Tour De France During The Second World War
The Tour de France was not held during World War II because the organisers refused German requests. Although a 1940 Tour de France had been announced earlier, the outbreak of the war made it impossible for it to be held. After that, some attempts were made by the Germans during the war to have a Tour de France to maintain the sense of normality, but l'Auto, the organising newspaper, refused. Some other races were run as a replacement.
After World War II, l'Auto was closed for collaborating with the Germans. The rights to organise the Tour went to the French government. As two newspapers were interested in these rights, they both organised a small Tour of five stages, and the race run by L'Équipe was considered the most successful, therefore L'Équipe could organise the 1947 Tour de France.
Read more about Tour De France During The Second World War: History, Candidate Tours After Liberation, Aftermath
Famous quotes containing the words tour, france, world and/or war:
“Left Washington, September 6, on a tour through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia.... Absent nineteen days. Received every where heartily. The country is again one and united! I am very happy to be able to feel that the course taken has turned out so well.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“The anarchy, assassination, and sacrilege by which the Kingdom of France has been disgraced, desolated, and polluted for some years past cannot but have excited the strongest emotions of horror in every virtuous Briton. But within these days our hearts have been pierced by the recital of proceedings in that country more brutal than any recorded in the annals of the world.”
—James Boswell (1740–1795)
“It is bad luck for world history that of all people the Russians adopted Communism, because they are totally unfit for it.”
—Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990)
“We have always said that in our war with the Arabs we had a secret weapon—no alternative.”
—Golda Meir (1898–1978)