1975 Tour de France

62nd edition: June 26 - July 20, 1975

Results, stages with running GC, history and photographs

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1974 Tour | 1976 Tour | Quick Facts | Tour de France database | Final GC | Stage results with running GC | The Story of the 1975 Tour de France

Map of the 1975 Tour de France

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Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2: 1976 - 2018 is available as an audiobook here.

1975 Tour Quick Facts:

The 1975 Tour was 3,999 kilometers long and ridden at an average speed of 34.899 km/hr.

There were 140 starters and 86 classified finishers.

This was the first year the best climber was awarded the Polka-Dot jersey.

Francesco Moser took the Yellow Jersey at the Prologue but lost it to Merckx in the stage six Merlin-Plage time trial.

Merckx looked to be headed for a 6th Tour win but was punched by a spectator while climbing Puy de Dôme.

Merckx says that the painkillers and blood thinners he had to take caused his crisis in the Pra Loup stage where Bernard Thévenet took the lead and then held it to the end.

There were three doping positives:

• Régis Delépine after the fifth stage
• Felice Gimondi & José-Luis Viejo after the fifteenth stage

They recieved several penalties, including 10 minutes added to their times. That moved Gimondi from 5th down to 6th place.

Moser never again rode the Tour.

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Complete Final 1975 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Bernard Thévenet (Peugeot-BP) 114hr 35min 31sec
2. Eddy Merckx (Molteni) @ 2min 47sec
3. Lucien van Impe (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 5min 1sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk (Gan-Mercier) @ 6min 42sec
5. Vicente López-Carril (KAS) @ 19min 29sec
6. Felice Gimondi (Bianchi) @ 23min 5sec
7. Francesco Moser (Filotex) @ 24min 13sec
8. Josef Fuchs (Filotex) @ 25min 51sec
9. Èdouard Janssens (Molteni) @ 32min 1sec
10. Pedro Torres (Super Ser) @ 35min 36sec
11. Hennie Kuiper (Frisol) @ 40min 45sec
12. André Romero (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 44min 24sec
13. Georges Talbourdet (Gan-Mercier) @ 44min 49sec
14. Mariano Martinez (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 45min 41sec
15. Joaquim Agostinho (Sporting-Sotto Mayor-Lejeune) @ 50min 46sec
16. Raymond Delisle (Peugeot-BP) @ 55min 21sec
17. Jos Deschoenmaecker (Molteni) @ 55min 24sec
18. Fedor Den Hartog (Frisol) @ 56min 45sec
19. Raymond Poulidor (Gan-Mercier) @ 58min 57sec
20. Ferdinand Julien (Sporting-Sotto Mayor-Lejeune) @ 1hr 5min 27sec
21. Yves Hézard (Gan-Mercier) @ 1hr 5min 54sec
22. Roberto Poggiali (Filotex) @ 1hr 6min 2sec
23. Michel Pollentier (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 1hr 15min 23sec
24. Tony Houbrechts (Bianchi) @ 1hr 19min 54sec
25. José-Luis Viejo (Super Ser) @ 1hr 22min 29sec
26. Luis Balague (Super Ser) @ 1hr 23min 27sec
27. Martin Emilio Rodríguez (Bianchi) @ 1hr 23min 56sec
28. Régis Ovion (Peugeot-BP) @ 1hr 29min 23sec
29. Carlos Melero (KAS) @ 1hr 29min 23sec
30. Raymond Martin (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 1hr 34min 6sec
31. Herman Van Springel (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 1hr 37min 52sec
32. Albert Van Vlierberghe (Miko-De Gribaldy) @ 1hr 40min 54sec
33. Fabrizio Fabbri (Bianchi) @ 1hr 41min 22sec
34. José Pesarrodona (KAS) @ 1hr 42min 6sec
35. Simone Fraccaro (Bianchi) @ 1hr 42min 9sec
36. José Casas (Super Ser) @ 1hr 43min 22sec
37. Ronald De Witte (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 1hr 46min 11sec
38. Joël Millard (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 1hr 47min 1sec
39. Renato Marchetti (Filotex) @ 1hr 55min 32sec
40. Bernard Bourreau (Peugeot-BP) @ 1hr 57min 19sec
41. Hubert Mathis (Miko-De Gribaldy) @ 1hr 58min 52sec
42. Marc Demeyer (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 2hr 0min 39sec
43. Sigfrido Fontanelli (Filotex) @ 2hr 3min 13sec
44. Sylvain Vasseur (Super Ser) @ 2hr 4min 26sec
45. Willy Teirlinck (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 2hr 5min 37sec
46. Giacinto Santambrogio (Bianchi) @ 2hr 5min 45sec
47. Ole Ritter (Filotex) @ 2hr 5min 58sec
48. Giovanni Cavalcanti (Bianchi) @ 2hr 6min 59sec
49. Francis Campaner (Sporting-Sotto Mayor-Lejeune) @ 2hr 8min 42sec
50. Gerben Karstens (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 2hr 9min 47sec
51. Walter Godefroot (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 2hr 15min 25sec
52. Charles Rouxel (Peugeot-BP) @ 2hr 15min 26sec
53. Robert Mintkiewicz (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 2hr 15min 56sec
54. Mauro Simonetti (Filotex) @ 2hr 16min 56sec
55. Guy Leleu (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 2hr 18min 15sec
56. Frans Mintjens (Molteni) @ 2hr 19min 1sec
57. Ludo Delcroix (Molteni) @ 2hr 19min 2sec
58. José Grande (KAS) @ 2hr 20min 25sec
59. Jos Huysmans (Molteni) @ 2hr 20min 26sec
60. Karel Rottiers (Molteni) @ 2hr 21min 37sec
61. Fernando Ferreira (Sporting-Sotto Mayor-Lejeune) @ 2hr 26min 52sec
62. Marc Lievens (Molteni) @ 2hr 27min 5sec
63. Gerrie Knetemann (Gan-Mercier) @ 2hr 28min 48sec
64. Richard Pianaro (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 2hr 29min 1sec
65. Jean-Claude Misac (Gan-Mercier) @ 2hr 19min 54sec
66. Gerard Vianen (Gan-Mercier) @ 2hr 32min 56sec
67. José De Cauwer (Frisol) @ 2hr 35min 17sec
68. Barry Hoban (Gan-Mercier) @ 2hr 41min 17sec
69. André Doyen (Miko-De Gribaldy) @ 2hr 43min 35sec
70. René Dillen (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 2hr 44min 49sec
71. Roger Legeay (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 2hr 44min 49sec
72. Maurice Le Guilloux (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 2hr 46min 48sec
73. Joel Hauvieux (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 2hr 47min 26sec
74. Calude Magni (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 2hr 47min 50sec
75. Frans Van Vlierberghe (Miko-De Gribaldy) @ 2hr 49min 35sec
76. Serge Parsani (Bianchi) @ 2hr 51min 26sec
77. Regis Delepine (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 2hr 54min 5sec
78. Patrick Beon (Peugeot-BP) @ 2hr 54min 33sec
79. Rik Van Linden (Bianchi) @ 2hr 55min 56sec
80. Gerard Moneyron (Flandria-Carpenter) @ 2hr 58min 43sec
81. Luigi Castelletti (Bianchi) @ 3hr 0min 9sec
82. Henk Prinsen (Frisol) @ 3hr 4min 47sec
83. José Manuel Amaro (Sporting-Sotto-Mayor-Lejeune) @ 3hr 10min 13sec
84. Gerard Kamper (Frisol) @ 3hr 16min 59sec
85. Donald John Allan (Frisol) @ 3hr 24min 36sec
86. Jacques Boulas (Jobo-Sabliere) @ 3hr 31min 21sec

Climbers' Competition:

1. Lucien van Impe (Gitane-Campagnolo): 285 points
2. Eddy Merckx (Molteni): 206
3. Joop Zoetemelk (Gan-Mercier): 171

Points Competition:

1. Rik Van Linden: 342 points
2. Eddy Merckx (Molteni) : 240
3. Francesco Moser (Filotex): 199

Team Classification:

1. Gan-Mercier: 345hr 3min 49sec
2. Molteni @ 8min 28sec
3. Filotex @ 11min 17sec
4. Gitane-Campagnolo @ 20min 8sec
5. Peugeot-BP @ 28min 47sec
6. Bianchi @ 41min 13sec
7. KAS @ 1hr 4min 48sec
8. Super Ser @ 1hr 5min 22sec
9. Sporting-Sotto Mayor-Lejeune @ 2hr 34min 45sec
10. Frisol @ 2hr 59min 51sec
11. Flandria-Carpenter @ 2hr 59min 51sec
12. Jobo-Sabliere @ 3hr 8min 3sec
13. Miko-De Gribaldy @ 4min 21min 52sec

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Stage results with running GC:

Prologue: Thursday, June 26, Charleroi 6.25 km Individual Time Trial

1. Francesco Moser: 8min 49sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 14sec
4. Michel Pollentier s.t.
5. Yves Hézard @ 15sec
6. Joop Zoetemelk @ 17sec
7. Gerben Karstens @ 18sec
8. Knut Knudsen @ 20sec
9. Régis Ovion @ 23sec
10. Hennie Kuiper @ 24sec

GC after prologue: Same as prologue places and times

Stage 1A: Friday, June 27, Charleroi - Molenbeek, 94 km

Major ascent: Mur de Grammont

1. Cees Priem: 2hr 9min 27sec
2. Eddy Merckx s.t.
3. Ronny De Witte s.t.
4. Lucien van Impe s.t.
5. Joop Zoetemelk s.t.
6. Michel Pollentier s.t.
7. Francesco Moser s.t.
8. Gerrie Knetemann s.t.
9. Karel Rottiers @ 7sec
10. Rik Van Linden @ 53sec

GC after Stage 1A:

1. Francesco Moser: 2hr 18min 16sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Lucien van Impe, Michel Pollentier, @ 14sec
5. Joop Zoetemelk @ 17sec
6. Gerrie Knetemann @ 24sec
7. Karel Rottiers s.t.
8. Yves Hézard @ 1min 8sec
9. Gerben Karstens, Ronny De Witte @ 1min 11sec

Stage 1B: Friday, June 27, Molenbeek - Roubaix, 108.5 km

1. Rik van Linden: 2hr 28min 30sec
2. Francesco Moser s.t.
3. Walter Godefroot s.t.
4. Marc De Meyer s.t.
5. Felice Gimondi s.t.
6. Herman Van Springel s.t.
7. Eddy Merckx s.t.
8. Bernard Thévenet s.t.
9. Michel Pollentier s.t.
10. Giovanni Battaglin s.t.

GC after stage 1B:

1. Francesco Moser: 4hr 46min 46sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 14sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 17sec
5. Herman Van Springel @ 1min 18sec
6. Giovanni Battaglin, Felice Gimondi @ 1min 22sec
8. Rik Van Linden, Raymond Poulidor @ 1min 27sec
10. Walter Godefroot @ 1min 28sec

Stage 2: Saturday, June 28, Roubaix - Amiens, 121.5 km

1. Ronny De Witte: 2hr 37min 17sec
2. Gérard Vianen s.t.
3. Rik Van Linden s.t.
4. Jacques Esclassan s.t.
5. Wilfried Wesemael s.t.
6. Barry Hoban s.t.
7. Karel Rottiers s.t.
8. Cees Priem s.t.
9. Alessio Antonini s.t.
10. Gerben Karstens s.t.

GC after Stage 2:

1. Francesco Moser: 7hr 24min 3sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 14sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 17sec
5. Herman Van Springel @ 1min 18sec
6. Giovanni Battaglin, Felice Gimondi @ 1min 22sec
8. Rik Van Linden, Raymond Poulidor @ 1min 27sec
10. Walter Godefroot @ 1min 28sec

Stage 3: Sunday, June 29, Amiens - Versailles, 169.5 km

1. Karel Rottiers: 4hr 4min 4sec
2. Francesco Moser s.t.
3. Jacques Esclassan s.t.
4. Rik Van Linden s.t.
5. Walter Godefroot s.t.
6. Eddy Merckx s.t.
7. Barry Hoban s.t.
8. Piero Gavazzi s.t.
9. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
10. Régis Delépine

GC after Stage 3:

1. Francesco Moser: 11hr 28min 7sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 14sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 17sec
5. Herman Van Springel @ 1min 18sec
6. Giovanni Battaglin, Felice Gimondi @ 1min 22sec
8. Rik Van Linden, Raymond Poulidor @ 1min 27sec
10. Walter Godefroot @ 1min 28sec

Stage 4: Monday, June 30, Versailles - Le Mans, 223 km

1. Jacques Esclassan: 5hr 26min 32sec
2. Rik Van Linden s.t.
3. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
4. Giacomo Bazzan s.t.
5. Theo Smit s.t.
6. Wilfried Wesemael s.t.
7. Bruno Vicino s.t.
8. Piero Gavazzi s.t.
9. Herman Van Springel s.t.
10. Giacinto Santambrogio s.t.

GC after Stage 4:

1. Francesco Moser: 16hr 54min 39sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 14sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 17sec
5. Herman Van Springel @ 1min 18sec
6. Giovanni Battaglin, Felice Gimondi @ 1min 22sec
8. Rik Van Linden, Raymond Poulidor @ 1min 27sec
10. Walter Godefroot @ 1min 28sec

Stage 5: Tuesday, July 1, Sablé sur Sarthe - Merlin Plage, 222.5 km

1. Theo Smit: 5hr 39min 25sec
2. Rik Van Linden s.t.
3. Eddy Merckx s.t.
4. Jacques Esclassan s.t.
5. Henk Prinsen s.t.
6. Giacinto Santambrogio s.t.
7. Piero Gavazzi s.t.
8. Barry Hoban s.t.
9. Gerben Karstens s.t.
10. Alessio Antonini s.t.

GC after Stage 5:

1. Francesco Moser: 22hr 34min 4sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 14sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 17sec
5. Herman Van Springel @ 1min 18sec
6. Giovanni Battaglin, Feice Gimondi @ 1min 22sec
8. Rik Van Linden, Raymond Poulidor @ 1min 27sec
10. Walter Godefroot @ 1min 28sec

Stage 6: Wednesday, July 2, Merlin Plage 16km Individual Time Trial

1. Eddy Merckx: 19min 33sec
2. Yves Hézard @ 27sec
3. Knut Knudsen @ 30sec
4. Francesco Moser @ 33sec
5. Jean-Pierre Danguillauime @ 45sec
6. Bernard Thévenet @ 52sec
7. Luis Ocaña @ 53sec
8. Hennie Kuiper @ 56sec
9. Michel Pollentier @ 57sec
10. Gerrie Knetemann @ 58sec

GC after Stage 6:

1. Eddy Merckx: 22hr 53min 39sec
2. Franesco Moser @ 31sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 1min 9sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 2min 7sec
5. Herman Van Springel, Raymond Poulidor @ 2min 32sec
8. Felice Gimondi @ 2min 34sec
9. Lucien Van Impe @ 2min 50sec
10. Giovanni Battaglin @ 2min 53sec
11. Marc De Meyer @ 2min 54sec

Stage 7: Thursday, July 3, St. Gilles Croix de Vie - Angoulême, 235.5 km

1. Francesco Moser: 6hr 25min 16sec
2. Rik Van Linden s.t.
3. Walter Godefroot s.t.
4. Eddy Merckx s.t.
5. Joop Zoetemelk s.t.
6. Alain Cigana s.t.
7. Jacques Esclassan s.t.
8. Alessio Antonini @ 3sec
9. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume s.t.
10. Willy Tierlinck s.t.

GC after Stage 7:

1. Eddy Merckx: 29hr 18min 55sec
2. Franesco Moser @ 31sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 1min 13sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 2min 11sec
5. Herman Van Springel, Raymond Poulidor @ 2min 36sec
7. Felice Gimondi @ 2min 38sec
8. Lucien van Impe @ 2min 54sec
9. Giovanni Battaglin @ 2min 57sec
10. Marc De Meyer @ 2min 58sec

Stage 8: Saturday, July 5, Angoulême - Bordeaux, 134 km

1. Barry Hoban: 3hr 25min 54sec
2. Rik Van Linden s.t.
3. Francesco Moser s.t.
4. Walter Godefroot s.t.
5. Gerben Karstens s.t.
6. Giacomo Bazzan s.t.
7. Piero Gavazzi s.t.
8. Régis Delépine s.t.
9. Marc De Meyer s.t.
10. Alain Cigana s.t.

GC after Stage 8:

1. Eddy Merckx: 32hr 44min 49sec
2. Francesco Moser @ 31sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 1min 13sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 2min 11sec
5. Herman Van Springel, Raymond Poulidor @ 2min 36sec
7. Felice Gimondi @ 2min 38sec
8. Lucien van Impe @ 2min 54sec
9. Giovanni Battaglin @ 2min 57sec
10. Marc de Meyer @ 2min 58sec

Stage 9A: Satuday, July 5, Langon - Fleurance, 131 km

1. Theo Smit: 3hr 15min 32sec
2. Rik Van Linden s.t.
3. Giacinto Santambrogio s.t.
4. Eddy Merckx s.t.
5. Gerben Karstens s.t.
6. Gérard Vianen s.t.
7. Giacomo Bazzan s.t.
8. Eddy Peelman s.t.
9. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
10. Barry Hoban s.t.

GC after Stage 9A:

1. Eddy Merckx: 36hr 21sec
2. Francesco Moser @ 31sec
3. Michel Pollentier @ 1min 13sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 2min 11sec
5. Herman Van Springel, Raymond Poulidor @ 2min 36sec
7. Felice Gimondi @ 2min 38sec
8. Lucien van Impe @ 2min 54sec
9. Giovanni Battaglin @ 2min 57sec
10. Marc De Meyer @ 2min 58sec

Stage 9B: Saturday, July 5, Fleurance - Auch 37.4 km individual time trial

1. Eddy Merckx: 49min 42sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 9sec
3. Knut Knudsen @ 13sec
4. Felice Gimondi @ 44sec
5. Yves Hézard @ 47sec
6. Luis Ocaña @ 1min 6sec
7. Francesco Moser @ 1min 8sec
8. Michel Pollentier @ 1min 16sec
9. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume @ 1min 20sec
10. Joop Zoetemelk @ 1min 40sec

GC after Stage 9B:

1. Eddy Merckx: 36hr 50min 3sec
2. Francesco Moser @ 1min 39sec
3. Bernard Thévenet @ 2min 20sec
4. Michel Pollentier @ 2min 29sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 3min 22sec
6. Knut Knudsen @ 3min 43sec
7. Yves Hézard @ 3min 59sec
8. Raymond Poulidor @ 4min 42sec
9. Herman Van Springel @ 4min 43sec
10. Joop Zoetemelk @ 4min 48sec

Stage 10: Monday, July 7, Auch - Pau, 206 km

Major ascents: Soulor, Esquillot

1. Felice Gimondi: 5hr 59min 52sec
2. Robert Poggiali @ 2sec
3. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume @ 7sec
4. Bernard Thévent @ 8sec
5. Francesco Moser s.t.
6. Yves Hézard s.t.
7. Giovanni Battaglin s.t.
8. Eddy Merckx s.t.
9. Lucien van Impe s.t.
10. Raymond Poulidor s.t.

GC after Stage 10:

1. Eddy Merckx: 42hr 50min 3sec
2. Francesco Moser @ 1min 39sec
3. Bernard Thévenet @ 2min 20sec
4. Felice Gimondi @ 3min 14sec
5. Yves Hézard @ 3min 59sec
6. Raymond Poulidor @ 4min 42sec
7. Joop Zoetemelk @ 4min 48sec
8. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume @ 4min 50sec
9. Luis Ocaña @ 5min 14sec
10. Giovanni Battaglin @ 5min 17sec

Stage 11: Tuesday, July 8, Pau - St. Lary Soulan, 160 km

Major ascents: Tourmalet, Aspin and hilltop finish at St.-Lary-Soulan

1. Joop Zoetemelk: 5hr 17min 18sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 6sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 55min
4. Eddy Merckx s.t.
5. Luis Ocaña @ 2min 24sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 3min 18sec
7. André Romero @ 3min 52sec
8. Jos Deschoenmaecker @ 4min 58sec
9. Francisco Galdos @ 5min 3sec
10. Felice Gimondi @ 5min 35sec

GC after Stage 11:

1. Eddy Merckx: 48hr 18min 16sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 31sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 3min 53sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 5min 18sec
5. Luis Ocaña @ 6min 43sec
6. Felice Gimondi @ 7min 54sec
7. Raymond Poulidor @ 9min 56sec
8. Giovanni Battaglin @ 9min 59sec
9. Vicente López-Carril s.t. (tied with Battaglin for 8th)
10. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume @ 11min 47sec

Stage 12: Wednesday, July 9, Tarbes - Albi, 242 km

1. Gerrie Knetemann: 7hr 17min 25sec
2. Giovanni Cavalcanti s.t.
3. Gerben Karstens @ 32sec
4. Rik van Linden s.t.
5. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
6. Albert Van Vlierberghe s.t.
7. Walter Godefroot s.t.
8. Cees Priem s.t.
9. Piero Gavazzi s.t.
10. Jozef Huysmans s.t.

GC after Stage 12:

1. Eddy Merckx: 55hr 36min 13sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 31sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 3min 53sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 5min 18sec
5. Luis Ocaña @ 6min 43sec
6. Felice Gimondi @ 7min 54sec
7. Giovanni Battaglin @ 9min 59sec
8. Vicente López-Carril s.t. (tied with Battaglin for 7th)
9. Raymond Poulidor @ 10min 26sec
10. Jean-Pierre Danguillauime @ 11min 47sec

Stage 13: Thursday, July 10, Albi - Super Lioran, 260 km

Major ascents: Salgues, Plomb du Cantal, hilltop finish at Super Lioran.

1. Michel Pollentier: 8hr 58min 44sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 25sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 26sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk s.t.
5. Francesco Moser s.t.
6. Bernard Thévenet s.t.
7. Josef Fuchs @ 29sec
8. Felice Gimondi @ 30sec
9. Hennie Kuiper @ 34sec
10. Fedor Den Hartog @ 36sec

GC after Stage 13:

1. Eddy Merckx: 64hr 35min 22sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 32sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 3min 54sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 5min 19sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 7min 59sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 10min 24sec
7. Raymond Poulidor @ 10min 56sec
8. Franesco Moser @ 11min 56sec
9. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume @ 12min 17sec
10. Francisco Galdos @ 12min 25sec

Stage 14: Friday, July 11, Aurillac - Puy de Dôme, 173.5 km

Major ascents: Puy Mary and hilltop finish at Puy de Dôme

1. Lucien van Impe: 5hr 26min 51sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 15sec
3. Eddy Merckx @ 49sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk s.t.
5. André Doyen @ 1min 8sec
6. Michel Pollentier @ 1min 10sec
7. Pedro Torres @ 1min 18sec
8. Francisco Galdos @ 1min 19sec
9. Mariano Martinez @ 1min 20sec
10. Francesco Moser @ 1min 30sec

GC after stage 14:

1. Eddy Merckx: 70hr 3min 2sec
2. Bernard Thévenet @ 58sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 3min 54sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 4min 30sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 8min 54sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 11min 51sec
7. Francesco Moser @ 12min 37sec
8. Raymond Poulidor @ 12min 49sec
9. Francisco Galdos @ 12min 55sec
10. Jean-Pierre Danguillaume @ 14min 36sec

Stage 15: Sunday, July 13, Nice - Pra Loup

Major ascents: St. Martin, Couillole, Champs, Allos and hilltop finish at Pra Loup

1. Bernard Thévenet: 7hr 46min 35sec
2. Felice Gimondi @ 23sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 1min 12sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 1min 42sec
5. Eddy Merckx @ 1min 56sec
6. Francesco Moser @ 3min 12sec
7. Josef Fuchs s.t.
8. Luis Balague @ 5min 26sec
9. Raymond Delisle @ 6min 1sec
10. Vicente López-Carril @ 6min 16sec

GC after Stage 15:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 77hr 50min 35sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 58sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 4min 8sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 5min 14sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 8min 19sec
6. Francesco Moser @ 14min 51sec
7. Vicente López-Carril @ 17min 9sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 17min 19sec
9. Raymond Poulidor @ 23min 58sec
10. Edouard Janssens @ 25min 52sec

Stage 16: Monday, July 14, Barcelonnette - Serre Chevalier, 107 km

Major ascents: Vars, Izoard

1. Bernard Thévenet: 3hr 16min 17sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2min 22sec
3. Felice Gimondi s.t.
4. Joop Zoetemelk s.t.
5. Lucien van Impe s.t.
6. André Romero s.t.
7. Vicente Lôpez-Carril s.t.
8. Francisco Galdos s.t.
9. Edouard Janssens s.t.
10. Herman Van Springel @ 4min 8sec

GC after Stage 16:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 81hr 6min 52sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 3min 20sec
3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 6min 30sec
4. Lucien van Impe @ 7min 36sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 10min 41sec
6. Francesco Moser @ 19min 8sec
7. Vicente López-Carril @ 19min 31sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 21min 36sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 28min 14sec
10. Pedro Torres @ 30min 12sec

Stage 17: Tuesday, July 15, Valloire - Morzine/Avoriaz, 225 km

Major ascents: Madeleine, Aravis, Colombière and hilltop finish at Morzine/Avoriaz

1. Vicente López-Carril: 7hr 23min 38sec
2. Lucien van Impe @ 2min 11sec
3. Eddy Merckx @ 3min 44sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk @ 3min 45sec
5. Bernard Thévenet @ 3min 46sec
6. Josef Fuchs @ 3min 56sec
7. Michel Pollentier @ 4min 8sec
8. Raymond Delisle @ 4min 17sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 5min 33
10. Felice Gimondi s.t.

GC after Stage 17:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 88hr 34min 16sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 3min 18sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 6min 1sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk @ 6min 29sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 12min 28sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 15min 45sec
7. Francesco Moser @ 20min 55sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 21min 46sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 30min 1sec
10. Pedro Torres @ 32min 1sec

Stage 18: Wednesday, July 16, Morzine - Chatel 40km Individual Time Trial

1. Lucien van Impe: 1hr 3min 15sec
2. Ole Ritter @ 56sec
3. Eddy Merckx @ 57sec
4. Bernard Thévenet @ 1min 12sec
5. Joaquim Agostinho @ 1min 20sec
6. Felice Gimondi @ 1min 37sec
7. Joop Zoetemelk @ 1min 41sec
8. Michel Pollentier @ 2min 19sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 3min
10. Yves Hézard s.t.

GC after stage 18:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 89hr 38min 43sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 3min 3sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 4min 49sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk @ 6min 58sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 12min 53sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 19min 45sec
7. Francesco Moser @ 24min 29sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 25min 39sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 31min 49sec
10. Pedro Torres @ 35min 24sec

Stage 19: Thursday, July 17, Thonon les Bains - Chalon sur Saône, 229 km

Major ascents: Faucille, Mijoux

1. Rik Van Linden: 6hr 53min 59sec
2. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
3. Barry Hoban s.t.
4. Gerben Karstens s.t.
5. Walter Godefroot s.t.
6. Eddy Merckx s.t.
7. Karel Rottiers s.t.
8. Régis Delépine s.t.
9. Willy Tierlinck s.t.
10. Gérard Vianen s.t.

GC after stage 19:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 96hr 32min 42sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 3min 3sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 4min 49sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk @ 6min 58sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 12min 53sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 19min 45sec
7. Francesco Moser @ 24min 29sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 25min 39sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 31min 49sec
10. Pedro Torres @ 35min 24sec

Stage 20: Friday, July 18, Pouilly en Auxois - Melun, 256 km

1. Giacinto Santambrogio: 7hr 39min 45sec
2. Rik Van Linden @ 28sec
3. Gerben Karstens s.t.
4. Barry Hoban s.t.
5. Walter Godefroot s.t.
6. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
7. Karel Rottiers s.t.
8. Régis Delépine s.t.
9. Mauro Simonetti s.t;
10. José Amaro s.t.

GC after Stage 20:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 104hr 12min 55sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 3min 3sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 4min 49sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk @ 6min 58sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 12min 53sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 19min 45sec
7. Franesco Moser @ 24min 29sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 25min 39sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 31min 49sec
10. Pedro Torres @ 35min 24sec

Stage 21: Saturday, July 19, Melun - Senlis, 220.5 km

1. Rik Van Linden: 6hr 36min 51sec
2. Gerben Karstens s.t.
3. Barry Hoban s.t.
4. Francesco Moser s.t.
5. Karel Rottiers s.t.
6. Gérard Vianen s.t.
7. Marc De Meyer s.t.
8. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
9. Mariano Martinez s.t.
10. Joaquim Agostinho s.t.

GC after Stage 21:

1. Bernard Thévenet: 110hr 50min 2sec
2. Eddy Merckx @ 2min 47sec
3. Lucien van Impe @ 5min 1sec
4. Joop Zoetemelk @ 6min 42sec
5. Felice Gimondi @ 13min 5sec
6. Vicente López-Carril @ 19min 29sec
7. Francesco Moser @ 24min 13sec
8. Josef Fuchs @ 25min 51sec
9. Edouard Janssens @ 32min 1sec
10. Pedro Torres @ 35min 36sec

Stage 22, final stage: Sunday, July 20, Paris (Champs Elysées Circuit) 163.4 km

1. Walter Godefroot: 3hr 34min 29sec
2. Robert Mintkiewicz s.t.
3. Gerben Karstens s.t.
4. Régis Delépine s.t.
5. Barry Hoban s.t.
6. Régis Ovion s.t.
7. Willy Tierlinck s.t.
8. Joé-Luis Viejo s.t.
9. Rik Van Linden s.t.
10. Albert Van Vlierberghe

Complete Final 1975 Tour de France General Classication

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The Story of the 1975 Tour de France:

This excerpt is from "The Story of the Tour de France", Volume 2. If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print, eBook or audiobook. The Amazon link here will make the purchase easy.

Merckx was the reigning World Road Champion, having won the title decisively in Montreal the previous fall. While he didn't win any Classics in 1974, he was back to his winning ways in 1975. He won Milan–San Remo, Amstel Gold, the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also won the Catalonian Week and the Tour of Sardinia. He was second in Paris–Nice (to Joop Zoetemelk), Paris–Roubaix (to Roger De Vlaeminck) and The Tour of Switzerland (losing to Roger De Vlaeminck by 55 seconds). Merckx wanted to surpass Anquetil's record of 5 Tour wins and there seemed no reason to think he couldn't do it.

Bernard Thévenet seemed to have everything needed to challenge Merckx except Merckx's good fortune. His spring was lower key than the relentless Merckx's but he did win the Dauphiné Libéré and was second to Merckx in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The win in the Dauphiné was especially notable because he had contracted shingles earlier in the year while he was contesting the Vuelta and yet was able to recover in time to win an important stage race. This would be his sixth Tour. It took Louison Bobet 6 attempts before he could finally win the Tour. Miguel Indurain needed 7 tries before he finally won. Some riders are like bright shooting stars. Gimondi's first major race win was the 1965 Tour. Other riders need time to grow and mature. Perhaps they might also need other dominating riders to grow old.

Poulidor (whose best major spring placing was fourth in Liège–Bastogne–Liège), Zoetemelk, Ocaña, Gimondi, van Impe and Agostinho came. But there was also a new generation of riders, Francesco Moser, Giovanni Battaglin and Hennie Kuiper among them, who would challenge the old order.

The 1975 Tour was 4,000 kilometers split into 25 stages counting the Prologue and the split days, of which there were only 2. To counter the mitigating effect of this reduction the Tour made sure there were lots of transfers, which the riders detested. Starting in Charleroi, Belgium, the 1975 edition was counter-clockwise (Pyrenees first) with a trip to the Massif Central and Puy de Dôme before encountering the Alps.

The Tour shelved the Combine classification and invented a new one. The Best Young Rider would be awarded the White Jersey previously worn by the Combine leader.

1975 brought one innovation. If you will remember, Henri Desgrange did not begin recognizing the top climbers until the King of the Mountains classification was first calculated in 1933. Spaniard Vicente Trueba was the first winner. In 1934, it became an official category and the prize was awarded to France's Rene Vietto. It wasn't until 1975 that the now famous Polka Dot Jersey was created and awarded. The jersey's sponsor was chocolate maker Poulain, whose wrappers were polka dot. Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk was the first to wear the Dots after earning it in the Prologue.

1975's Tour had 140 starters divided into 14 teams. Let's look at the size of the Tour's peloton over its first 72 years. The first Tour where Desgrange had to promise expense money to assemble his field had 60 starters. The trend since the end of the Second World War was a slowly growing Tour peloton.

1911: 80 starters

1920: 113

1930: 100

1939: 79

1950: 116

1960: 128

1970: 150

1975: 140

1986: 210

2005: 189

Young Francesco Moser showed his class by winning the Prologue, 6.25 kilometers over a technical, or more correctly treacherous course, nicking Merckx by 2 seconds.

Merckx rides the prologue 2 seconds slower than Moser.

Repeating his 1974 non-stop aggression, Merckx hammered the field on the 2 races run the first day. He split the pack on the first of them, putting Thévenet, Poulidor, Agostinho, Ocaña and Kuiper a minute down by the time the second day of racing was half over. He did it again in the afternoon but this time Thévenet and Poulidor were alert and made it into the break. Not so Galdos, Kuiper, Lopez-Carril and Ocaña. Moser went with both moves and retained his slim 2-second lead over Merckx. This tenuous situation remained unchanged over the next 3 stages which Merckx mercifully allowed to end in field sprints.

At the stage 6 Merlin-Plage 16-kilometer individual time trial Merckx took over the lead after a clean win. Moser finished 33 seconds behind and Thévenet, Ocaña and Poulidor all lost about a minute. This was looking like another Merckx Tour:

1. Eddy Merckx

2. Francesco Moser @ 31 seconds

3. Michel Pollentier @ 1 minute 9 seconds

4. Bernard Thévenet @ 2 minute 7 seconds

Previous Tours had shown that once time was given up to Merckx, it was only in exceptional circumstances that it could be regained. Moser was a big man who could not climb with the best, so he presented no threat. Pollentier was a rising star but not of sufficient ability to topple Merckx. Thévenet had already been put on the defensive. The next day Moser won the stage, but in the big picture of a 3-week Tour with the mountains yet to be climbed, the win had no effect.

Before the Tour hit the Pyrenees the riders had their first substantial time trial, 37.4 kilometers over a more challenging, hillier course than the Prologue or the Merlin–Plage ride. Both Merckx and Moser suffered flat tires but Merckx was able to win, beating Thévenet by 9 seconds. Merckx acknowledged the quality of Thévenet's ride, making it clear that the Frenchman presented a real danger.

Stage 10 was the first climbing day with the Soulor and the smaller Esquillot. All of the good riders finished together (including Moser) 8 seconds behind Gimondi. The next day showed no repeat of that equipoise. With the Tourmalet, Aspin and the Pla d'Adet the race would be seriously engaged. Van Impe was first over the first 2 climbs, ambitious to win not only the Climbers' points but the stage itself. By the time the lead riders reached the base of the Pla d'Adet ascent there were only 8 left to contest the final assault. Thévenet, sensing that this was the moment, attacked. Merckx closed up to him only to have Zoetemelk take off. Thévenet raced after him, dropping Merckx in the process. Zoetemelk was well and truly gone and Thévenet couldn't close the gap, finishing 6 seconds behind the Dutchman. The pack had been tossed and gored. Merckx and van Impe finished about a minute down. Others had their Tour hopes shattered with the first hard day of climbing. Ocaña lost 2½ minutes, Gimondi 5½, Poulidor 6, Moser 11 and van Springel, who came so close to winning the 1968 Tour, lost 14 minutes.

Stage 10, a clean win by Gimondi. That's Roberto Poggiali behind him, coming in second.

Thévenet was indeed a dangerous man. This Tour was not turning out to be a Merckx walkover. The new General Classification with the Pyrenean climbing completed:

1. Eddy Merckx

2. Bernard Thévenet @ 1 minute 31 seconds

3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 3 minutes 53 seconds

4. Lucien van Impe @ 5 minutes 18 seconds

5. Luis Ocaña @ 6 minutes 43 seconds

The Tour moved to the Massif Central. The thirteenth stage with several second and third category climbs didn't affect the Merckx-Thévenet equation but most of the others were scattered back down the hillsides. Luis Ocaña and young Italian hope Giovanni Battaglin, both suffering with knee problems, abandoned.

Stage 14 with its finish at the top of Puy de Dôme completely changed the race, but its effect wouldn't become apparent for a couple of days. With 4 kilometers to go van Impe and Thévenet dropped Merckx. A couple of hundred meters from the summit a spectator standing in the crowd jumped out and punched the lone, chasing Merckx hard in the gut (to be precise, Merckx says liver). Up ahead van Impe won the stage with Thévenet 15 seconds behind him. Astonishingly, Merckx was able to continue and finish only 49 seconds behind van Impe and therefore keep his Yellow Jersey. After crossing the line, in agony from the assault, Merckx vomited. He then rode down the hill and identified his assailant who said it was an accident. Merckx still had a 58-second lead on Thévenet. To deaden the agony Merckx was forced to take painkillers. Worse, he was given blood thinners to counter the after-effects of the blow. The result of this to a man who was being put in continual difficulty by a capable Thévenet was, as we shall see, catastrophic.

Stage 14: Lucien van Impe and Thévenet have left Merckx about a minute back on Puy de Dôme.

July 13, 1975, stage 15 from Nice to Pra-Loup was historic. The previous day was a rest day, plenty of time to contemplate the 6 highly categorized mountains that would comprise the 5,266 meters of climbing the stage promised.

A warm, but not attacking tempo had been ridden all day until the fourth of the 6 climbs, the Col des Champs, where Thévenet initiated several brutal attacks but Merckx was able to come back each time. Because of the extreme difficulty of the constant, hard climbing, only the best riders of the age remained for the final kilometers up the penultimate climb, the Allos: Merckx, Thévenet, van Impe, Zoetemelk and Gimondi.

Merckx attacked 800 meters from the summit and no one could withstand his acceleration. The Belgian flew down alone over the primitive, partially washed out road. Gimondi followed. Trying to keep up with the flying Italian, the Bianchi team car flew off the side of the road, spewing its mechanic who ended up in a tree. The driver, Giancarlo Ferretti, survived the crash of the car down a 150-meter fall.

Back to the race.

Zoetemelk and van Impe came racing down the Allos, then 2 minutes after Merckx came Thévenet.

Merckx arrived at the beginning of the final ascent to Pra-Loup with a 90-second lead over Thévenet. He started to pound out the final kilometers, looking like the sure winner of the stage and the Tour. And then he cracked, completely out of energy. Merckx says that he went almost instantaneously from a state of well-being to "drunk". He was in a state of failure the French call a défaillance. He could barely turn the pedals. Merckx blames in part the medications he had to take after the Puy de Dôme assault. The first rider to come up to Merckx was Gimondi who could not believe what he was seeing. Gimondi went right on by.

Meanwhile Thévenet, who had suffered a flat earlier was flying. He steamed past van Impe and Zoetemelk and then had Merckx in sight. On the 10% grade Thévenet was in the big ring. The big ring! Thévenet closed the gap and then wasn't sure about how to go about passing the great man. There was a strip of melted tar in the middle of the road. He didn't look at him as he went by, making sure that the strip of melted road was between them so that Merckx could not jump across and get on Thévenet's wheel. That would risk getting stuck in the tar. Meanwhile, in the follow car his director, Maurice de Muer, had no such scruples, screamed "Go on, pass him, he's cooked!"

After passing Merckx, Thévenet kept driving himself hard and passed Gimondi, finally crossing the finish line alone for one of the most epic and famous days in the history of cycling.

The day's results:

1. Bernard Thévenet

2. Felice Gimondi @ 23 seconds

3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 1 minute 12 seconds

4. Lucien van Impe @ 1 minute 42 seconds

5. Eddy Merckx @ 1 minute 56 seconds

Which yielded the following General Classification:

1. Bernard Thévenet

2. Eddy Merckx @ 58 seconds

3. Joop Zoetemelk @ 4 minutes 8 seconds

4. Lucien van Impe @ 5 minutes 14 seconds

5. Felice Gimondi @ 8 minutes 19 seconds

Stage 16 took in the classic Vars and Izoard climbs. The day after Thévenet's triumph at Pra-Loup Louison Bobet came by to visit the new Yellow Jersey. Bobet had always felt that the Izoard is the climb upon which legends are built. He told Thévenet that he must be first over the big mountain with the Yellow Jersey on his back. Meanwhile, Merckx may have been down but he was not out and Thévenet knew it. He described his lead of 58 seconds over Merckx as a "puff of air". Having lost the Yellow Jersey, Merckx was demoted to wearing the Rainbow Jersey of the World Champion. On the descent of the Vars he escaped but the race came together on the Izoard where Thévenet left everyone behind, winning alone by 2 minutes, 22 seconds.

But Merckx would not give up even though he had told reporters that after stage 16 Thévenet had won the Tour. Stage 17 took in the Madeleine, the Aravis, the Colombière and finished with the Avoriaz. Early in the stage Merckx crashed. Bloody and in pain, slightly disoriented, he continued, attacking and fighting every kilometer along the way. He came in third, beating Zoetemelk and Thévenet by 2 seconds.

After the stage was over it was determined that Merckx's cheekbone and jaw were broken. He soldiered on, unwilling to give up. He could only take liquid food, his broken face bones making it impossible for him to chew solid food. In later years, Merckx said that he regretted not abandoning the 1975 Tour.

Stage 18 was a 40-kilometer mountain time trial. While van Impe won on his favorite turf, it is notable that Merckx was third, beating Thévenet by 15 seconds.

From then on it was just a few stages to Paris and the acclaim the French gave their hero, the first French winner since Pingeon in 1967. This was the first time the Tour ended on the Champs Elysées, ending the Tour's long history of finishing at velodromes. From 1903 until 1967 the Tour ended at the Parc des Princes. Then from 1968 to Merckx's 1974 victory it ended at the Municipal Velodrome, usually referred to as the "Cipale".

To me, 1975 was Merckx's greatest Tour. Winning in 1969 when everything was perfect, when he had the finest, strongest, most powerful body in the world was impressive. After he crashed in Blois and he had to work harder to win, he might have been less of an athlete but he was a finer racer. In 1975, when everything went wrong, it was his character that was indomitable and admirable and showed that he was truly a great racer and a great man.

For all the bad luck, between assaults and broken bones, Merckx still ended up in second place in the overall General Classification of the 1975 Tour, only 2 minutes, 47 seconds behind Thévenet and over 2 minutes ahead of Lucien van Impe. This was the first and last Tour ride by Francesco Moser. Moser would go on to win the Giro, a host of classics, the World Championships and the World Hour Record. But the Tour didn't suit the Italian, just as it was a bad fit for Binda, Girardengo and so many other great Italian racers.

Had Merckx not been assaulted or crashed, in other words, had he raced healthy, would he have won the 1975 Tour de France? This is always a difficult question because stage racers usually expend only enough effort to win. They always try to keep some energy in reserve. Clearly the Merckx of the early 1970's was gone, but even dosed with painkillers and blood thinners and with a broken jaw, Thévenet could not take 3 minutes out of the wounded Belgian lion. The race goes to the strongest man who does not suffer catastrophic misfortune so there is no reason to minimize Thévenet's win, but I believe a healthy Merckx would have been the victor. As our history progresses we'll see that Thévenet's win was acquired at a terrible moral and physical cost. It was in the 1970s that the use of steroids gave the racers the ability to train harder, recover more quickly and ride faster. Like the use of amphetamines in the 1950s and 1960s it was a devil's bargain.

Final 1975 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Bernard Thévenet (Peugeot-BP): 114 hours 35 minutes 31 seconds

2. Eddy Merckx (Molteni) @ 2 minutes 47 seconds

3. Lucien van Impe (Gitane-Campagnolo) @ 5 minutes 1 second

4. Joop Zoetemelk (Gan-Mercier) @ 6 minutes 42 seconds

5. Vicente Lopez-Carril (Kas) @ 19 minutes 29 seconds

6. Felice Gimondi (Bianchi) @ 23 minutes 5 seconds

7. Francesco Moser (Filotex) @ 24 minutes 13 seconds

Climbers' competition:

1. Lucien van Impe: 285 points

2. Eddy Merckx: 206 points

3. Joop Zoetemelk: 171 points

Points Competition:

1. Rik van Linden: 342 points

2. Eddy Merckx: 240 points

3. Francesco Moser: 199 points

.