Octave Lapize (pronounced [ɔktav lapiz]; 24 October 1887 – 14 July 1917) was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist.[1]
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Full name | Octave Lapize | ||||||||||||||
Nickname | Tatave Le Frisé (The Curly Haired-One) | ||||||||||||||
Born | Paris, France | 24 October 1887||||||||||||||
Died | 14 July 1917 Toul, France | (aged 29)||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||
Discipline | Road | ||||||||||||||
Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||
Major wins | |||||||||||||||
Grand Tours
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Medal record
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Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres,[2] he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels.
Career
editIn his first Tour De France in 1909, he abandoned early due to wintery conditions during the month of July, but not before he managed a Stage 2 second place behind Tour winner Francois Faber. The following year he went head-to-head with Alcyon teammate Faber who led comfortably until colliding with a dog at the foot of the Pyrenees. Lapize finally won by just 4 points helped by a number of punctures to Faber's bike on the final stage from Caen to Paris. In a total of six starts in the Tour De France between 1909 and 1914, this victory was the only one he finished.
While climbing the Col d'Aubsique (via the Col du Soulor and the Col de Tortes) in the 1910 Tour de France he is reported to have said to the race organisers: "Vous êtes des criminels !"' (French for 'You are criminals!')"[3] Later, at the stage finish in Bayonne, he is reported to have told a reporter that "Desgrange est un assassin"said (French for 'Desgrange is a murderer!")[3] The stage in question was 326 kilometers in length and featured the climbs of the Col de Peyresourde, Col d'Aspin, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Soulor, Col de Tortes and the Col d'Aubisque.[3] Lapize won the stage.[3]
The First World War ended his cycling career. As a fighter pilot in the French army, Octave Lapize was shot down near Flirey, Meurthe-et-Moselle on 14 July 1917. Fatally wounded, he died in a hospital in Toul.[4]
Career achievements
editMajor results
edit- 1908
- Summer Olympics Men's 100 kilometres - Bronze Medal
- 1909
- Paris–Roubaix, 1st Place
- 1910
- Tour de France - 1st Overall and 4 stage wins (Stage 5, 9, 10, 14)
- Paris–Roubaix, 1st Place
- 1911
- Paris–Roubaix, 1st Place
- Paris–Tours, 1st Place
- Paris–Brussels, 1st Place
- French National Championships, 1st Place
- 1912
- Tour de France - Stage 6 win
- Paris–Brussels, 1st Place
- French National Championships, 1st Place
- 1913
- Paris–Brussels, 1st Place
- French National Championships, 1st Place
- 1914
- Tour de France - Stage 8 win
Grand Tour results
edit1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giro d'Italia | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE |
Stages won | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tour de France | DNF-4 | 1 | DNF-4 | DNF-9 | DNF-3 | DNF-10 |
Stages won | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Vuelta a España | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Stages won |
1 | Winner |
2–3 | Top three-finish |
4–10 | Top ten-finish |
11– | Other finish |
DNE | Did not enter |
DNF-x | Did not finish (retired on stage x) |
DNS-x | Did not start (not started on stage x) |
HD | Finished outside time limit (occurred on stage x) |
DSQ | Disqualified |
N/A | Race/classification not held |
NR | Not ranked in this classification |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Octave Lapize". Olympedia. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Octave Lapize Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
- ^ a b c d McKay, Feargal (2022-07-04). "Mythologies: Assassins of the Aubisque!". Podium Cafe. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
- ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
Further reading
edit- Bobet, Jean (2010). Lapize: Now There was an Ace. Norwich, UK: Mousehold Press. ISBN 978-1-874739-55-5. Retrieved 2 November 2013.