History
Race distances have varied. Until 1955, it was approximately 140 km; six years later, the distance was100km; from 1965 onwards the distance rarely exceeded 90 km, with many events run of around 75 km. The events were in the Vallée de Chevreuse in the Paris area, then near Cannes on the French Riviera; for five years from 1993, it was held at the Madine Lake in the Meuse; from 1998, it has taken place in Seine-Maritime département, two circuits of 35 km around Dieppe.
The roll of honour includes cycling's greatest time trialists, but the event's history was dominated by two Frenchmen: Jacques Anquetil won nine times, Bernard Hinault five.
British amateur woman Beryl Burton competed in 1968, finishing only minutes behind her male rivals.
Read more about this topic: Grand Prix Des Nations
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“History, as an entirety, could only exist in the eyes of an observer outside it and outside the world. History only exists, in the final analysis, for God.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
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—Attributed to Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929)
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