1963 Tour de France

The 1963 Tour de France was the 50th edition, held from 23 June to 14 July over 21 stages and 4,138 km, with stages 2 and 6 split into a road stage and a time trial. The organisers cut the time trials to just 79 km to curb Jacques Anquetil, already a three-time winner, and make climbing count for more. Anquetil won anyway, staying with his main rival Federico Bahamontes in the mountains, once even faking a mechanical problem to switch to a bicycle better suited to the terrain. Bahamontes finished second and won the mountains classification; Rik Van Looy took the points. 130 riders started in 13 teams, one of them a combination of two sponsors' squads riding in their own jerseys.