The Bol d'Or was a bicycle track race that ran in France between 1894 and 1950. It was a paced, 24-hour endurance event. It has been won by several notable cyclists including Constant Huret (4 times), the Australian Hubert Opperman and three time hour record breaker Oscar Egg. The person with the most wins is Léon Georget (brother of Émile) with nine (including eight in a row).

Bol d'Or
Race details
Region
English nameThe Golden Bowl
DisciplineTrack
Type24-hour endurance race
History
First edition1894 (1894)
Editions25
Final edition1950
First winner Constant Huret (FRA)
Most wins Léon Georget (FRA) (9)
Final winner Fiorenzo Magni (ITA)

Origins

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In the nineteenth century, English and French cyclists were trying to get the world record for 24 hours cycling. Usually, the English cyclists had the record, but in 1892 a French cyclist (Auguste Stéphane) broke the record, riding 631 km. The English cyclists organized a cycling event a few days later, and in that race they took back the record when Frank Shorland rode 665 km. The record changed hands a few more times during irregularly scheduled competitions, but in 1894 the French created the Bol d'Or so they would have a yearly go at the record.[1]

The race was created on 23 and 24 June 1894 by a Monsieur Decam. It first ran at the Vélodrome Buffalo in Paris and was sponsored by Chocolate Meunier.

The race gets its name from the prize awarded to the winner - a gilded bronze bowl or cup.

Rules

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During the Bol d'Or, riders had 24 hours to ride as many laps as possible. The riders were helped by pacers; details of the pacing changed over the years. In 1899, electric tandems were tried, which resulted in a record distance. In 1902, riders were only paced in the first two and last two hours, which resulted in a lower distance.[1]

In the early years riders were paced by tandems or triplets. Motor (derny) pacing was used in 1950. The 1900 event was one of the cycling events during the 1900 Summer Olympics, but it is not considered an Olympic event by the IOC because professional cyclists were allowed to enter.

Winners

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Year Rider Country Distance Pacing Velodrome
1894 Constant Huret   France 736.946 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1895 Constant Huret   France 829.498 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1896 Gaston Rivierre   France 859.120 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1897 Lucien Stein   France 764.826 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1898 Constant Huret   France 852.468 km triplet paced Roubaix Vélodrome
1899 Albert Walters   Great Britain 1020.977 km electric tandem paced Parc des Princes Vélodrome
1900 Mathieu Cordang   Netherlands 956.775 km triplet paced Vélodrome de Vincennes
1902 Constant Huret   France 779.488 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1903 Léon Georget   France 847.803 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1904 Lucien Petit-Breton   France 852.000 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1905 Arthur Vanderstuyft   Belgium 943.666 km tandem paced Vélodrome d'hiver
1906 René Pottier   France 925.290 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1907 Léon Georget   France 904.420 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1908 Léon Georget   France 973.666 km tandem paced Vélodrome d'hiver
1909 Léon Georget   France 845.700 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1910 Léon Georget   France 923.300 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1911 Léon Georget   France 915.160 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1912 Léon Georget   France 951.750 km tandem paced Vélodrome d'hiver
1913 Léon Georget   France 909.984 km tandem paced Vélodrome d'hiver
1919 Léon Georget   France 924.680 km tandem paced Vélodrome d'hiver
1924 Oscar Egg   Switzerland 936.325 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1925 Honoré Barthélémy   France 1035.114 km tandem paced Bordeaux Vélodrome
1927 Honoré Barthélémy   France 924.500 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1928 Hubert Opperman   Australia 950.060 km tandem paced Vélodrome Buffalo
1950 Fiorenzo Magni   Italy 867.609 km derny paced Vélodrome d'hiver
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References

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  1. ^ a b "De geschiedenis van den "Bol d'Or"". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Delpher. 19 June 1924. Retrieved 21 August 2016.