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1956 Tour de France
Cycling race / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 5 to 28 July. It consisted of 22 stages over 4,498 km (2,795 mi).
Quick Facts Race details, Dates ...
![]() Route of the 1956 Tour de France followed counterclockwise, starting in Reims and finishing in Paris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dates | 5–28 July 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stages | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 4,498 km (2,795 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winning time | 124h 01' 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There was no previous Tour winner competing for the 1956 Tour, which had only previously happened in 1903 and 1927. An unknown rider from a regional team, Roger Walkowiak on the Northeast-Center French team, ended up winning the Tour. Many Tour fans dismissed the win as being lucky or unworthy at the time, which Walkowiak took hard; this made him not often speak of his win.[citation needed]
The Tour was ridden at the fastest average speed so far, over 36 km/h. Walkowiak became only the second rider, after Firmin Lambot in the 1922 Tour de France, to win without taking a single stage.