Grand Prix des Nations
| Grand Prix des Nations | |
|---|---|
| Region: | France |
| Date: | September |
| Type: | One-day race |
| History | |
| First Edition: | 1932 |
| Editions: | 70 |
| First Winner: | Maurice Archambaud ( ) |
| Last Winner: | Michael Rich ( ) |
| Most Wins: | Jacques Anquetil (), 9 times |
The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial (a race against the clock or contre la montre) for Europe's leading professional racing cyclists. Held annually in France, it was instituted in 1932 and was often regarded as both the unofficial time trial championship of the world and as a Classic cycle race.
The introduction of an official world time trial championship (in 1994) and an Olympic championship (1996) reduced its importance. With the introduction of the UCI ProTour in 2005, the event was removed from the calendar.
History
Race distances have varied over the years. Until 1955, it was usually run over a course of approximately 140km; six years later, the distance was 100km; from 1965 onwards the distance rarely exceeded 90km, with many events run over a course of around 75km.
The early events were run in the Vallée de Chevreuse in the Paris area, then near Cannes on the French Riviera; for five years from 1993, it was held at the Madine Lake in the Meuse region; from 1998, it has taken place in Seine-Maritime département, being two circuits of a 35km course around Dieppe.
The roll of honour for the event includes many of professional cycling's greatest time trialists, but the event's history was dominated by two Frenchmen: Jacques Anquetil won the event nine times, Bernard Hinault achieved five victories.
Top British amateur woman racing cyclist Beryl Burton competed in the 1967 edition, finishing only minutes behind her male professional rivals.
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