The route of the 2023 Tour de France includes several brushes with the fate of champions who defined the history of the race. Racing the Tour on home turf was often an intense sporting experience for these riders, who were born or settled down in some of the towns and cities that dot the map of this edition. In the run-up to the start of the event on 1 July, letour.fr is pulling out the photo album to revisit the ties of six extraordinary riders to the Grande Boucle.
While his father, Giovanni, spent his youth in Emilia-Romagna before starting a new life working for Michelin, Raphaël Géminiani was a Clermont-Ferrand native through and through. He began his sporting career as a rugby player for ASM Clermont Auvergne, but it was cycling that brought him fame and glory. He rose to become one of the movers and shakers of the peloton in the 1950s, without ever managing to reach the pinnacle of the sport. The man from Auvergne, who worked for Louison Bobet but also had Fausto Coppi as his brother in arms at other points in the season, was known as "The Big Gun" for his big frame and aggressive racing style. His ability to read the race and larger-than-life personality made him a regular fixture on the podiums of the three Grand Tours and served him well in his later career as one of the most cunning team managers in cycling, most notably in Jacques Anquetil's victorious campaigns.
ALL THE EPISODES
