Grand Prix des Nations

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Grand Prix des Nations

Race details
Date	September
Region	France
English name	Grand Prix of the Nations
Local name(s)	Grand Prix des Nations (French)
Discipline	Road
Type	Individual time-trial
History
First edition	1932
Editions	70
Final edition	2004
First winner	Maurice Archambaud
Most wins	Jacques Anquetil ( 9 wins)
Most recent	Michael Rich

The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial (a race against the clock or contre la montre) for Europe's leading professional racing cyclists. Held annually in France, it was instituted in 1932 and was often regarded as both the unofficial time trial championship of the world and as a Classic cycle race. The race was the idea of a Parisian newspaper editor called Gaston Bénac. The beret-wearing sports editor was looking for a race to make a name for Paris-Soir, the biggest French evening paper before the war.

He and his colleague Albert Baker d'Isy had been inspired by watching the world road race championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1931. That, unusually, had been run as a time trial, and the two were impressed and also, they said, aware that a time-trial cost less to organise than a conventional road race. It was Baker d'Isy who decided on the name Grand Prix des Nations.

There is a dispute over who devised the first route. The American-French writer René de Latour said in the UK magazine Sporting Cyclist that he did; Baker d'Isy says that he did. The route started near the Versailles château and ran round a triangle through Rambouillet, Maulette, Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse, Versailles and Boulogne to finish on the Vélodrome Buffalo where the founder of the Tour de France, Henri Desgrange, had become the world's first hour record holder in 1893. There were three hills, one in the first 100km, plenty of cobbles, and the last 40km went through the woods of the Vallée de Chevreuse, a popular area for bike riders. The distance was 142km.

The introduction of an official time trial champion at the UCI Road World Championships (in 1994) and an Olympic Individual Time Trial championship (1996) reduced its importance. With the introduction of the UCI ProTour in 2005, the event was removed from the calendar.

[edit] History

Race distances have varied over the years. Until 1955, it was usually run over a course of approximately 140 km; six years later, the distance was 100km; from 1965 onwards the distance rarely exceeded 90 km, with many events run over a course of around 75 km.

The early events were run in the Vallée de Chevreuse in the Paris area, then near Cannes on the French Riviera; for five years from 1993, it was held at the Madine Lake in the Meuse region; from 1998, it has taken place in Seine-Maritime département, being two circuits of a 35 km course around Dieppe.

The roll of honour for the event includes many of professional cycling's greatest time trialists, but the event's history was dominated by two Frenchmen: Jacques Anquetil won the event nine times, Bernard Hinault achieved five victories.

Top British amateur woman racing cyclist Beryl Burton competed in the 1967 edition, finishing only minutes behind her male professional rivals.

[edit] Winners

Rider Team 1932 Maurice Archambaud 1933 Raymond Louviot 1934 Antonin Magne 1935 Antonin Magne 1936 Antonin Magne 1937 Pierre Cogan 1938 Louis Aimar 1941 Jules Rossi Louis Aimar 1942 Jean Marie Goasmat Emile Idee 1943 Jozef Somers 1944 Emile Carrara 1945 Eloi Tassin 1946 Fausto Coppi 1947 Fausto Coppi 1948 René Berton 1949 Charles Coste 1950 Maurice Blomme 1951 Hugo Koblet 1952 Louison Bobet Stella Huret Dunlop 1953 Jacques Anquetil La Francaise Dunlop 1954 Jacques Anquetil La Perle Hutchinson 1955 Jacques Anquetil La Perle Hutchinson 1956 Jacques Anquetil Helyett Potin 1957 Jacques Anquetil Helyett Potin 1958 Jacques Anquetil Helyett Potin 1959 Aldo Moser EMI Guerra 1960 Ercole Baldini Ignis 1961 Jacques Anquetil Helyett Fynsec 1962 Ferdinand Bracke Peugeot 1963 Raymond Poulidor Mercier BP 1964 Walter Boucquet 1965 Jacques Anquetil Ford-Gitane 1966 Jacques Anquetil Ford-Hutchinson 1967 Felice Gimondi Salvarani 1968 Felice Gimondi Salvarani

Rider Team 1969 Herman van Springel Grundig 1970 Herman van Springel Grundig 1971 Luis Ocaña Bic 1972 Roger Swerts Molteni 1973 Eddy Merckx Molteni 1974 Roy Schuiten TI-Raleigh 1975 Roy Schuiten TI Raleigh 1976 Freddy Maertens Flandria Velda 1977 Bernard Hinault Gitane-Campagnolo 1978 Bernard Hinault Renault-Elf-Gitane 1979 Bernard Hinault Renault-Elf-Gitane 1980 Jean Luc Vandenbroucke La Redoute Motobecane 1981 Daniel Gisiger Gilo-Aufina 1982 Bernard Hinault Renault-Elf 1983 Daniel Gisiger Malvor Bottecchia 1984 Bernard Hinault La Vie Claire 1985 Charly Mottet Renault-Elf-Gitane 1986 Seán Kelly Kas-Mavic 1987 Charly Mottet Systeme U-Gitane 1988 Charly Mottet Systeme U-Gitane 1989 Laurent Fignon Super U-Raleigh-Fiat 1990 Thomas Wegmuller Weinn SMM 1991 Tony Rominger Toshiba 1992 Johan Bruyneel ONCE 1993 Armand de Las Cuevas Banesto-Pinarello 1994 Tony Rominger Mapei-Clas 1995 No race 1996 Chris Boardman GAN 1997 Uwe Peschel Cantina Tollo Carrier 1998 Francisque Teyssier Mutuelle de Seine et Marine 1999 Serhiy Honchar Vini Caldirola 2000 Lance Armstrong US Postal Team 2001 Jens Voigt Crédit Agricole 2002 Uwe Peschel Team Gerolsteiner 2003 Michael Rich Team Gerolsteiner 2004 Michael Rich Team Gerolsteiner