Anquetil vs Poulidor: Five Tours and the Puy de Dôme
Jacques Anquetil won five Tours. Raymond Poulidor never wore yellow. Their duel on the Puy de Dôme in 1964 is one of the Tour’s great days.
In this post
France in the 1960s had two cycling heroes. Jacques Anquetil won. Raymond Poulidor nearly won, again and again, and many fans loved him for it.
The riders
- Jacques Anquetil: won the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964.
- Raymond Poulidor: rode 14 Tours, finished second three times and third five times, and never wore the yellow jersey.
The Puy de Dôme, 1964
On stage 20, on 12 July, the two climbed the Puy de Dôme side by side, elbow to elbow. Near the top Poulidor finally dropped Anquetil, but he only gained enough to cut the gap to 14 seconds. Anquetil won that Tour by 55 seconds.
Why it still matters
It’s the rivalry of the champion and the eternal second, and many fans still side with the second. Next time you’re on a climb shoulder to shoulder with a friend, you’ll know how it felt.
Ride like it matters
Read how to pace a long climb before your own duel. For the mountains these riders fought over, see our Climbs jerseys, and for the plain look of the old days, the Classics Midnight Black jersey in a men’s and women’s cut. Every piece is made to order, with free personalization.
More rivalries: cycling’s greatest rivalries.
