Route de France 1912

The route de France 1912 found of 30. June to 28. July instead of. The stage places were exactly the same as one year before; the distance was however shorter around a few kilometer. For the last time the winner was determined after a point system. From 131 started drivers only 41 terminated the round travel.

Lucien Petit Breton, in the apron of the route as one of the favorites acted, hit on the second stage with Armentières with a run away cow together and had to give a running up. The Belgian master Odile Defraye transferred already after the third stage the guidance in the Gesamtklassement and did not deliver these up to the conclusion. Eugène Christophe could make first owing to three stage-wins the arrears smaller, but these from Defraye in the first Pyrenees stage was crucially dissociated. On the same day the Mitfavorit Octave Lapize did not give a running, its to crew colleagues up did not begin. Like that the first route victory of a Belgian was in the long run safe.

A technical innovation was the first use of the free-wheel. Director of route Henri Desgrange forbade its use however on some stages. According to its opinion the drivers thereby did not travel the effective distance, because they were no longer forced to constantly step.

the stages