René Pottier
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | René Pottier |
| Date of birth | June 5, 1879 |
| Date of death | January 25, 1907 (aged 27) |
| Country |  France |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Major wins | |
| 1906 Tour de France | |
| Infobox last updated on: | |
| May 23, 2008 | |
René Pottier (born June 5, 1879 in Moret-sur-Loing – died January 25, 1907 in Levallois-Perret) was a French racing cyclist
Pottier took first place in the Bordeaux-Paris 1903 race before turning professional. He came second in Paris-Roubaix 1905 and the Bordeaux-Paris race of 1905, then third in 1906’s Paris-Roubaix race, before winning the Tour de France in 1906.
He was considered to be the finest climber of the Tour de France. In the 1905 race he won the second stage, racing up the Ballon d’Alsace climb in record speed to take the overall lead. However, on the next day's stage to Grenoble injuries from a crash on stage 1 and the previous day's exertions caught up with him and he abandoned.
The following year he returned to the Tour, clinching five stage victories and taking the overall victory.
In September 1906 he won the Bol d'Or 24 hour cycle race at the Vélodrome Buffalo in Paris with a distance of 925.290 kilometres.
On January 25, 1907 he committed suicide by hanging himself after having his heart broken. A few weeks later, Henri Desgrange, patron of the Tour, erected a stele in his memory at the top of the Ballon d'Alsace, a summit in the region of Alsace
[edit] Tour de France results
- 1905 Tour de France: Abandoned after the 3rd stage
- 1906 Tour de France:
Overall winner and winner of 5 stages
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Louis Trousselier |
Winner of the Tour de France 1906 |
Succeeded by Lucien Petit-Breton |
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