Introduction
The Teams
The Route
Introduction
The 1956 Tour de France is notable for its lack of a previous winner. Victorious in the last 3 editions, Louison Bobet pulled out due to what the French call furoncles. Saddle sores. It sounds better in French. He even feared they had turned cancerous, but it hadn’t stopped him from winning Paris-Roubaix in April.
Hugo Koblet had continued his decline, Ferdy Kübler had confirmed his own decline last year on Mont Ventoux, and Coppi was riding his last few races. With no winner, then, the Tour was blown wide open. Every man for himself.
It was run during the period in which trade teams were banned. So national teams competed alongside régionales, in other words, regional teams from around France. This gave lesser French riders, as well as young up-and-coming starlets, the opportunity to ride the Tour. A bit like Cofidis, but with the occasional victory.
The Teams
France
Blue, White & Red shirts
Pierre BARBOTIN, Gilbert BAUVIN, Louis BERGAUD, André DARRIGADE, Jean FORESTIER, Raphaël GEMINIANI, François MAHE, Jean MALLEJAC, René PRIVAT, Antonin ROLLAND
Technical Director: Marcel BIDOT
Italy
Red, White & Green shirts
Pierino BAFFI, Agostino COLETTO, Angelo CONTERNO, Nino DEFILIPPIS, Allesandro FANTINI, Pasquale FORNARA, Pietro GIUDICI, Bruno MONTI, Gastone NENCINI, Arrigo PADOVAN
Technical Director: Alfredo BINDA
Belgium
Light Blue shirts with Black, Yellow & Red Band
Jean ADRIAENSSENS, Jean BRANKART, Alex CLOSE, Alfred DE BRUYNE, Gilbert DESMET, Raymond IMPANIS, Marcel JANSSENS, Stan OCKERS, Richard VAN GENECHTEN, André VLAEYEN
Technical Director: Sylvère MAES
Holland
Orange shirts with Red, White & Blue Band
Daan DE GROOT, Joseph HINSON, Jef LAHAYE, Jean NOLTEN, Wies STOLKER, Piet VAN DE BREKEL, Arie VAN DER PLUYM, Wiel VAN DONGEN, Gerrit VOORTING, Wout WAGTMANS
Technical Director: Kees PELLENAERS
Spain
Grey shirt, Red, Yellow and Red Band
Federico BAHAMONTES, Salvador BOTELLA, Miguel BOVER, Miguel CHACON, Jesus LORENO, René MARIGIL, Carmelo MORALES, Miguel POBLET, Bernado RUIZ, José SERRA
Technical Director: Luis Puig ESTEVE
Switzerland
Red Shirt, White cross
Werner ARNOLD, Jack BOVAY, Claude FREI, Jean-Claude GRET, Hans HOLLENSTEIN, Fausto LURATTI, Rémo PIANEZZI, Fritz SCHAER, Max SCHELLEMBERG, Ernst TRAXEL
Technical Director: Alex BURTIN
LUXEMBOURG (MIXED)
Red Shirts with White & Light Blue Band
Antonio BARBOSA, Aldo BOLZAN, Marcel ERNZER, Charly GAUL, Edmond JACOBS, Willy KEMP, Nicolas MORN, Brian ROBINSON, Jean SCHMIT, Jean-Pierre SCHMITZ
Technical Director: Nicolas FRANTZ
North-East-Centre (Nord-Est-Centre)
Violet shirts, two white bands
Ugo ANZILE, Mano BERTOLO, Roger CHUPIN, Adolphe DELEDDA, Camille HUYGHE, Pierre PARDOEN, Raymond REISSER, Gilbert SCODELLER, Pierre SCRIBANTE, Roger WALKOWIAK
Technical Director: Sauveur Ducazeaux
South-East (Sud-Est)
Royal Blue, two gold bands
Roger CHAUSSABEL, Jean DOTTO, Raymond ELENA, José GIL, Nello LAUREDI, Jean LERDA, Raymond MEYZENQ, Joseph MIRANDO, Vinvent VITETTA
Technical Director: Marius GUIRAMAND
West (Ouest)
White shirts with two blue bands
Armand AUDAIRE, Arthur BIHANNIC, Roger HASSENFORDER, Louis CAPUT, Claude LE BER, Eugène LETENDRE, Joseph MORVAN, Fernand PICOT, Maurice QUENTIN, Joseph THOMIN
Technical Director: Léon LE CALVEZ
Ile-de-France
Red shirts with two white bands
Nicolas BARONE, Stanislas BOBER, Seamus ELLIOTT, René FOURNIER, Raymond HOORELBEKE, Jean LE GUILLY, Francis SIGUENZA, Jean SKERL, Alfred TOMELLO
Technical Director: Jean PRUNIER
South-West (Sud-Ouest)
Havana shirts, green band
Philippe AGUT, Pierre BEUFFEUIL, Albert DOHLATS, Georges GAY, Robert GIBANEL, Marcel GUITARD, Valentin HUOT, Maurice LAMPRE, Tino SABBADINI, Jacques VIVIER
Technical Director: Paul MAYE
The Route
- Reims to Liège – 223km
- Liège to Lille – 217km
- Lille to Rouen – 225km
- a) Time trial, b) Rouen to Caen – 125km
- Caen to Saint Malo – 189km
- Saint-Malo to Lorient – 192km
- Lorient to Angers – 244km
- Angers to La Rochelle – 180km
- La Rochelle to Bordeaux – 219km
- Bordeaux to Bayonne – 201km
- Bayonne to Pau – 255km
- Pau to Luchon – 126km
- Luchon to Toulouse – 176km
- Toulouse to Montpellier – 231km
- Montpellier to Aix-en-Provence – 204km
- Aix-en-Provence to Gap – 203km
- Gap to Turin – 234km
- Turn to Grenoble – 250km
- Grenoble to Saint-Etienne – 173km
- Saint-Etienne to Lyon (time trial) – 74km
- Lyon to Montluçon – 237km
- Montluçon to Paris – 331km
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