Tour de France history is filled with legendary cyclists whose stories are passed down from generation to generation. This is not one of those cyclists.
Ferdinand Payan, (not related to Franz Ferdinand the Archduke of Austria nor the indie band from Glasgow Scotland) was a French bicyclist of the early 20th century. He was born in Arles France in 1870. He participated in the 1903 Tour de France, the first Tour, and came in 12th place. He was 19 hours, 9 minutes and 2 seconds behind the winner Maurice Garin. He passed in 1961 in Nice, France.
The major competitions he participated in:
- 1903 Tour de France – 12th place
- 1904 Tour de France – did not finish
- 1906 Tour de France – 12th place
- 1907 Tour de France – 10th place
- 1908 Tour de France – 24th place
- 1909 Tour de France – did not finish
- 1911 Tour de France – did not finish
- 1912 Tour de France – did not finish
Ferdinand Payan = Special
What the hell is this? Who cares?
FTR: Some people find this sort of thing interesting. Riders from Team 2S1B, like the writer of the article, are not only riders, but they’re also historians of the sport. The guy who posted this info, Marc, is a guy who will sit and watch the entire Tour de France. Each and every stage… day after day. Why? Because he loves it. You don’t like it? My advice to you is don’t read it. : )