Critérium International
Race details | |
---|---|
Date | Late-March |
Region |
Ardennes, France (till 2009) Corsica, France (since 2010) |
English name | International Criterium |
Local name(s) | Critérium International (French) |
Discipline | Road |
Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
Type | Stage race |
History | |
First edition | 1932 |
Editions | 82 (as of 2013) |
First winner | Léon Le Calvez (FRA) |
Most wins |
Emile Idée (FRA) Raymond Poulidor (FRA) Jens Voigt (GER) (5 wins) |
Most recent | Chris Froome (GBR) |
The Critérium International is a two–day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932.
For many years it was considered a sort of French national championship and was finally opened to non–French cyclists in 1979. Bernard Hinault is the only cyclist to win the race in both its forms. The race has been won by some of the most famous names in cycling, including Jacques Anquetil, Sean Kelly, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain, Stephen Roche, Joop Zoetemelk, Laurent Fignon, Cadel Evans and Chris Froome.
1997 horse incident
In 1997, a horse jumped over a fence and joined the peloton, eventually passing it, leaving the race only 20 km from the finish line.[1] This scene was shown briefly in the movie Amélie, and is often mistaken for a scene from a Tour de France race.
Winners
*Results later voided for doping infringements
References
- ↑ http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/letters/?id=2003/may08letters#Horse
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Zone occupée
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zone libre
External links
- Official homepage in English
- The Critérium International 2011 route on Google Maps/Google Earth and the route and time schedule
- Video of horse joining 1997 race