1959, FROM THE CITY OF LIGHT TO THE ETERNAL CITY

February 22 ^nd 2024 - 12:00

 “POPOF” STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT (II/IV)

The Promenade des Anglais finish on 10 March acts as an invitation to July’s Tour de France, where riders will make their final sprint far from Paris for the first time, on Nice’s Place Masséna. A dig through the archives of the “Race to the Sun” reveals that it has something else in common with the Grand Boucle 2024: the 17th edition took the peloton from Paris to Rome via Nice and Florence. At the start of the 1959 season, the “Race of the Two Capitals” saw the aborted duel between Jacques Anquetil and Roger Rivière, the emergence of a new generation with the two winners (yes, two!) Jean Graczyk and Gérard Saint, and a few incredible missed opportunities such as Gastone Nencini's frustrating setback at home in the Tuscan capital. This is a four-part account of an eventful Franco-Italian adventure – and a unique one at that.

. The Italians dominate

The peloton for this unique 1959 edition included 32 Italian riders, who had a realistic chance of competing for the GC with Nino Defilippis and Gastone Nencini, but who also featured heavily in the daily hunt for bouquets. In the first sequence of the race, it was the turn of a whole category of riders who had come prepared for the major classics. The Belgians managed to hit their stride, with Willy Vannitsen sealing victory in Gien (Stage 1), before the winner of the 1958 edition of Paris-Roubaix Leon Van Daele took over in Saint-Etienne. But the Italians were not to be outdone, with Vito Favero and Armando Pellegrini winning two stages each on the long journey to the Colosseum. At the end of the fourth stage, it was a champion from Lombardy – Pierino Baffi – who took the white jersey for half a stage. Once back on home turf, he won in Florence and then reached Rome on the final podium, finishing in 3rd place and becoming Italy’s number one representative. The Italians won a total of five stages in Paris-Nice-Rome, which remains a record for Italian riders to this day.

. Gérard Saint, The never-ending man from Normandy

The hierarchy of French champions was under threat. Louison Bobet seemed to be handing the reigns of power over to Jacques Anquetil. But the Roger Rivière phenomenon was gaining ground, and Paris-Nice-Rome was a showcase for the potential of Gérard Saint, who beady-eyed followers of the Tour du Luxembourg and the Grand Prix des Nations had already got a glimpse of. This event was his chance to show what he was made of. From the very early stages, he played the perfect teammate to Rivière in team Rapha-Géminiani, before establishing himself as a serious contender for victory in the Vergèze time trial. Although he was around thirty seconds behind Anquetil and Rivière, who naturally dominated in the solo ride, it was the 23-year-old from Argentan who took the overall lead and 3rd place in the stage. His lanky physique – standing at 1.92 m tall – earned Gérard Saint the nickname of “l'interminable Normand” (the never-ending man from Normandy), and his performance throughout the race put him among the biggest names in the peloton. Sadly, his destiny was cut short in a fatal road accident a year later when returning from a family holiday to his company as an army conscript.

. Graczyk emerges

Jean Graczyk was no longer an anonymous figure in the peloton, having distinguished himself in front of the Tour public by winning the green jersey in 1958. But here the young man was wearing the same Helyett-Leroux jersey as Jacques Anquetil, André Darrigade and Jean Forestier. This was a competitive crowd to cycle among, but he stuck to his duties as a teammate, with his endurance and consistency allowing him to keep up with Anquetil as he tackled the last French stage, some forty seconds behind the leader Gérard Saint. And on the Manosque-Nice route, the Franco-Polish rider known to everyone as “Popof” had the backing of his leader to join Darrigade in a breakaway that had every chance of knocking the top two overall riders – Saint and Rivière of Rapha-Géminiani – off their perch. Thanks to his consistent and sustained efforts throughout the day, the small group – which also included Nino Defilippis – ultimately did break away on the Nationale 7, climbing the Esterel with a lead of more than six minutes over the peloton. At the finish, his inconsequential 8th place in the stage gave him a clear advantage over the competition. He had won Paris-Nice, but there was still a long way to go to Rome. 

. Darrigade, the saviour

André Darrigade had a reputation as a formidable sprinter, winning a total of 22 stages in the Tour de France and the green jersey on two occasions (1959-61). But the “lévrier landais” (the greyhound from the Landes) was also renowned for his loyalty as a teammate, a gentleman of the peloton who was hailed as much by French team boss Marcel Bidot as by his leader Jacques Anquetil. And on the Manosque-Nice stage, it was this attitude that ensured the final success of Jean Graczyk, whose chances would certainly have been ruined by a puncture on the Esterel climb. As the saviour – who had sacrificed his wheel as well as his chances of winning the sprint on the Promenade des Anglais – casually explained, “What mattered was helping Graczyk, the de-facto leader”. The Nice stage, ultimately won by Pierre Everaert  – a member of the Rapha-Géminiani team who hadn't taken part in the day's breakaway – was the only source of regret for Graczyk when he finished. "André's gesture touched me deeply, I hadn't asked him for anything and I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing so. It's thanks to Darrigade that I'm leading the overall standings this evening. I would have liked to have won the stage to thank him”. It’s a lesson in humility.