Participants
Every team was required to have a dominant nationality, with six or more cyclists from that nationality. There were fifteen teams:
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For the first time, the French cyclists were outnumbered; there were 52 Italian cyclists and 50 French cyclists.
The defending champion, Jacques Anquetil, was part of the ACCB-Saint Raphael-Helyett-Hutchinson team. This team also included Rudi Altig, and during the 1962 Vuelta a España, Altig had beaten his team leader, so observers expected some internal team struggle. The team manager of the Saint Raphael team was Anquetil's former rival Raphael Géminiani, and Anquetil had unsuccessfully requested his sponsors to replace Géminiani for the Tour.
Raymond Poulidor, the new star who had not started the 1961 Tour because of the national team format, started this time in the Mercier team. He started the race injured, as he had broken his hand recently, and was riding with a cast.
The tour director Goddet convinced Rik Van Looy, the winner of the last two world championships, to enter the Tour; Goddet hoped that this he could add excitement.
Read more about this topic: 1962 Tour De France
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“A civilization which leaves so large a number of its participants unsatisfied and drives them into revolt neither has nor deserves the prospect of a lasting existence.”
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)