René Vietto

Personal information
Full name	René Vietto
Date of birth	February 17, 1914(1914-02-17)
Date of death	October 14, 1988 (aged 74)
Country	France
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climber
Major wins
Tour de France 1934: Polka dot jersey Parice-Nice 1935
Infobox last updated on:
June 11, 2007

René Vietto (born Rocheville-Le Cannet, 17 February 1914 – died Orange, 14 October 1988) was a French road racing cyclist.

In the 1934 Tour de France, Vietto, a relative unknown, got wings on the mountains. This was not a surprise, because he had won the Grand Prix Wolber. He was prepared for the Alps and won easily on the steepest terrain. After he won the two major Alpine stages, journalists reported that this 'boy' could be the purest mountain climber that France knew.

During the 1934 Tour, he was poised to be race leader after his team leader Antonin Magne crashed during stage 16. Vietto unaware of Magne's situation; his lead gave him the virtual race lead. A marshal on a motorcycle caught Vietto to inform him his captain was on the side of the road, with teammate Lapébie ahead, and the other teammates behind the yellow jersey. Vietto turned rode back up the mountain into the descending riders (reversing course was legal, but is no longer so), to give Magne his bike. Magne mounted Vietto’s bike and with Lapébie closed the gap to preserve his overall lead and win the Tour. A photograph shows Vietto sitting on a stone wall as the race passes.

This made him a star in France. The image of a 20-year-old who sacrificed his chance of winning the Tour doubled his popularity. Vietto was still named the Tour's best climber. Vietto finished 5th, almost 1 hour behind Magne. Vietto never won the Tour. He was closest in 1939, when he received the yellow jersey in Lorient in one of the first stages, but in the mountains, once his favorite place, he was left by Sylvère Maes. After that Tour, war broke out and the race wasn't held until 1947. Vietto, still loved, attacked from the second stage. As a result, he took the yellow jersey in Brussels, to lose it a day before the finish, in a time trial of 139km.

Despite failing to hold the lead, Vietto wore the yellow jersey for 15 stages during the 1938 Tour de France and during the 1947 Tour de France for 14 stages. He finished second in 1939, fifth in 1934 and 1947 and eighth in 1935. He has the most career yellow jerseys of anyone to never win the Tour de France overall.

Vietto lost a toe to sepsis in 1947. Legend has it^[1] that Vietto insisted his domestique, Apo Lazarides, cut off one of his own toes to match. According to legend, Vietto's toe is in formaldehyde in a bar in Marseilles.

Tombstone of Vietto on the Col de Braus

[edit] Major Victories

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Profile

v • d • e Tour de France mountains classification winners 1933 Trueba • 1934 Vietto • 1935 Vervaecke • 1936 Berrendero • 1937 Vervaecke • 1938 Bartali • 1939 Maes • 1947 Brambilla • 1948 Bartali • 1949 Coppi • 1950 Bobet • 1951 Géminiani • 1952 Coppi • 1953 Loroño • 1954 Bahamontes • 1955–1956 Gaul • 1957 Nencini • 1958–1959 Bahamontes • 1960–1961 Massignan • 1962–1964 Bahamontes • 1965–1967 Jiménez • 1968 González • 1969–1970 Merckx • 1971–1972 Van Impe • 1973 Torres • 1974 Perurena • 1975 Van Impe • 1976 Bellini • 1977 Van Impe • 1978 Martínez • 1979 Battaglin • 1980 Martin • 1981 Van Impe • 1982 Vallet • 1983 Van Impe • 1984 Millar • 1985 Herrera • 1986 Hinault • 1987 Herrera • 1988 Rooks • 1989 Theunisse • 1990 Claveyrolat • 1991–1992 Chiappucci • 1993 Rominger • 1994–1997 Virenque • 1998 Rinero • 1999 Virenque • 2000 Botero • 2001–2002 Jalabert • 2003–2004 Virenque • 2005–2006 Rasmussen • 2007 Soler • 2008 None • 2009 Pellizotti