The 1904 Tour was a mess. The passions raised by the first Tour caused protests, road blockages (often nails spread on the road) physical attacks on riders. The misbehaving spectators were usually motivated by regional partisanship on behalf of certain riders. In addition, rider cheating was rampant. It was so bad that in November of 1904 the French Cycling Union disqualified the first four riders finishing the Tour.
Tour boss Henri Desgrange was so troubled by the entire scandal that he vowed never to put on the Tour again. He then immediately went to planning the 1905 edition.
At 19 years, 11 months, Henri Cornet is the youngest-ever Tour winner.
1904 Tour de France Statistics
| Number of stages |
6 |
| Number of riders starting |
88 |
| Number of riders finishing |
27 |
| Distance |
2,428 km |
| Average speed |
25.265 km/hr |
Before the disqualification, the top 5 General Classification riders were:
- 1. Maurice Garin (winner of the 1st Tour in 1903). 93hr 6min 24sec
- 2. Lucien Pothier @ 3hr 28min
- 3. Cesar Garin @ 1hr 51min 13sec
- 4. Hippolyte Aucouturier @ 2hr 52min 26sec
- 5. Henri Cornet @ 2hr 59min 31sec
Official Final General Classification
| 1 |
Henri Cornet (F) |
96hr 5min 55sec |
| 2 |
Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq (F) |
@ 2hr 16min 14sec |
| 3 |
Aloïs Catteau (F) |
@ 9hr 1min 25sec |
| 4 |
Jean Dargassies (F) |
@13hr 4min 30sec |
| 5 |
Julien Maitron (F) |
@ 19hr 6min 15sec |
| 6 |
Auguste Daumain |
@ 22hr 44min 36sec |
| 7 |
Louis Coolsaet (B) |
@ 23hr 44min 20sec |
| 8 |
Achille Colas (F) |
@ 25hr 9min 50sec |
| 9 |
René Saget (F) |
@ 25hr 55min 16sec |
| 10 |
Gustave Drioul (B) |
@ 30hr 54min 49sec |
| 11 |
Henri Paret (F) |
@ 32hr 18min 39sec |
| 12 |
Auguste Gauthier (F) |
@ 33hr 14min 2sec |
| 13 |
Auguste Rist (F) |
@ 35hr 1min 20sec |
| 14 |
Damelincourt (F) |
@ 48hr 39min 3sec |
| 15 |
Antoine Deflotriere (F) |
@ 101hr 28min 52sec |
Stage Details
Stage
|
City
|
Official Winner
(disqualified winner in parenthesis) |
| 1 |
Paris-Lyon |
Michel Frederick (Maurice Garin) |
| 2 |
Marseille |
René Faure (Hyppolite Aucouterier) |
| 3 |
Toulouse |
Henri Cornet (Hyppolite Aucouterier) |
| 4 |
Bordeaux |
François Beaugendre (Lucien Pothier) |
| 5 |
Nantes |
Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq (Hyppolite Aucouterier) |
| 6 |
Paris |
Jean Baptiste Dortignacq (Hyppolite Aucouterier) |
Stage results with running GC.
I've listed the results as they were first recorded. I've noted the official stage winner, according to the final November 1904 ruling. Disqualified riders have their names in parenthesis. The running GC results are rectified and reflect the November disqualifications
Stage 1: Paris - Lyon, 467 km.
- 1. (Maurice Garin): 17hr 7min 6sec
- 2. (Lucien Pothier) @ 24sec
- 3. (Pierre Chevalier) @ 19min 54sec
- 4. Michel Frédérick @ 37min 54sec - Stage Winner
- 5. Giovanni Gerbi @ 43min 29sec
- 6. (Cesar Garin) @ 1hr 4min 54sec
- 7. François Beaugendre s.t.
- 8. Emile Lombard @ 1hr 5min 24sec
- 9. Henri Gauban @ 1hr 6min 9sec
- 10. Alfred Faure @ 2min 2min 54sec
Rectified GC after stage 1:
- 1. Michel Frédéick
- 2. Giovanni Gerbi
- 3. François Beaugendre
Stage 2: Lyon - Marseille, 374 km
Major Ascent: Col de la Républic
- 1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier): 15hr 9min
- 2. (Cesar Garin) s.t.
- 3. (Lucien Pothier) @ 1sec
- 4. (Maurice Garin) s.t.
- 5. Alfred Faure @ 2sec - Stage Winner
- 6. Emile Lombard s.t.
- 7. Henri Cornet @ 3sec
- 8. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq s.t.
- 9. (Chaput) @ 4sec
- 10. Alois Catteau @ 40sec
GC after stage 2:
- 1. Emile Lombard
- 2. Alfred Faure @ 57min 30sec
- 3. François Beaugendre @ 1hr 21min 28sec
Stage 3: Marseille - Toulouse, 424 km
- 1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier) 15hr 43min 55sec
- 2. Henri Cornet s.t. - Stage Winner
- 3. François Beaugendre @ 8min 11sec
- 4. (Lucien Pothier) @ 8min 12sec
- 5. (Maurice Garin) @ 8min 13sec
- 6. Camille Fily @ 25min 8sec
- 7. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 52min 7sec
- 8. Alois Catteau @ 43min 5sec
- 9. (Cesar Garin) @ 51min 41sec
- 10. Philippe Jousselin @ 1hr 30min 37sec
GC after Stage 3
- 1. Henri Cornet
- 2. François Beaugendre @ 5min 8sec
- 3. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 1hr 28min 59sec
Stage 4: Toulouse - Bordeaux, 268 km
- 1. (Lucien Pothier) 8hr 40min 6sec
- 2. (Cesar Garin) s.t.
- 3. François Beaugendre s.t. - Stage Winner
- 4. (Maurice Garin) @ 1sec
- 5. Philippe Jousselin @ 15min 56sec
- 6. (Hyppolite Aucouturier) @ 30min 59sec
- 7. Henri Cornet s.t.
- 8. Julien Maitron @ 40min 24sec
- 9. Alois Catteau @ 50min 9sec
- 10. Julien Gabory @ 1hr 8min 14sec
GC after stage 4:
- 1. François Beaugendre
- 2. Henri Cornet @ 25min 51sec
- 3. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 2hr 48min 53sec
Stage 5: Bordeaux - Nantes, 425 km
- 1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier): 16hr 49min 50sec
- 2. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 4sec - Stage Winner
- 3. (Cesar Garin) s.t.
- 4. Henri Cornet @ 11sec
- 5. (Maurice Garin) s.t.
- 6. (Lucien Pothier) @ 18sec
- 7. Philippe Jousselin @ 24sec
- 8. Charles Prevost @ 30sec
- 9. Julien Gabory @ 1hr 10sec
- 10. Camille Fily @ 1hr 47min 10sec
GC after stage 5:
- 1. Henri Cornet
- 2. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 2hr 22min 54sec
- 3. Alos Catteau @ 6hr 48min 14sec
6th and Final Stage: Nantes - Paris
- 1. (Hyppolite Aucouturier) 19hr 28min
- 2. (Maurice Garin s.t.
- 3. Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq @ 10sec - Stage Winner
- 4. (Lucien Pothier) @ 3min
- 5. (Cesar Garin) s.t.
- 6. Louis Coolsaet @ 4min
- 7. Henri Cornet @ 11min 50sec
- 8. Julien Lootens "Samson" @ 18min 34sec
- 9. Achille Colas @ 20min
- 10. Philippe Jousselin @ 43min
Complete 1904 Tour de France Final General Classification
Roster of Starting Riders
- Joseph Achten (B)
- Hyppolite Aucouterier (F)
- Francois Beaugendre (F)
- Adrien Blanqui (F)
- Felix Boyer (F)
- H. Boyer (F)
- Eugene Brange (F)
- Maurice Carrere (F)
- Alois Catteau (F)
- Chaput (F)
- Pierre Chevalier (F)
- Cist (F)
- Pierre Cnops (B)
- Colas (F)
- Louis Colsaet (B)
- Henri Cornet (F)
- Damelincourt (F)
- Jean Dargassies (F)
- Maurice Dartigue (F)
- Daumain (F)
- Philippe Deballade (F)
- Antoine Deflotriere (F)
- Eugene Delhaye (B)
- Delmilhac (F)
- Pierre Desvages (F)
- V. Deveze (F)
- Dome (B)
- Jean-Baptiste Dortignacq (F)
- Octave Doury (F)
- Gustave Drioul (B)
- P. Dufraix (F)
- Durant (F)
- Antoine Faure (F)
- Camille Fily (F)
- Georges Fleury
- Michel Frederick (Switzerland)
- Julien Gabory (F)
- Cesar Garin (F)
- Maurice Garin (F)
- Henri Gauban (F)
- Gauthier (F)
- Eugene Geay (F)
- Giovanni Gerbi (Italy)
- Grimenwald (F)
- Leon Habets (F)
- P. Hibon (F)
- Jean-Baptiste Jacquet (F)
- Antoine Jaeck (Switzerland)
- Dieudonne Jamar (B)
- Philippe Jousselin (F)
- Charles Laeser (Switzerland)
- Lamboef (F)
- Lamouline (F)
- Lapree (F)
- Romain Lardillier (F)
- Louis Lecouna (F)
- Legaux (B)
- Albert Leroy (F)
- Lipman (F)
- Emile Lombard (B)
- Julien Lootens, raced as "Samson" (B)
- Maisonneuve (F)
- Julien Maitron (F)
- Marcastel (F)
- Memo (B)
- Monin (F)
- Emile Moulin (F)
- Albert Niepceron (F)
- Henri Paret (F) At 50, oldest racer of the Tour
- Ferdinand Payan (F)
- Edouard Pillon (F)
- Lucien Pothier (F)
- Emile Poupin (F)
- Charles Prevost (F)
- Eugene Prevost (F)
- Noel Prevost (F)
- Reidenbach (F)
- Leon Riche (F)
- A. Rist (F)
- Giovanni Rossignoli (Italy)
- Saget (F)
- Jules Sales (B)
- Sylvain (F)
- Tachet (F)
- L. Treuvelot (F)
- Ange Varalde (F)
- Vassela (F)
- Eugene Ventresque (F)