A history of Africans at the Tour de France

Marcel Molinès and Abdel Kader Zaaf at the 1950 Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)

No Briton had started the Tour de France before Charles Holland and Bill Burl in 1937. Martin 'Cochise' Rodríguez was the first Colombian to line up in 1975, and Jonathan 'Jock' Boyer was the first American in 1981 – and let's not forget Canada's Pierre Gachon in 1937, even though he didn't complete the first stage. 

So it's wrong to believe that Africa's under-representation in the world's biggest bike race results from a lack of history and culture. They ride the Tour well before riders from these so-called 'new countries', who have won the race in recent years.