Man

Stage 6, 192km, St. Malo to Lorient, undulating but generally a day for the breakaway

9 min read

The Water Carrier, The Saviour, and The Protector

Stage 7, Lorient to Angers, 242km mostly flat and a day for the breakaway as the Tour heads south-east

10 min read

Why do they have to go so fast?

Stage 8 - Angers to La Rochelle, 180km, a flat stage, and an opportunity for journalists to reminisce

11 min read

Hassen-le-Magnifique

Stage 9 - La Rochelle to Bordeaux, undulating but mostly a flat, preparatory stage ahead of the rest day and the Pyrenees

11 min read

Enter (and exit) Pierette Walkowiak

A rest day, but Sauveur Ducazeaux has to eliminate the wife

6 min read

Operation Lose The Yellow Jersey

Stage 10, Bordeaux to Bayonne, undulating but mostly flat ahead of the Pyrenees stages

7 min read

So, Charly Gaul, do you have it?

Stage 11 - Bayonne to Pau, 255km including the climbs of the Soulor, and the Aubisque

10 min read

Jempy Schmitz's Awesome Adventure

Stage 12 - Pau to Luchon, including the climb of the Peyresourde

10 min read

Treason Among The Tricolores

Stage 13, Luchon to Toulouse, including the climb of the Portet d'Aspet

13 min read

Little Louis and the Breakawee

Stage 14 - Toulouse to Montpellier, a break from the climbs of the Pyrenees and a flat stage for the sprinters

13 min read

The Physician, The Belgians, and the Fishy Excuses

Stage 15 - Montpellier to Aix-en-Provence, a transitional, flat stage across the south of France

9 min read

None The Wiser, Nothing By Half

A rest day in Aix-en-Provence and an opportunity for the cyclists to soak in some culture and put their feet up.

8 min read

Dotto and Lerda Leave Laurédi In The Lurch

Stage 16, Aix-en-Provence to Gap, and the foothills of the Alps become the Alps themselves with three classified climbs

7 min read

The Revival of Charly Gaul, and the Man Who Wasn't There

Stage 17, Gap to Turin, including the climbs of the Izoard, Mont Génèvre and Sestriere.

15 min read

The Attack They All Missed

Stage 18, Turin to Grenoble, including Mont-Cenis, col de la Croix de Fer, and the Luitel

9 min read

The Crash, The Bandit, The Pursuit

Stage 19, Grenoble to Saint-Etienne, including the climb of the Oeillon

11 min read

Déjeuner sur l'herbe, or Walko's Time Trials

Stage 19, a time trial from Saint-Etienne to Lyon over 73km

10 min read

Leave Me Here In Montluçon, My Dear

Stage 21, Lyon to Montluçon, 331km - mostly flat with the Col de Luère the final opportunity for mountains points

16 min read

Take Me Back to Montluçon

Stage 22, Montluçon to Paris, a long, flat stage - supposedly ceremonial

10 min read

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