Philippe Thys

First three-time Tour de France winner.

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Philippe Thys was a Belgian cyclist who won the 1920 Tour de France, becoming the first cyclist to win the Tour de France three times.

Quick Facts

Full name: Philippe Thĳs
Nickname: Le basset (The Basset Hound)
Born: 8 October 1889
Birthplace: Anderlecht, Belgium
Died: 16 January 1971
Discipline: Road
Role: Rider

Lore & Background

Thys won the 1920 Tour de France, the 14th edition, held from 27 June to 27 July. He led the race after the fifth stage, tied with Émile Masson. He rode economically in the Pyrenees, building a lead of almost half an hour over Hector Heusghem after stages six and seven, then won stage eight to extend his lead to one hour. He received the yellow jersey from the ninth stage onward. Thys finished in the top five in every stage, winning four stages and coming second seven times.

Reader's Guide

The 1920 Tour de France consisted of 15 stages over 5503 km, ridden at an average speed of 24.072 km/h. The race started and finished in Paris. Cyclists were divided into two categories: first class (professionals) and second class (amateurs). The yellow jersey was introduced in 1919 but was not awarded in the first eight stages of 1920; Thys received it from stage nine.

Did You Know?

Belgians dominated the 1920 Tour: 12 of 15 stages were won by Belgians, and the first eight cyclists in the final classification were Belgian.
The 1920 Tour had 113 starters, up from 67 in 1919.
Tour organizer Henri Desgrange was so unhappy with the lack of battle that he wanted to stop the race after the tenth stage.