1947 Tour de France

The 1947 Tour de France was the 34th edition, held from 25 June to 20 July over 21 stages and 4,642 km, and the first since 1939, the war having stopped the race although some Tour-like events had been run during it. With no recent form to go on there was no clear favourite. René Vietto, runner-up in 1939, took the yellow jersey by winning the second stage and many expected him to keep it, but he lost it to the Italian Pierre Brambilla in the stage 19 time trial. On the last stage the little-known Frenchman Jean Robic attacked and took the lead, becoming the first man to win the Tour without ever wearing the yellow jersey during the race. The rights to the race had passed from L'Auto to the French government after the war, and two newspapers competed to take them over.