1914 Tour de France

Thys again, on a Tour that began the day Franz Ferdinand was shot.

The 1914 Tour de France was the 12th edition, run in fifteen stages from 28 June to 26 July over 5,380 km at 26.835 km/h, and won by the Belgian Philippe Thys for the second year running. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on the day the race began, and on 3 August Germany invaded Belgium and declared war on France, making this the last Tour for five years; the three men who had won between 1907 and 1910 would all die in the war. Little changed from 1913 beyond the introduction of frame numbers. Thys started as favourite with his teammate Henri Pélissier, and a record eleven former or future winners were on the start line, among them Trousselier, Petit-Breton, Lapize, Faber, Defraye, Garrigou, Lambot, Scieur and Buysse.