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1925 Tour de France

19th edition: June 21- July 19, 1925

Results, stages with running GC, photos, history

Map of the 1925 Tour de France

James Witherell's book Bicycle History: A Chronological Cycling History of People, Races and Technology is available in paperback of Kindle eBook using the Amazon link just to the the right.

1925 Tour Quick Facts:

5,430 kilometers raced at an average speed of 24.775 km/hr

130 starters, 41 of whom were on sponsored teams and 89 were independent touristes-routiers. 49 finishers.

While not the dominant rider he was the year before, Ottavio Bottecchia effectively won the Tour in stage 9 (Luchon-Perpignan).

Bottecchia rode an economical Tour, wasting little energy, hugely assisted by future Tour winner Lucien Buysse.

Despite his domestique duties, Buysse was second, giving Automoto the podium's two top positions.

1925 Tour de France Complete Final General Classification:

Ottavio Bottecchia (Automoto) 219hr 10min 18sec
Lucien Buysse (Automoto) @ 54min 20sec
Bartolomeo Aimo (Alcyon) @ 56min 37sec
Nicolas Frantz (Alcyon) @ 1hr 11min 24sec
Albert Dejonghe (JB Louvet) @ 1hr 27min 42sec
Théophile Beeckman (Thomann) 2hr 24min 43sec
Omer Huyse (Armor) @ 2hr 33min 38sec
August Verdyck (Christophe) @ 2hr 44min 36sec
Félix Sellier @ 2hr 45min 59sec
Federico Gay (Météore) @ 4hr 6min 3sec
Romain Bellenger (Alcyon) @ 4hr 26min 10sec
Adelin Benoît Thomann) @ 4hr 37min 14sec
Jean Alavoine (J.Alavoine) @ 4hr 39min 48sec
Hector Martin (JB Louvet) @ 4hr 48min 44sec
Jules Buysse (Automoto) @ 5hr 7min 33sec
Léon Despontin (touriste-routier) @ 5hr 28min 7sec
Émile Hardy (Christophe) @ 6hr 39min 1sec
Eugène Christophe (JB Louvet) @ 6hr 55min 31sec
Giovanni Rossignoli (touriste-routier) @ 7hr 18min 13sec
Raymond Engelbert (Labor) @ 7hr 30min 6sec
Giovanni-Michele Gordini (touriste-routier) @ 6hr 31min 40sec
Emile Masson, Sr. (Alcyon) @ 6hr 55min 18sec
Eugène Dhers (touriste-routier) @ 7hr 34min 16sec
Henri Touzard (touriste-routier) @ 7hr 38min 6sec
Alfonso Piccin (Christophe) @ 7hr 47min 24sec
Angelo Gremo (Météore) @ 9min 55sec 12sec
Giovanni Canova (touriste-routier) @ 10hr 24min 50sec
Arturo Bresciani (Météore) @ 10hr 38min 43sec
Charles Martinet (touriste-routier) @ 11hr 51min 53sec
Maurice Arnoult (touriste-routier) @ 12hr 26min 4sec
Louis Mottiat (Alcyon) @ 13hr 26min 4sec
Moise Arrosio (touriste-routier) @ 15hr 23min 17sec
Umberto Berni (touriste-routier) @ 15hr 49min 19sec
Charles Roux (touriste-routier) @ 15hr 59min 38sec
Alfons Standaert (Labor) @ 16hr 10min 19sec
Vincenzo Bianco (touriste-routier) @ 16hr 13min 16sec
Charles Loew (touriste-routier) @ 19hr 0min 10sec
Antoine Rière (touriste-routier) @ 19hr 17min 32sec
Henri Rubert (touriste-routier) @ 19min 39min 31sec
Charles Krier (touriste-routier) @ 21hr 20min 40sec
Charles Cento (touriste-routier) @ 23hr 4min 54sec
Roger Lacolle (Météore) @ 23hr 32min 54sec
Edouard Teisseire (touriste-routier) @ 25hr 22min 18sec
Henri Miège (touriste-routier) @ 25hr 50min 56sec
Edouard Pêtre (touriste-routier) @ 27hr 13min 41sec
Lucien Prudhomme (touriste-routier) @ 27hr 17min 45sec
Arthur Hendryckx (touriste-routier) @ 27hr 26min 16sec
François Chevalier (touriste-routier) @ 24hr 24min 44sec
Fernand Besnier (touriste-routier) @ 26hr 10min 50sec

1925 Tour stage results with running GC:

Stage 1: Sunday, June 21, Paris - Le Havre, 340 km

Ottavio Bottecchia: 12hr 9min 2sec
Francis Pélissier @ 2min 59sec
Adelin Benoît @ 5min 59sec
Félix Sellier s.t.
August Verdyck s.t.
Théophile Beeckman s.t.
Arthur Targez s.t.
Nicolas Frantz @ 9min 59sec
Joseph Pé s.t.
Bartolomeo Aymo s.t.

Stage 2: Tuesday, June 23, Le Havre - Cherbourg, 371 km

Romain Bellenger: 15hr 6min 0sec
Adelin Benoît s.t.
Nicolas Frantz s.t.
August Verdyck s.t.
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Marcel Colleu @ 2sec
Federico Gay @ 4sec
Bartolomeo Aymo s.t.
Arturo Bresciani s.t.
Luigi Lucotti @ 6sec

GC after Stage 2:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 27hr 25min 2sec
Adelin Benoît @ 5min 59sec
August Verdyck s.t.

Stage 3: Thursday, June 25, Cherbourg - Brest, 405 km

Louis Mottiat: 16hr 22min 30sec
Adelin Benoît @ 5min 38sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 6min 37sec
Francois Pélissier s.t.
August Verdyck s.t.
Omer Huyse s.t.
Théophile Beeckman s.t.
Arturo Bresciani s.t.
Jean Alavoine s.t.
Bartolomeo Aymo s.t.
Jules Buysse s.t.
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 11min 45sec

GC after Stage 3:

Adelin Benoît: 43hr 59min 9sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 8sec
August Verdyck @ 59sec

Stage 4: Friday, June 26, Brest - Vannes, 208 km

Places 5 - 17 given same time and place

Nicolas Frantz: 8hr 22min 30sec
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Félix Sellier s.t.
Théo Wynsdau s.t.
Alfonso Piccin, Théophile Beeckman, Adelin Benoît, Emile Masson, Sr., Omer Huyse, Bartolomoeo Aymo, etc, s.t.

GC after Stage 4:

Adelin Benoît: 52hr 21min 39sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 8sec
August Verdyck @ 59sec

Stage 5: Saturday, June 27, Vannes - Les Sables d'Olonne, 204 km

Nicolas Frantz: 7hr 25min 42sec
Félis Sellier s.t.
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Théo Wynsdau s.t.
Francis Pélissier s.t.
Michele Gordini s.t.
Philippe Thys s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Jules Buysse s.t.
Eugène Christophe s.t.

GC after Stage 5:

Adelin Benoît: 59hr 47min 21sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 8sec
August Verdyck @ 59sec

Stage 6: Sunday, June 28, Les Sables d'Olonne - Bordeaux, 293 km

Places 4 - 43 given same time and place

Ottavio Bottecchia: 11hr 6min 51sec
Nicolas Frantz s.t.
Félix Sellier s.t.
Charles Roux, Léon Despontin, Vincenzo Bianco, Charles Krier, Michele Gordini, Jean Alavoine, Omer Huyse, etc, s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

Adelin Benoît: 70hr 54min 12sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 8sec
August Verdyck @ 59sec

Stage 7: Monday, June 29, Bordeaux - Bayonne, 189 km

Ottavio Bottecchia: 6hr 35min 21sec
August Verdyck s.t.
Federico Gay s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Romain Bellenger s.t.
Arturo Bresciani s.t.
Hector Martin @ 4min 30sec
Nicolas Frantz s.t.
Alfonso Piccin s.t.
Adelin Benoît s.t.

GC after Stage 7:

Adelin Benoît: 70hr 54min 12sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 8sec
August Verdyck @ 59sec

Stage 8: Wednesday, July 1, Bayonne - Luchon, 326 km

Major ascents: Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde

Adelin Benoît: 15hr 18min 56sec
Omer Huyse @ 8min 34sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 11min 15sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 21min 19sec
Albert Dejonghe @ 22min 4sec
Romain Bellenger @ 35min 50sec
Théophile Beeckman @ 37min 4sec
Bartolomeo Aymo @ 39min 46sec
Félix Sellier @ 42min 42sec
Lucien Buysse @ 43min 41sec

GC after Stage 8:

Adelin Benoît: 76hr 13min 8sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 6min 63sec
Omer Huyse @ 24min 24sec

Stage 9: Friday, July 3, Luchon - Perpignan, 323 km

Major ascents: Ares, Portet d'Aspet, Port, Puymorens

Nicolas Frantz: 13hr 8min 51sec
Albert Dejonghe s.t.
Lucien Buysse @ 6min 5sec
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Romain Bellenger @ 15min 12sec
Hector Martin s.t.
Félix Sellier @ 18min 25sec
Bartolomeo Aymo @ 18min 30sec
August Verdyck @ 32min 9sec
Omer Huyse @ 35min 13sec

GC after Stage 9:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 106hr 14min 48sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 13min 20sec
Albert Dejonghe @ 26min 25sec

Stage 10: Saturday, July 4, Perpignan - Nîmes, 215 km

Théophile Beeckman: 8hr 44min 41sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 14sec
Félix Sellier s.t.
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Adelin Benoît s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Jules Buysse s.t.
August Verdyck s.t.
Arturo Bresciani s.t.
Federico Gay s.t.

GC after Stage 10:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 114hr 59min 43sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 13min 20sec
Albert Dejonghe @ 28min 48sec

Stage 11: Sunday, July 5, Nîmes - Toulon, 215 km

Lucien Buysse: 6hr 54min 7sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 48sec
Albert Dejonghe s.t.
August Verdyck @ 4min 49sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 8min 25sec
Hector Martin s.t.
Félis Sellier s.t.
Federico Gay s.t.
Théophile Beeckman s.t.
Michele Gordini @ 8min 41sec

GC after Stage 11:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 121hr 14min 48sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 20min 57sec
Albert Dejonghe @ 28min 48sec

Stage 12: Tuesday, July 7, Toulon - Nice, 280 km

Major ascents: Braus, Castillon

Lucien Buysse: 11hr 2min 12sec
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Bartolomeo Aymo @ 4min 27sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 6min 20sec
Michele Gordini s.t.
Adelin Benoît @ 7min 28sec
Omer Huyse s.t.
Jean Alavoine @ 8min 35sec
Arturo Bresciani s.t.
August Verdyck @ 12min 56sec

GC after Stage 12:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 132hr 17min 0sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 27min 17sec
Albert Dejonghe @ 46min 38sec

Stage 13: Thursday, July 9, Nice - Briançon, 275 km

Major ascents: Allos, Vars, Izoard

Bartolomeo Aymo: 13hr 5min 3sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 9min 57sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 13min 37sec
Lucien Buysse @ 14min 41sec
Omer Huyse @ 18min 52sec
August Verdyck @ 26min 19sec
Angelo Gremo @ 28min 3sec
Jean Alavoine @ 31min 24sec
Giovanni Canova @ 32min 55sec
Théophile Beeckman @ 35min 1sec

GC after Stage 13:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 145hr 42min 0sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 20min 57sec
Bartolomoeo Aymo @ 55min 49sec

Stage 14: Saturday, July 11, Briançon - Evian, 303 km

Major ascents: Galibier, Aravis

Hector Martin: 11hr 36min 15sec
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Bartolomeo Aymo s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Albert Dejonghe s.t.
Félix Sellier @ 16min 1sec
Théophile Beeckman @ 17min 37sec
August Verdyck @ 25min 2sec
Alfonso Piccin @ 37min 44sec
Nicolas Frantz s.t.

GC after Stage 14:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 157hr 18min 15sec
Bartolomeo Aymo @ 55min 49sec
Lucien Buysse @ 53min 38sec

Stage 15: Monday, July 13, Evian - Mulhouse, 373 km

Major ascent: Faucille

Places 6 - 26 given same time and place

Nicolas Frantz: 15hr 42min 45sec
Hector Martin s.t.
Adelin Benoît s.t.
Michele Gordini s.t.
Ottavio Bottecchia s.t.
Albert Dejonghe, Federico Gay, Arturo Bresciani, Léon Despontin, August Verdyck, etc, s.t.

GC after Stage 15:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 173hr 1min 0sec
Bartolomeo Aymo @ 55min 49sec
Lucien Buysse @ 58min 38sec

Stage 16: Wednesday, July 15, Mulhouse - Metz, 334 km

Hector Martin: 13hr 24min 39sec
Nicolas Frantz s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Albert Dejonghe @ 4sec
August Verdyck @ 15sec
Félix Sellier @ 17sec
Omer Huyse @ 56sec
Jean Alavoine @ 1min 1sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 3min 2sec
Federico Gay s.t.

GC after Stage 16:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 186hr 28min 41sec
Lucien Buysse @ 55min 36sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 55min 39sec

Stage 17: Friday, July 17, Metz - Dunkerque, 433 km

Hector Martin: 17hr 7min 25sec
Bartolomeo Aymo s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Albert Dejonghe @ 47sec
Ottavio Bottecchia @ 1min 16sec
August Verdyck @ 7min 31sec
Omer Huyse @ 11min 24sec
Federico Gay @ 13min 50sec
Henri Touzard @ 13min 54sec
Félix Sellier @ 16min 7sec

GC after Stage 17:

Ottavio Bottecchia: 203hr 37min 22sec
Lucien Buysse @ 54min 20sec
Nicolas Frantz @ 56min 37sec

Stage 18 (final stage): Sunday, July 19, Dunkerque - Paris, 343 km

Ottavio Bottecchia: 14hr 53min 6sec
Romain Bellenger s.t.
Bartolomeo Aymo s.t.
Lucien Buysse s.t.
Jules Buysse s.t.
Félix Sellier @ 54sec
Nicolas Frantz s.t.
Federico Gay s.t.
Adelin Benoît s.t.
Jean Alavoine @ 1min 56sec

Final 1925 Tour de France Complete General Classification

The Story of the 1925 Tour de France

This excerpt is from "The Story of the Tour de France", Volume 1 If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print, ebook or audiobook. The Amazon link here will make either purchase easy.

Since 1910, the year of Octave Lapize's victory, the Tour had used a 15-stage format. In 1925 the Tour went to 18 stages with roughly the same distance as in 1924, 5,430 kilometers. The average length of a stage in 1924 was 361 kilometers. It dropped to 321 kilometers in 1925. Henri Pélissier was winning one of his most important arguments. Pélissier believed that the numbingly long stages made for poor racing and fought for shorter stages ridden at higher speeds. In the end, history has validated Pélissier's argument. Desgrange also reduced the time bonus for stage wins.

Automoto brought a formidable team to the 1925 Tour. Its 6 men included Ottavio Bottecchia, Philippe Thys, Henri and Francis Pélissier, and Lucien and Jules Buysse. Among them, I count 7 Tour victories past, present and future.

Eugène Christophe, wearing the JB Louvet jersey was riding his last Tour. Also riding their last Tours were Jean Alavoine, Philippe Thys, Henri Pélissier and that eternal second, Hector Heusghem.

130 riders departed on Sunday, June 21 from Paris. 340 kilometers later Ottavio Bottecchia came in alone, 2 minutes, 59 seconds ahead of Francis Pélissier. Bottecchia started the 1925 Tour the same way he started the 1924 edition, in Yellow.

Bottecchia kept the Yellow Jersey until the end of stage 3 where he lost about 6 minutes to a front group that contained Belgian rider Adelin Benoit. Benoit took over the lead with Bottecchia only 8 seconds behind.

Future Tour winner Nicolas Frantz (1927, 1928) was getting better. He won stages 4 and 5 but Benoit kept the Yellow Jersey. Bottecchia shadowed him keeping the gap in the General Classification at 8 seconds.


Feed zones have certainly changed. Here, the riders collect food during the 16th stage as they pass through Wissenbourg. Note the bags on the table to the right.

Bottecchia won stage 6, still a long 293 kilometers from Les Sables d'Olonne to Bordeaux. The list of riders finishing at the same time with him reads almost like a Who's Who of the early Tour. Frantz was second. Not far behind him were Jean Alavoine, Philippe Thys, Francis Pélissier, Eugène Christophe, Émile Masson, Honoré Barthélémy and Romain Bellenger. In all 43 riders, many of them cycling immortals, galloped for the line that day. Oh, to have seen that finish! Bottecchia remained in second place, at 8 seconds behind Benoit.

Stage 7, 189 kilometers from Bordeaux to Bayonne, made a difference. Bottecchia was first in a 6-man lead group that beat the pack by 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Bottecchia took back the Yellow Jersey with Benoit over 4 minutes in arrears.


Pelissier, Aimo and Bottechia on the Aubisque. Bottecchia, on the right, must have had a problem, note his left foot is not in the toe clip.

The next day, stage 8, was the first of the 2 days in the Pyrenees with the Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin and the Peyresourde. Bottecchia was first over Aubisque. Omer Huyse of the Armor team crested the Tourmalet and the Aspin in the lead. But Benoit was on fire. He led over the Peyresourde and came in alone, 9 minutes ahead of Huyse. Bottecchia trailed in almost 12 minutes later. The rest of the field was wrecked. Fourth place that day went to Frantz who was almost 22 minutes behind. Bottecchia's loyal Automoto teammate Lucien Buysse was 44 minutes down and he was only tenth! Hector Heusghem was over 2 hours slower and Philippe Thys was yet another hour behind. Bottecchia was back in second place in the General Classification, almost 7 minutes behind Benoit.

The General Classification:

1. Adelin Benoit

2. Ottavio Bottecchia @ 6 minutes 53 seconds

3. Omer Huyse @ 24 minutes 24 seconds

Benoit couldn't keep that pace up for long. In fact he couldn't keep it up for another day. Stage 9, which went from Luchon to Perpignan, had 4 major passes. Bottecchia was first over all of them, but by the time he and teammate Lucien Buysse came in to the finish they were 6 minutes behind Frantz and Albert Dejonghe. Benoit was an hour late in keeping his appointment with the Yellow Jersey, delayed by a sore knee. Bottecchia was back in Yellow. The General Classification after the Pyrenees:

1. Ottavio Bottecchia

2. Nicolas Frantz @ 13 minutes 20 seconds

3. Albert Dejonghe @ 26 minutes 25 seconds

Across Southern France, heading for the Alps, Lucien Buysse took care of Bottecchia, acting as a loyal, selfless domestique. In return, Bottecchia let Buysse take the stage wins in both stage 11 to Toulon and stage 12 to Nice.


Bartolomeo Aimo leads a very strung-out field over the Allos on a wet, miserable day. Note that the road is unpaved.

In the Alps Bottecchia extended his lead without worrying about winning the stages. The Italian sports fans who had flocked to the Tour to see Bottecchia ride had the pleasure of seeing their compatriot Bartolomeo Aimo be the first over both the Vars and the Izoard as he rode to win stage 13. Bottecchia was 10 minutes back but General Classification second place Frantz was over 13 minutes slower.


And here's Bottecchia going over the Izoard.

Stage 14 took the riders over the 2,556-meter high Galibier and the 1,498-meter Aravis on their way from Briançon to Évian. Lucien Buysse led his team captain Bottecchia over the Galibier while Bottecchia took the point over the Aravis. JB Louvet rider Hector Martin won the stage but Bottecchia, Aimo, Buysse and Dejonghe finished with him with the same time.

After completion of the Alpine stages, Bottecchia was firmly in control:

1. Ottavio Bottecchia

2. Bartolomeo Aimo @ 55 minutes 49 seconds

3. Lucien Buysse @ 58 minutes 38 seconds

The gap between Aimo and Buysse was quite small. Buysse remedied what he surely thought was a curable deficiency in the standings by breaking away with Frantz, Dejonghe and Hector Martin in the sixteenth stage. Aimo missed the move and finished 5 minutes behind the fast-moving quartet. Buysse advanced to second place and Frantz was now third in the General Classification.

1. Ottavio Bottecchia

2. Lucien Buysse @ 55 minutes 36 seconds

3. Nicolas Frantz @ 55 minutes 39 seconds

For the last stage into Paris Bottecchia got into a break with his 2 teammates, brothers Jules and Lucien Buysse, as well as Aimo and Romain Bellenger. Bottecchia won the sprint, icing a perfectly run Tour. He rode economically and carefully, avoiding needless, energy-wasting display.

Both Francis and Henri Pélissier abandoned the 1925 Tour. Henri bailed out on stage 4 and Francis quit on stage 9 (the Luchon to Perpignan Pyreneen stage). Philippe Thys quit on stage 9 as well.


	Riders stopped at a level crossing. It looks like a few got through.

The French were shut out of the top 10 in the final General Classification. Alcyon rider Romain Bellenger's 4 hours, 26 minutes behind Bottecchia, eleventh in the General Classification, was the best the French could do. For the first time Italians took 2 of the 3 places on the podium. France would have to wait until 1930 before one of her sons would again wear Yellow in Paris.

The final 1925 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Ottavio Bottecchia (Automoto): 219 hours 10 minutes 18 seconds

2. Lucien Buysse (Automoto) @ 54 minutes 20 seconds

3. Bartolomeo Aimo (Alcyon) @ 56 minutes 37 seconds

4. Nicolas Frantz (Alcyon) @ 1 hour 11 minutes 24 seconds

5. Albert Dejonghe (JB Louvet) @ 1 hour 27 minutes 42 seconds


Ottavio Bottecchia, the winner of the 1925 Tour de France

Since this was the last year Henri Pélissier rode the Tour, let's take a look at his post-Tour life. As we have noted, Henri Pélissier was a hothead, willing to get into an argument any time. One time his public comments describing his fellow racers as draft horses so offended the peloton that at an inopportune moment when he stopped to urinate the angry pack broke its unwritten rule and en masse attacked and permanently dropped him. He wasn't just a man who seemed to be at war with the outside world. His first wife, Léonie, finding life with Henri intolerable, killed herself in 1933.

Henri replaced her with a paramour, Camille Tharault. They argued ferociously. 2 years later in 1935 the warring pair had a terrible fight, Pélissier cut Tharault in the face with a knife. In return, Camille shot him dead with the same revolver Léonie had used to commit suicide. She did the job correctly, putting 5 slugs into Pélissier. After pleading self-defense, the court gave her a year's suspended jail sentence. Tour de France historian Les Woodland notes that this was as close to an acquittal as the courts could give her.

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1925 Tour de France

19th edition: June 21- July 19, 1925

Results, stages with running GC, photos, history

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