Background
He was born at Bayonne, Aquitaine, and died in Pessac.
He was born at Bayonne, Aquitaine, and died in Pessac.
His victory was controversial as he was the first rider to complete the race using a modern derailleur. This gave him the advantage of shifting gears without having to stop, dismount and flip the wheel as was customary of racing bicycles used at the time. Lapébie was also known to accept outside assistance in violation of the rules and was at one point penalized 90 seconds by race commissaires.
Maes had led the race through the Alps and Pyrenees but decided to quit in protest of Lapébie"s tactics and derailleur use after the 16th stage to Bordeaux.
Lapébie, in second place, took the yellow jersey in the absence of Maes and kept it until Paris. The victory delighted the French but angered the cycling-proud Belgians.
Following Lapébie"s victory derailleurs became standard racing equipment in the Tour peloton. Grand Tour results timeline.
