As always since 1969, Eddy Merckx was the major favourite for the Tour de France at the beginning of the 1975 edition. At the start of the 15th stage on the way to Pra-Loup, the commentators were nevertheless asking questions of the Belgian champion’s potential, following a punch received from a spectator on the climb up the Puy-de-Dôme. Regardless of whether it was just an ominous incident or a genuine physical attack, on the climb to Pra-Loup, Merckx did not reach his usual standards of greatness. Although he had taken the bull by the horns with a solo attack on the ascent up the Col d’Allos pass, his strength waned in the last kilometres of the stage and he was caught by Bernard Thévenet. In fact, what the spectators witnessed was the end of an era as well as a shift in the balance of power to the Frenchman, who took the Yellow Jersey with a lead of 57 seconds.
In This Story: France
France is a republic and the largest Western European nation. Through expansion and colonisation in the 17th and 18th centuries France became a great power and still retains territories around the world. It has a seat on the UN security council and is the world’s fourth most wealthy country with a high standard of living and strong cultural identity.
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