The Tour de France Tragedy on Mont Ventoux | How GOOD Was Tom Simpson Really?

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[Applause] The wind howls across Mu like it remembers. July 13th, 1967. A British cyclist, gaunt and glassy eyed, weaves and wobbles on the sunbaked slopes. His stumbles, he mutters. He rides on. A mile later, Tom Simpson would collapse and never get back up. His infamous last words, “Put me back on my bike.” For many, that’s all they remember. A death on a mountain, a tragedy in the tour to France. But Tom Simpson was more than just that. A world champion, a pioneer, a man who changed British cycling forever before he paid the ultimate price. So in today’s video we ask just how good was Tom Simpson the gentleman from Britain. Tom Simpson was born in Hwell County Durham in 1937 and grew up in Harworth in Yorkshire the son of a coal miner. He showed early promise in athletics but it was cycling that captured his imagination. As a teenager Simpson became one of the stars of the British amateur scene. He raced in France and Belgium where he quickly stood out for his tenacity and tactical sharpness. His first big international results came at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. But Simpson had bigger ambitions than the Belgium. And in 1956, aged just 21 years old, he moved to Britany to race full-time on the continental Europe. And within a year, he was racing professionally for the Rafa Gitane Dunlop team. Britain had exported riders to the continent before, but not like this. Simpson wasn’t there to learn, he was there to win. Tom Simpson turned professional in 1959 and quickly adapted to the brutal Belgian creme scene. He earned respect for riding hard, learning fast, and never backing down against the local stars. By 1960, he was making a mark in bigger races. That year as well he became the first Britain to wear the yellow jersey at the tour of Belgium and he later won the prestigious tour to dusest as well and being up there in flesh alone finishing seventh and ninth in par. Not bad for your first edition of the hell of the north. Tom Simpson was not just a strong stage racer. He was also one of the finest classic riders of his era. His greatest victory came later in two of the sport’s biggest one-day races. In 1962, he shocked the sport by winning the tour of Fllanders. Simpson broke clear in a brutal race defined by cobbles and Bergs, outsprinting the legendary Nino de Phillips to become the first Britain to win a monument. It was a seismic moment for British cycling and we haven’t had a British winner of that since either. Then in 1964, Simpson added more monument success to his palmares. In a chaotic edition of Milan San Remo in a rain soap finale, he timed his move to perfection, outkicking Raymon Pulidor and Rudy Altik. But he wasn’t done there with the monument either. As in 1965, the Pisure Michelin BP rider Tom Simpson did it once more. this time in Il Lombardia taking a comprehensive win with more than 3 minutes down to the second place rider as well and really showed how good he was that year as well. He also won the Bordeaux Paris race, one of the sport’s longest and most grueling races. His blend of endurance as race savviness made him a threat in almost any race he entered. And he had one more goal inside, the rainbow jersey. But before we get to the Rainbow Jersey, he of course also had a relationship with the biggest bike race in the world. In June of 1960, age 22, Tom Simpson made his grand tour debut at the Tour of France. His inclusion was a bit controversial. His trade team did not want him to do this because at that time the race was run by national teams. On stage one, he joined a 13-man breakaway that gained over 2 minutes on the Pelaton. Simpson crashed hard entering the Hazel Stadium Bell Drum in Brussels but still finished with the leaders and got the same time. He finished third on the stage missing the 32nd time bonus for the win. That bonus would have given him the yellow jersey. Even without it, he was now second overall after just a few days of racing. A stunning achievement for a 22-year-old Neorro in his first ever tour. He faded in the Pernees and ultimately finished 29th and lost two stones in weight, but he showed he could fight with the best in the world. In 1962, he signed with Gante Laru Donlop and finally became the undisputed leader of the team. He hit top form immediately, finishing second in Paris, Nice, where his team even took a team time trial victory, beating riders like Rick Vanoy and Rayman Pulidor. At the tour, he was consistent through the first week. On stage 8A, he made a crucial 30-man move that gained six minutes over the GC contenders. Simpson jumped into second a roll, then into yellow after stage 12, a punishing mountain stage through the Pyrenees. Although he lost it the next day in a time trial up to Super Pier, which saw Joseph Plankard overtake the yellow jersey and Tom Simpson drop down four places into fifth. He did become the first British rider to wear the yellow jersey in history, which was phenomenal as well. He held it for just a day, losing in that steep uphill time trial. But after a crash in the Alps broke his finger, Simpson battle on to finish sixth overall. It was one of the most complete Total France performances by any British rider before the modern era. Tom Simpson’s 1965 season proved to be a year of immense challenges and ultimate triumph. The year began with significant setbacks. A skiing accident in France caused a broken foot and sprained ankle followed by a cold that forced him to abandon the antabra six day and sidelined him for most of March. Despite these early hurdles, Simpson showed glimpses of strong form did manage to ride to a sixth place in Par only a minute and 11 seconds down on the eventual winner of Rick Van Loy. Even after a crash in the league group which may saw a surge in performance, he impressively won the 265 mile London to Hollyhead Classic in a record time of 10 hours and 29 minutes bunch sprint. This was followed by a strong third place in the Bordeaux Paris race behind Jaconil despite encountering mechanicals with his journey. To qualify for the tour France, Simpson was directed by Pisau manager Gaston PL to ride the midi Libé race where he secured an impressive third overall at the tour itself in the absence of Shakon Catil. Tom Simpson was the favorite. However, misfortune struck again when he crashed on the descent of the colder albby on stage 9, injuring his hand. And despite continuing, he was eventually forced to abandon after stage 8 due to bronchitis and an infection requiring hospitalization for blood poisoning and a kidney infection. Yet, Simpson’s season was far from over. Following his recovery, he dedicated himself to rigorous training and local criteriums before heading to the world championships in San Sebastian with minimal team support. Simpson, however, displayed exceptional tactical intelligence through the race. He joined a crucial breakaway with teammate Barry Hovind and Rudy Altech. In a stunning display of power in the final kilometers, Simpson launched his sprint, holding off Altig by three bike lengths to become the first ever British rider to win the professional world championships. A month later, he also went on to win the jur Il Lombardia, attacking and dropping Johnny Ma to claim a victory solo by over 3 minutes, marking his third monument win. and Simpson concluded the year second ranked in the super prestige panods international only behind Jaconil. His extraordinary achievements were recognized with numerous accolades including the BBC personality of the year award alongside honors from the British and Belgian institutions. A few years later in 1967 Simpson returned to the tour of France. He was 29 still hugely popular and capable of winning. He had just won Pav Nice outlasting a field of stacked with stars that included Rick Banoy and Eddie Merks. But the tour that year was run on national teams and the British squad was weak. Simpson took on much on the responsibility himself. By the time the race hit the south of France, the heat was brutal. Simpson had been ill. He was exhausted, but he was sitting inside top 10. He had finished top five on on a few of the stages on stage eight and stage 9 and stage seven into Marilles on stage 12. And on stage 13, the Pelaton climbed into Provence. The ascent of Mommon 2 is legendary for its difficulty, moonlike terrain, no shade, no mercy. And this is where Simpson began to struggle. He weaved across the road. He fell. He got back up. And according to witnesses, his last words were, “Put me back on my bike.” A few moments later, he collapsed for good. Despite desperate efforts to revive him, Tom Simpson died at the side of the road that day. Later, amphetamines and alcohol were found in his system. His death exposed the growing danger of doping in the sport and sent shock waves through cycling. Tom Simpson was not perfect. He pushed his body too far. He took risks. He lived fast. But he was a character. He was a trailblazer before Boardman, before Wiggins, before Caendish, before any of the British stars and made the path clear for British cycling. He was the first British rider to win a monument, first British rider to win two and even three, to wear the yellow jersey and become world champion on the road in the professional ranks. He took British cycling out of the shadows and onto the world stage. A moment on two today, a memorial stands where he fell. Cyclists stop to pay tribute still. They leave bottles, jerseys, flowers because Tom Simpson didn’t just die there. He made history. A true icon of the sport. So, how good was Tom Simpson? The brilliant gentleman from Britain was super good. He was great, but also tragically human. Anyways, with that, that’s basically it for this video. Make sure to hit the like button, subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already, and why not check out our video with what happened to Bradley Wiggins, a great fan of Tom Simpson. But until next time, thank you for watching, and I will see you around.