1959 Tour de France

The 1959 Tour de France was the 46th edition, held from 25 June to 18 July over 22 stages and 4,358 km; 120 riders started and 65 finished. The Spaniard Federico Bahamontes won the race and the mountains classification, the first Spanish victory. André Darrigade took the points classification and Belgium the team prize. Although the French national team held the favourites, Jacques Anquetil, Louison Bobet, Raphaël Géminiani and Roger Rivière, they all wanted to be captain and refused to work for one another; the race came down to Henry Anglade of a French regional team against Bahamontes, and when the national team refused to help Anglade, Bahamontes won. Until then Bahamontes had cared little for flat stages and time trials, riding only for the mountains prize.