# Grand Prix des Nations

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Cycling competition

Grand Prix des Nations Race details Date September Region France English name Grand Prix of the Nations Local name Grand Prix des Nations (in French) Discipline Road Type Individual time-trial History First edition 1932 (1932) Editions 70 Final edition 2004 First winner Maurice Archambaud Most wins Jacques Anquetil ( 9 wins) Final winner Michael Rich

The **Grand Prix des Nations** was an [individual time trial](/source/Individual_time_trial) (against the clock) for both professional and amateur racing [cyclists](/source/Cycle_sport).[1] Held annually in [Cannes](/source/Cannes), France, it was instituted in 1932 and often regarded as the unofficial time trial championship of the world and as a [Classic cycle race](/source/Classic_cycle_races). The race was the idea of a Parisian newspaper editor called Gaston Bénac. The beret-wearing sports editor was looking for a race to make a name for *[Paris-Soir](/source/Paris-Soir)*, the biggest French evening paper before the war.

He and his colleague [Albert Baker d'Isy](/source/Albert_Baker_d'Isy) had been inspired by the [world road race championship](/source/1931_UCI_Road_World_Championships) in [Copenhagen](/source/Copenhagen), Denmark, in 1931. That, unusually, had been run as a time trial, and the two were impressed and also, they said, aware that a time-trial cost less to organise than a conventional road race. Baker d'Isy decided the name Grand Prix des Nations.[2]

There is a dispute over who devised the first route. The American-French writer [René de Latour](/source/Ren%C3%A9_de_Latour) said in the UK magazine [Sporting Cyclist](/source/Sporting_Cyclist) that he did; Baker d'Isy says that he did. The route started near the [Versailles château](/source/Palace_of_Versailles) and ran round a triangle through [Rambouillet](/source/Rambouillet), [Maulette](/source/Maulette), [Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse](/source/Saint-R%C3%A9my-les-Chevreuse), Versailles and [Boulogne](/source/Boulogne-Billancourt) to finish on the [Vélodrome Buffalo](/source/V%C3%A9lodrome_Buffalo) where the founder of the [Tour de France](/source/Tour_de_France), [Henri Desgrange](/source/Henri_Desgrange), had become the world's first [hour record](/source/Hour_record) holder in 1893. There were three hills, one in the first 100 km, plenty of cobbles, and the last 40 km went through the woods of the [Vallée de Chevreuse](/source/Vall%C3%A9e_de_Chevreuse), a popular area for bike riders. The distance was 142 km.[3]

The introduction of an official time trial champion at the [UCI Road World Championships](/source/World_Cycling_Championship#Time-Trial) in 1994 and an [Olympic](/source/Cycling_at_the_Summer_Olympics) individual time trial championship (1996) reduced its importance. With the introduction of the [UCI ProTour](/source/UCI_ProTour) in 2005, the event was removed from the calendar. Since 2006, [Chrono des Nations](/source/Chrono_des_Nations) (formerly Chrono des Herbiers) has effectively taken the place of GP des Nations in the calendar.[4]

## History

Race distances have varied. Until 1955, it was approximately 140 km; six years later, the distance was 100 km; from 1965 onwards the distance rarely exceeded 90 km, with many events run of around 75 km. The events were in the [Vallée de Chevreuse](/source/Vall%C3%A9e_de_Chevreuse) in the Paris area, then near [Cannes](/source/Cannes) on the [French Riviera](/source/French_Riviera); for five years from 1993, it was held at the Madine Lake in the [Meuse](/source/Meuse_(department)); from 1998, it has taken place in [Seine-Maritime](/source/Seine-Maritime) [département](/source/D%C3%A9partement), two circuits of 35 km around [Dieppe](/source/Dieppe%2C_Seine-Maritime).

The roll of honour includes cycling's greatest [time trialists](/source/Time_trialist), but the event's history was dominated by two Frenchmen: [Jacques Anquetil](/source/Jacques_Anquetil) won nine times, [Bernard Hinault](/source/Bernard_Hinault) five.[5]

British amateur woman [Beryl Burton](/source/Beryl_Burton) competed in 1968, finishing only minutes behind her male rivals.

## Winners (professionals)

Year Country Rider Team 1932 France Maurice Archambaud 1933 France Raymond Louviot 1934 France Antonin Magne 1935 France Antonin Magne 1936 France Antonin Magne 1937 France Pierre Cogan 1938 France Louis Aimar 1941 Italy Jules Rossi (victory shared with Louis Aimar) 1941 France Louis Aimar (victory shared with Jules Rossi) 1942 France Jean-Marie Goasmat (victory shared with Émile Idée) 1942 France Émile Idée (victory shared with Jean-Marie Goasmat) 1943 Belgium Jozef Somers 1944 France Émile Carrara 1945 France Eloi Tassin 1946 Italy Fausto Coppi 1947 Italy Fausto Coppi 1948 France René Berton 1949 France Charles Coste 1950 Belgium Maurice Blomme 1951 Switzerland Hugo Koblet 1952 France Louison Bobet Stella Huret Dunlop 1953 France Jacques Anquetil La Française–Dunlop 1954 France Jacques Anquetil La Perle–Hutchinson 1955 France Jacques Anquetil La Perle Hutchinson 1956 France Jacques Anquetil Helyett Potin 1957 France Jacques Anquetil Helyett Potin 1958 France Jacques Anquetil Helyett Potin 1959 Italy Aldo Moser EMI Guerra 1960 Italy Ercole Baldini Ignis 1961 France Jacques Anquetil Helyett Fynsec 1962 Belgium Ferdinand Bracke Peugeot 1963 France Raymond Poulidor Mercier–BP 1964 Belgium Walter Boucquet Flandria–Faema 1965 France Jacques Anquetil Ford–Gitane 1966 France Jacques Anquetil Ford-Hutchinson 1967 Italy Felice Gimondi Salvarani 1968 Italy Felice Gimondi Salvarani 1969 Belgium Herman van Springel Mann–Grundig 1970 Belgium Herman van Springel Mann–Grundig 1971 Spain Luis Ocaña Bic 1972 Belgium Roger Swerts Molteni 1973 Belgium Eddy Merckx Molteni 1974 Netherlands Roy Schuiten TI–Raleigh 1975 Netherlands Roy Schuiten TI–Raleigh 1976 Belgium Freddy Maertens Flandria Velda 1977 France Bernard Hinault Gitane–Campagnolo 1978 France Bernard Hinault Renault–Elf–Gitane 1979 France Bernard Hinault Renault–Elf–Gitane 1980 Belgium Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke La Redoute–Motobécane 1981 Switzerland Daniel Gisiger Cilo–Aufina 1982 France Bernard Hinault Renault–Elf 1983 Switzerland Daniel Gisiger Malvor Bottecchia 1984 France Bernard Hinault La Vie Claire 1985 France Charly Mottet Renault–Elf–Gitane 1986 Ireland Sean Kelly Kas 1987 France Charly Mottet Système U–Gitane 1988 France Charly Mottet Système U–Gitane 1989 France Laurent Fignon Super U–Raleigh–Fiat 1990 Switzerland Thomas Wegmüller Weinn SMM 1991 Switzerland Tony Rominger Toshiba 1992 Belgium Johan Bruyneel ONCE 1993 France Armand de Las Cuevas Banesto–Pinarello 1994 Switzerland Tony Rominger Mapei–CLAS 1995 No race 1996 Great Britain Chris Boardman GAN 1997 Germany Uwe Peschel Cantina Tollo–Carrier–Starplast 1998 France Francisque Teyssier Mutuelle de Seine-et-Marne 1999 Ukraine Serhiy Honchar Vini Caldirola 2000 Result Void[6][7] 2001 Germany Jens Voigt Crédit Agricole 2002 Germany Uwe Peschel Gerolsteiner 2003 Germany Michael Rich Gerolsteiner 2004 Germany Michael Rich Gerolsteiner

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Grand Prix des Nations"](https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=66). *FirstCycling.com*. 24 September 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Verdwenen koersen: de GP des Nations"](https://sportgeschiedenis.nl/nieuw/verdwenen-koersen-de-gp-des-nations/) [Disappeared races: the GP des Nations]. *sportgeschiedenis.nl* (in Dutch). 8 August 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Grand Prix des Nations(1.1)"](https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/grand-prix-des-nations). *ProcyclingStats*. 24 September 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Kröner, Hedwig (ed.). ["Latest Cycling News for October 11, 2005"](http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/oct05/oct11news2). *autobus.cyclingnews.com*. Retrieved 2024-07-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Grand Prix des Nations (Fra) - Ex"](http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/disparues/anc_gp_nations.php). *Memoire-du-cyclisme.eu* (in French). Retrieved 24 September 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBC-UCI_6-0)** ["Lance Armstrong: Governing body strips American of Tour wins"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/20008520). BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Union Cycliste Internationale"](http://www.uci.ch/Modules/ENews/ENewsDetails2011.asp?id=ODg0NQ&MenuId=MTI2Mjc&LangId=1&BackLink=%2Ftemplates%2FUCI%2FUCI7%2Flayout%2Easp%3FMenuId%3DMTI2Mjc%26LangId%3D1).[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Grand Prix des Nations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_des_Nations) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_des_Nations?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.