Bol d'Or cycle race
# Bol d'Or cycle race

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).

## Origins

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.

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

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.

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

| 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 |
