Life[edit]

Peter Norman grew up in Coburg, Victoria. Initially an apprentice butcher, Norman later became a teacher, and worked for the Victorian Department of Sport and Recreation towards the end of his life.^[3]

He is the uncle to Australian film-maker and actor Matt Norman who has directed and produced the cinema-released documentary Salute about the three runners through Paramount Pictures and Transmission Films.

Career[edit]

Before the 1968 Olympics Norman was a trainer for West Brunswick Football Club as a way of keeping fit over winter during the athletic circuit's off season. After 1968 he played 67 games for West Brunswick between 1972 and 1977 before coaching an under 19 team in 1978.

Norman kept running, but contracted gangrene in 1985 after tearing his Achilles Tendon during a charity race, which nearly led to his leg being amputated. Depression, heavy drinking and pain killer addiction followed.^[4]

1968 Summer Olympics[edit]

The gold and bronze medalists in the 200m at the 1968 Olympics were Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos, respectively. On the medal podium, during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner", Smith and Carlos famously joined in a Black Power salute.

What is less known is that Norman, a white Australian, donned a badge on the podium in support of their cause, the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). After the race, Carlos and Smith told Norman what they were planning to do during the ceremony. As Flanagan wrote: "They asked Norman if he believed in human rights. He said he did. They asked him if he believed in God. Norman, who came from a Salvation Army background, said he believed strongly in God. We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, 'I'll stand with you'." Carlos said he expected to see fear in Norman's eyes. He didn't. "I saw love."^[5] On the way out to the medal ceremony, Norman saw the badge being worn by Paul Hoffman, a white member of the US Rowing Team, and asked him if he could wear it.^[6] It was also Norman who suggested that Smith and Carlos share the black gloves used in their salute, after Carlos left his gloves in the Olympic Village.^[7] This is the reason for Tommie Smith raising his right fist, while John Carlos raised his left.

Australia's Olympic authorities reprimanded him and the Australian media ostracised him. Despite Norman running qualifying times for the 100m five times and 200m 13 times during 1971/72, the Australian Olympic track team did not send him, or any other male sprinters, to the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, the first modern Olympics since 1896 where no Australian sprinters participated.^[6]

2000 Summer Olympics and 2012 Parliamentary apology debate[edit]

Australian organising authorities overlooked Norman as being involved in any way with the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney; he was however eventually part of the event after being invited by the Americans when they heard that his own country had failed to do so.^[8] On 17 October 2003 San Jose State University unveiled a statue commemorating the 1968 Olympic protest; Norman was not included as part of the statue itself—his empty podium spot intended for others viewing the statue to "take a stand"—but was invited to deliver a speech at the ceremony.^[3]In August 2012, the federal parliament debated a motion to provide an apology to Norman. ^[9][10][11]

Death and honour[edit]

Norman died of a heart attack on 3 October 2006 in Melbourne at the age of 64.^[12]US Track and Field Federation proclaimed 9 October 2006, the date of his funeral, as Peter Norman Day. Thirty-eight years after the three made history, both Smith and Carlos gave eulogies and were pallbearers at Norman's funeral.^[3]

In a 2012 interview, Carlos said:^[13]

“

There's no-one in the nation of Australia that should be honoured, recognised, appreciated more than Peter Norman for his humanitarian concerns, his character, his strength and his willingness to be a sacrificial lamb for justice.

”

Mural[edit]

An airbrush mural of the trio on podium exists in the inner-city suburb of Newtown in Sydney in Leamington Lane. Silvio Offria, who allowed an artist known only as "Donald" to paint the mural on his house, said Norman came to Newtown to see the mural before he died in 2006, "He came and had his photo taken, he was very happy."^[14] The monochrome tribute, captioned "THREE PROUD PEOPLE MEXICO 68," is under threat of demolition to make way for a rail tunnel and counter actions are being attempted to retain it.^[14]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• 1968 Olympic 200 Meters

Authority control VIAF: 107465912

Persondata
Name	Norman, Peter
Alternative names
Short description	Australian sprinter
Date of birth	15 June 1942
Place of birth
Date of death	3 October 2006
Place of death

Early life and amateur career[edit]

Childhood and club racing[edit]

Simpson was born on 30 November 1937 in Haswell, County Durham, the youngest of the six children of coal miner, Tom Simpson senior, and his wife Alice, née Cheetham.^[6][1] His father had been a semi-professional sprinter in athletics.^[7] The family lived in a small terraced house and there was not much money around,^[7][6] until 1943, when his parents took charge of the village's working men's club, moving in above.^[8] In 1950 the Simpson family moved to Harworth on the Nottinghamshire-Yorkshire border where his Mother's sister lived; new coalfields were opening and there were further opportunities for him and his older brother, Harry, who by now were they only children left at home.^[7][9][10]

Simpson rode his first bike at the age of 12, which belonged to his brother-in-law, and would share it with Harry and two cousins, time trialling around Harworth. He then followed Harry, and joined Harworth and District Cycling Club.^[11] He needed to upgrade his bike, and acquired a weekend job delivering bread and groceries within the district of Bassetlaw by bike. He exchanged bikes with a customer, one more race-specific.^[12][11] He was often left behind in club races, and the members of the cycling club nicknamed him "Four-stone Coppi" after Italian rider, Fausto Coppi.^[12][13] He began winning time trials at his club, but eventually grew unhappy, feeling the resentment from the senior members due to his boasting.^[14] He left Harworth and District and joined Rotherham's Scala Wheelers.^[15][16] In 1954, aged 16, he won the North Midlands junior hill climb championship in Derbyshire.^[15]

After leaving school, Simpson found work as an apprentice draughtsman at an engineering company in Retford, around 10 miles (16 km) from his home in Harworth; he travelled by bike, using it as training. He placed well over in the 0.5 mi (0.8 km) races on both grass and cement, but decided he would concentrate on road racing. His first race was as a junior at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham.^[17][18] In 1955 he won the national junior hill climb championship and placed third in the senior event with the same time.^[19][20] His first race as a senior was in the semi-professional, Circuit des Gimpeurs in Derbyshire, coming second.^[21]

Simpson then immersed himself into the world of cycling; he wrote to naturalised Austrian rider, George Berger, who then coached Simpson, helping with his riding position.^[22][23] In late-1955 Simpson was suspended from racing following a dispute between the two governing bodies of cycling in Britain, the National Cyclists' Union (NCU), and the British League of Racing Cyclists (BLRC), which ended with an agreement that if any rider committed any offence under the Road Traffic Act they would incur a suspension. Simpson was caught by police failing to stop at a 'halt' sign, and was subsequently banned for a period of six months. During his suspension he picked up the sport of motorcycle trials, he nearly quit cycling for it, but could not afford to purchase a new motorcycle necessary for progression.^[24][25]

Track years: Olympics, Commonwealths and amateur worlds[edit]

Berger then told Simpson that if he wanted to be a successful road cyclist, he first needed to ride the track, in particular the 4000 m individual pursuit event.^[26] He travelled regularly to compete at Fallowfield Stadium in Manchester, where in early-1956, he met amateur world pursuit silver medallist, Cyril Cartwright, who believed Simpson had a chance of winning that year's national pursuit championship. Cartwright advised him on dieting, lent him a track bike and developed his technique; the 1948 Olympic silver medallist, Reg Harris, was brought in to train with Simpson.^[27][28][29] In the national championships at Fallowfield, Simpson won the silver in the individual pursuit; he beat reigning amateur world champion Norman Sheil on the way to the final, where he was beaten by Mike Gambrill.^[30][31]

Simpson began working with his father as a draughtsman at the glass factory in Harworth.^[32] He was riding well, and although wasn't selected by Great Britain for the amateur world championships, he was for the 1956 Olympic Games, as part of the Great Britain 4000 m team pursuit squad.^[33] In mid-September he travelled to Russia for two weeks, competing against the Russian and Italian teams, as preparation for the Olympics. The seven-strong squad began in Leningrad, then Moscow before finishing in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was nicked named the "Sparrow" by the Russian press, due to his frailness.^[33] The following month he was in Melbourne for the Olympics, and qualified for the team pursuit semi-finals against Italy; the Great Britain squad believed they had chance of beat them and the other semi-finalists, South Africa and France. They were beaten by Italy, taking the bronze medal; Simpson blamed himself for the loss, pushing too hard on one of his turns and not being able to recover for the next.^[34][35][36]

Following the Olympics, Simpson trained throughout his winter break into 1957.^[38] In May he rode the nationl 25-mile championships, and although he was the favourite, was beaten by Sheil in the final. A week later, while racing a points race at an international meeting at Fallowfield, Simpson crashed badly, almost breaking his leg; he stopped working for a month and then struggled to find fitness once healed. At the national pursuit championships, he was beaten in the quarter-finals.^[39][40] After this defeat, he went back to road racing and won the BLRC national hill climb championship in October.^[41][20] He then took a short break from racing.^[42] He returned in spring 1958, and after a return to form raced in the Daily Herald Torphy at the White Monday Meeting at Fallowfield, before travelling to Sofia with Sheil, for two weeks racing. He then won the national pursuit championship at Herne Hill. In July he won a silver medal for England in the individual pursuit at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, losing to Sheil by one-hundredth of a second in the final.^[43][44]

In September 1958, Simpson competed at the amateur world championships in Paris. In the opening elimination round of the individual pursuit against the reigning world champion, Italian Carlo Simonigh, his wheel got caught in the guttering tyre in the final part of the race, and after he bunny hopped his bike out, his tyre burst as he landed it on a crack in the concrete track. He knocked himself unconscious and dislocated his jaw. He had won the race as he crash after he crossed the finish line. Even though he was in pain, the team manager, Benny Foster, made him race in the quarter-final against New Zealand's Warwick Dalton, but only to make Dalton participate, as team-mate Sheil – who ended up winning gold – may meet him. Simpson felt that if he not crashed the world championship would of been his.^[45][46] He wanted to turn professional, but needed to prove himself first.^[47] He wanted to break the world amateur hour record, and spoke to Harris, who arranged for Simpson to race at the indoor Oerlikon velodrome in Zurich in November. He failed by 300 m, covering a distance of 43.995 km (27.3 mi); he blamed his failure on the low temperature caused by the ice rink in the center of the velodrome.^[48][49]

Move to Brittany[edit]

After Simpson's failed hour record attempt, he was invited to a race in East Berlin, as part of a British team, and on his return he was determined that he needed to move to the continent for success.^[50] He contact French brothers, Robert and Yvon Murphy, who he had met while racing in Manchester and the Isle of Man, and asked them if he could stay with them in the Breton fishing port of Saint-Brieuc, which they accepted.^[51] His final event in Britain was the Good Friday Meeting at Herne Hill, riding motor-paced races against the likes of reigning world champion Lothar Meister. Simpson won the event and was invited to Germany to train for the 1959 motor-paced world championships, but turn them down in order to chase his dreams of a career on the road. Bicycle manufacturer Elswick Hopper also offered him chance to join their team, however it was British-based and he was advised by their manager and former British team boss, Benny Foster, to continue with his plans to move to France.^[52]

In April 1959, Simpson set off to live in France, he took two Carlton bikes (road and track) and £100 which was given to him by Carlton as a thank you for his help promoting them. His last words to his mother were: "I don't want to be sitting here in 20 years' time, wondering what would have happened if I hadn't gone to France". The following day, his National Service papers were delivered – alougth keen before his move, he would go on to avoid conscription.^[54][49][55] Once settled with the Murphy family, he began winning local races before attracting attention in criteriums. He was then invited to race in the Route de France – an eight-day amateur stage race – by the St. Rapha/VC 12 club, who were behind the professional team St. Raphaël-Géminiani. He went back winning local races before riding the Route de France, where he won the final stage, breaking away from the peloton and just managing to hold on for victory.^[56][57][58] Following this win, he was offered the chance to compete at the Tour de France as part of an international team, but turn it down.^[59] He was offered terms by two professional teams, Mercier-BP-Hutchinson and Rapha – which already had a British cyclist, Brian Robinson; he opted for the latter, and on 29 June, signed a contract which would see him earning 80,000 francs (£80) a month.^[60][59][61]

Professional career[edit]

1959–1960: Foundations and first Tour[edit]

Simpson's first race as a professional was the Tour de l'Ouest in July 1959. On the opening stage, he finished in a breakaway group with his team-mate, Pierre Everaert, who took the leader's jersey. On stage four, a break formed and Simpson tried to bridge the gap for Everaert, who could not mange the pace, so Simpson went on his own and won in a sprint finish, taking the leader's jersey. He then won the next stage, a 41.6 km (25.8 mi)-long individual time trial, increasing his lead to around three minutes.^[62][63] He lost the lead on the next stage, after suffering a puncture, and finished the race in 24th place overall.^[64][65]

In August 1959, Simpson competed in the world championships in the Netherlands in the 5000 m individual pursuit in Amsterdam's large open-air velodrome and road race on the nearby Circuit Park Zandvoort motor-racing track. He placed fourth in the individual pursuit, losing by 0.3 seconds in the quarter-finals. He expected to go further, but picked himself up for the 180 mi (289.7 km)-long road race, eight laps of the race track – his first professional one-day race. After 45 mi (72.4 km), a ten-strong breakaway was formed, and after 63 mi (101.4 km) he bridged the gap. As the peloton began to close in he tried to attack, but was each time he was brought back and the race finished in a sprint where he placed fourth. His result was, at the time, the best-ever result by a British rider. He was praised by the winner, André Darrigade of France, who believed that if wasn't for Simpson's work on the front, the breakaway would have been caught. Darrigade also helped Simpson get into criteriums, where he could earn extra money.^[66][67][68] Simpson then moved up to St. Raphaël-Géminiani's first team, Rapha-Gitane-Dunlop, selected for the end-of-season Classics. He first rode Paris–Tours, finishing in 16th after a bunch sprint,^[69] and was forced to quit the Giro di Lombardia, suffering a puncture, riding in the group of leaders – his first appearance in one of the five 'monuments' of cycling.^[70][71] In his final race of the 1959 season he came fourth in the Trofeo Baracchi – a two-man team time trial, with team-mate Gérard Saint, riding against boyhood idol, Coppi – the final race before his death.^[72] He finished the season with a total of 28 wins.^[68]

Simpson's first major race of the 1960 season was Milan – San Remo on 19 March, the organisers introduced the now-famous Poggio climb for the first time, an attempt to prevent the race finishing in a bunch sprint. He broke clear from a breakaway group over the first climb, the Turchino, and lead the race for 45 km (28.0 mi), before being caught by the breakaway. He lost contact over Poggio and finished in 38th place.^[73][74][75] He then rode Paris–Roubaix, which was the first race to be shown live on Eurovision.^[76][77] He launched an attack as an early break was caught, and was at the front on his own for 40 km (24.9 mi), before being caught with 5 km (3.1 mi) remaining, ending up ninth. At the finish inside Roubaix Velodrome, he took a lap of honour, at the request of the emotional crowd. His televised effort launched his career and was now known across Europe.^[78][79][76] He then went on to win the Mont Faron hill climb, before finishing sixth in the five-day Genoa-Rome race, also winning the King of the Mountains prize.^[68][80] He then rode the Ardennes classics, placing seventh in La Flèche Wallonne and eleventh in Liège–Bastogne–Liège.^[81] In May he won the general classification of the Tour du Sud-Est, his first overall victory in a professional stage race.^[82][83]

In June 1960, Simpson made his Grand Tour debut at the Tour de France, aged 22. The Rapha team manger, Raymond Louviot, was against his participation, but it was contested by national teams, so it was Simpson's decision to accepted the call-up by the British team. On the first stage he was part of a 14-strong breakaway which finished over two minutes in front of the field, he crashed on the cinder track at the finish in Brussels, but was given the same time as the winner. Later that day he finished ninth in the time trial which covered a distance of 37 km (23.0 mi), one minute and 23 seconds down on the winner, Roger Rivière of France, and lay in fifth place overall. He recorded the fastest time for the second half, but due to being woken up late after a rest he spent the first half warming up. On the third stage he was able to get into a breakaway which had two French riders who kept attacking, forcing him to chase and use up vital energy needed for the finish, where he came third, missing out on the 30 second bonus for first which would have put him in the yellow jersey. He dropped to ninth overall by the end of the first week. On stage ten he crashed descending the Col d'Aubisque in the Pyrenees, but was able to finish the stage in 14th place. On the following stage he was dropped from a chasing group and became exhausted; he failed to recover and finished the Tour in 29th place overall.^[84][85][86] He had lost 2 st (13 kg; 28 lb) in the three weeks racing the Tour.^[87]

Immediately after the Tour, Simpson rode criteriums around Europe, until he crashed riding one in central France. He went back to his flat in Paris and checked himself into a hospital.^[88][89] Following a week in bed, he competed in the road world championships at the Sachsenring in East Germany. During the race he stopped to fix his shoes, but was on the wrong side of the road and was hit from behind by a car, resulting five stitches to the head.^[90] He struggled in the last of the Classics,^[91] which included 84th in the Giro di Lombardia.^[92]

1961: Tour of Flanders and injury[edit]

Simpson's first major event of the 1961 season was the Paris–Nice stage race in March. On stage three, he was part of the team which won the team time trial, he took the leader's jersey, leading the general classification by three seconds. He lost it on the next stage. In the final stages his attacks were brought back and he finished the race in fifth place. In his next race, the Milan – San Remo, his team-mate, Jean-Claude Annaert, got into a break and Simpson was used to help stop riders bridging across; Simpson crossed the line in 25th place. The next day, he rode the opening stage of the short Menton–Rome. He placed second in two stages and finished the race in second place overall, to team-mate, Albertus Geldermans.^[93]

On 26 March, Simpson rode the Tour of Flanders. Together with Carpano's Nino Defilippis, he chased down an early break which included the 1959 winner and world champion, Rik Van Looy of Faema, and Simpson's team-mate, Jo de Haan. Simpson worked with the group, then with around 8 km (5.0 mi) to go, he attacked, followed by Defilippis. The finish which consisted of three circuits around the town of Wetteren was flat, and unlike Simpson, Defilippis was a sprinter, so was favoured for the victory. One kilometre from the finish Simpson launched a sprint, then eased off at 300 m to go, tricking Defilippis into believing he had exhausted himself. Defilippis then passed on Simpson's right for the win, but Simpson duplicated it and as Defilippis looked to his left expecting to see him, Simpson lunged past on the right to take the victory, becoming the first Briton to win 'monument' Classic.^[94][76][95] Defilippis protested, arguing that the finishing banner had been blown down and didn't know where the finish was, which the judges didn't accept, as the finish line was clearly marked on the road itself.^[96]

A week later, Simpson was riding Paris–Roubaix, and after his recent win was aiming to better his previous year's result of ninth. As the race reached the paved section, he went on a solo attack. Then was then told that Mercier-BP-Hutchinson rider Raymond Poulidor was chasing him down. Simpson then increased his speed and caught up with the vehicles in front. A press car swerved to avoid a pothole, which forced him into a ditch beside the road; as he fell, he damaged his front wheel and injured his knee. He managed to find his team car within the disorder, retrieving a replacement wheel, but by then the front of race had passed. Once back in the race, he had two further crashes, finishing in 88th place, around 30 minutes behind the winner, Van Looy.^[76][97][92]

At Simpson's next race, the G.P. Eibar, the injury to his knee was still affecting him. He won he won the second stage, but was forced to quit the race in the following stage. His injury hadn't healed, and after failed attempts with specialists, and as he wasn't earning any money from races, he had no option but to ride the Tour de France with the British team.^[98] He abandoned on stage three, struggling to pedal his bike.^{[98][99][100]} Three months after his fall at Paris–Roubaix, he was advised to see a doctor at St. Michael's Hospital in Paris, who diagnosed the problem as arthritis. He gave Simpson 16 injections into his knee, which reduced the inflammation. Once healed, he competed in the world championships in Berne, Switzerland. On the track, qualified for the individual pursuit with the fourth fastest time, but was beaten in the quater-finals by Peter Post of the Netherlands. He then took part in the road race, and got into a 17-stong break, which finished together in a sprint; Simpson crossed the finish line in ninth position.^[101]

1962: Yellow jersey[edit]

Simpson was now based in Ghent, Belgium, and was earning money from one-day meetings around the country.^[102] His contract with Rapha-Gitane-Dunlop had finished at the end of the 1961 season. The 1961 Tour de France winner, Jacques Anquetil, had signed with them for 1962, but Simpson wanted lead the team and would have to move for this to happen. He signed for Gitane-Leroux-Dunlop, a new team set-up for the 1962 season.^[103][102] After a training camp in Lodeve, in southern France, he rode Paris–Nice.^[104] He helped his team win stage three's team time trial and finishing in second place overall, behind Faema-Flandria-Clément's Jef Planckaert.^{[104][105][106]} He was then denied the chance to race Milan – San Remo, after the organisers only allowed Italian based trade teams. Instead, he rode Gent–Wevelgem, finishing sixth.^[104] He then went to defend his Tour of Flanders title. As the race reached its conclusion, he was in a select group of riders at the front. He lead the race over each of the final climbs, but at the finish was beaten by Van Looy, placing fifth. Simpson took the King of the Mountains prize.^[107][108] A week later, he finished in 37th place at Paris–Roubaix, being delayed by a crash.^[109][106] In May he crashed on the opening stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, losing over six minutes, which put him out of contention for overall victory; he finished the race in 20th position, using it as training. His next races were the Tour de Luxembourg and the Manx Trophy.^[110]

Simpson went into the Tour de France as the leader of the Gitane-Leroux-Dunlop team,^[111] it was the first time since 1929 that trade teams were allowed to compete.^[112][113] He finished ninth in the first stage from Nancy to Spa,^[111] in group of 22 riders that finished over eight minutes ahead of the rest.^[106] He was then part of the team that came second to Faema-Flandria-Clément in the team time trial on stage 2b, and lay in seventh place in the general classification.^[114] He stayed in the top-ten throughout the rest of the first week.^[114] On stage 8a he was in a 30-strong group that gained around six minutes, moving him up to second overall, behind team-mate, Darrigade.^[115] In the time trial on second half of the stage, he lost time to his rivals, finishing 18th, after a late starting position left him exposed to poor conditions, although he kept his position overall.^[116] On stage 12 from Pau to Saint-Gaudens, the hardest stage in the Pyrenees (Circle of Death) and first mountain stage of the Tour.^[113] Simpson saw this as an opportunity to wear the yellow jersey, as he knew Darrigade couldn't climb as well as him.^[106][117] As the peloton reached the 2,115 m (6,939 ft)-high Col du Tourmalet, he attacked with a small of group of select riders, and went over the summit in ninth place. A group of three broke away over the next two climbs, but were caught at the finish. Simpson finished in the stage in 18th place, taking the lead of the general classification, 30 seconds ahead of Geldermans (St. Raphaël-Helyett-Hutchinson), becoming the first British rider to wearing the leader's yellow jersey – this record was held for 32 years, until Chris Boardman won the prologue of 1994 race.^{[106][118][119]}

Simpson relinquished the lead on the following stage, an 18.5 km (11.5 mi)-long time trial, which culminated on a steep uphill finish at Superbagnères; he ended with five minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner, Federico Bahamontes of Margnat-Paloma-D'Alessandro, in 31st place, dropping to sixth overall.^[120][114] On the first stage in the Alps, stage 18 from Juan-les-Pins to Briançon – the highest town in Europe, he finished ninth and moved up to third overall, behind Planckaert and Anquetil.^[114][106] He threw caution to the wind in the next stage as he descended the Col de Porte, crashing on a bend, and was only saved from falling over the edge by a tree. He finished the stage in 32nd place, slipping back to third. The crash left him with a broken middle finger on his left hand. He lost almost 11 minutes to the winner of the next stage's time trial and eventual winner of the general classification, Anquetil, and finished the Tour at the Paris' Parc des Princes in sixth place, 17 minutes and nine seconds down.^[121][106] He then rode criteriums before the road world championships Salò, Italy, where he retired with 25 mi (40.2 km) to go, missing a large breakaway.^[106] He started six-day racing into his winter break, training in Ghent. In early-October, he came third in the Six Days of Madrid with his partner, Australian John Tresidder.^[106][122]

1963: Bordeaux–Paris[edit]

Leroux withdrew sponsorship for the Gitane team for the 1963 season. Simpson was contracted to their manager, Louviot, who was rejoining St. Raphaël-Gitane-Geminiani, so could follow, but he saw that as a step backwards. Peugeot-BP-Englebert brought the contract from Louviot, which was until the end of the season.^[123] Simpson's season opened with Paris–Nice, where he went out of contention following a number of punctures in the opening stages and withdrew from the race on the final stage; he broke away on his, then stopped beside the road, which didn't go down well with his fellow riders.^[124] At Milan – San Remo he got into a break of four riders which gained around three minutes, then punctured and although he got back to the front he crossed the finish line in 19th.^[125][126] In late-March he road Gent–Wevelgem, finishing second to Wiel's-Groene Leeuw rider, Benoni Beheyt, by one centimetre. Soon after, he raced the three-day Tour de Var, winning the first stage, from a uphill sprint, and finishing second overall.^[127] He then place third in the Tour of Flanders, from a group of three.^[128] At Paris–Roubaix he worked for his team-mate, Emile Daems, who won, with Simpson in ninth. He then rode one-day Paris–Brussels. He got into a breakaway before the Belgian border, then with 50 km (31.1 mi) remaining, he was just left with reigning world champion, Jean Stablinski (St. Raphaël-Gitane-Geminiani), who attack on a cobbled climb in Alsemberg, just outside of Brussels, after Simpson's bike slipped a gear, and stayed away for the victory. Following this second place, Simpson lead the Super Prestige Pernod International season-long competition, becoming number one in the world. The next week he raced the Ardennes classics, coming seventh in La Flèche Wallonne and 33rd in Liège–Bastogne–Liège; in the latter he rode alone for around 100 km (62.1 mi), before being caught in the final 5 km (3.1 mi).^[129]

On 26 May, Simpson rode the one-day Bordeaux–Paris (Derby of the Road), which was 557 km (346 mi)-long – a distance he had never ridden.^[130][131] The race commenced at 1:58 am, and the initial 161 km (100 mi) were unpaced, until it reach the town of Châtellerault, where derny bikes paced each rider until the finish. A group of three riders escaped and he left with a group including the 1962 winner, St. Raphaël-Gitane-Geminiani's Jo de Roo, and Post (Dr. Mann-Labo). Simpson's pacer, Fernand Wambst, then increased his speed and Simpson dropped the group. He and caught the breakaway within 13 minutes, over a distance of 161 km (100 mi). He then attacked, and with 36 km (22 mi) remaining, he opened up a margin of two minutes. His lead steadily increased and he finished the race in the Parc des Princes over five minutes ahead of his team-mate, Piet Rentmeester in second.^{[132][133][106]}

Simpson announced that he would not ride the Tour de France, concentrating on the world road championships instead. He then won the Manx Trophy, a one-day race on the Isle of Man, in treacherous conditions, where only 16 out of 70 riders finished. At the road world championships in Ronse, Belgium, he was one of the favourites, along side Van Looy, although Simpson would only have three team-mates compared to Van Looy's Belgian squad of ten. The Belgian's controlled the race, until Simpson broke free, catching two riders ahead, Henry Anglade (France) and Ireland's Seamus Elliott. Anglade was then dropped and Elliott refused to work with Simpson.^{[n 1]} They were then caught and the race finished in a bunch sprint,^[135] with Simpson crossing the line in fourth.^[136]

Simpson then placed second at the Critérium des As in Paris, to Anquetil, and Paris–Tours to Jo de Roo (St. Raphaël-Gitane-Geminiani). He then came tenth at the Giro di Lombardia, finishing the Super Prestige Pernod International in second place, behind Anquetil. His season ended with six-day races in Madrid, Brussels and Ghent, before an invitation to race on the Pacific island of New Caledonia, with riders including Anquetil and De Roo.^[137]

1964: Milan – San Remo[edit]

Following a training camp close to Nice in southern France, Simpson rode the one-day Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, in Belgium; he overcame the cold conditions to finish second, behind Solo-Superia's Arthur Decabooter.^[138][139] At Paris–Nice, he punctured on stage four, losing five minutes, and used the remainder of the race as training.^[140] Two days later, on 19 March, he rode Milan – San Remo.^[140][141] Before the race, French journalist, René de Latour, advised Simpson not to attack early, telling him: "If you feel good then keep it for the last hour of the race".^[140] In the final 32 km (19.9 mi), a group of four riders including Simpson and the 1961 winner, Poulidor of Mercier-BP-Hutchinson, Flandria-Romeo's Willy Bocklant and Vincenzo Meco (Cite). At the foot of the Poggio, the final climb, Poulidor attacked and only Simpson managed to kept with him. Poulidor launched a series of attacks, all of which failed. They traversed the summit and descended into Milan, 3 km (1.9 mi) away. With 500 m to go, Simpson began his sprint, Poulidor couldn't respond, leaving him to take the victory, setting a record average speed of 27.1 mph (43.6 km/h).^{[141][142][143][144]} At the five-day Circuit de Provençal, he recovered from an intestinal problem to win the fifth stage.^[145] The following week he rode Paris–Roubaix. A strong tailwind split the race and he was in the front group. He crashed twice and failed to catch the leaders, finishing in tenth place.^[146][147]

Simpson spent the next two months training for the Tour de France, before an eighth place in the Manx Trophy.^[148] After the first week of the Tour, Simpson was in tenth place overall.^[149] On the ninth stage from Briançon to Monaco, he attacked on the final climb, but a group 22 riders finished in a cinder track, where he finished second behind Anquetil, moving up to eighth.^[150][151] The following day he finished 20th in the 20.8 km (12.9 mi) time trial.^[149] On the 16th stage, which crossed four cols, he finished in 33rd place, 25 minutes ten seconds behind first placed Bahamontes, dropping out of top-ten to 17th.^[152][153] He finished to Tour in 14th place overall, 41 minutes and 50 seconds down on the winner, Anquetil.^[149] He later found that he ridden the entire Tour with tapeworm.^[152][154]

Following the Tour, Simpson prepared for the world road championships with long distance training and criteriums.^[155] At the world championships on 3 September, he competed in the 290 km (180.2 mi) road race which consisted of 24 laps of a varying circuit in Sallanches, in the French Alps.^[156][157] He crash on the third lap, damaging a pedal, descending in the wet conditions. He got back into the peloton, then launched a alone attack on a decent; he then chased down the group of four leaders after 42 mi (67.6 km), with two laps to go. On the last lap he was then dropped by three riders, finishing six seconds behind at the finish.^[158][159] On 17 October, he raced in the Giro di Lombardia. Half-way into the race, he was handed the incorrect food by his team at the feed station and threw the musette away. As the race became reduced to five riders, Molteni's Gianni Motta attacked, with Simpson the only one able to follow. He began to feel the effects of the lack of food. Motto gave him part of his, which lasted for a while. On the final climb, Simpson lead Motta, but had exhausted himself. In the remaining 10 km (6.2 mi) of flat terrain, Motta dropped him and he was repeatedly overtaken,^[160][161] finishing in 21st place.^[92] The effort in the race earned a place at the two-an team time trial, Trofeo Baracchi, with Rudi Altig of St. Raphaël-Gitane-Dunlop. Simpson was still suffering from the Giro di Lombardia, but they managed third place. He closed the year on the track, riding six-day races and a derny-paced Madison.^[162]

1965: World championship and Lombardia[edit]

In 1965 Simpson became first Briton to win the world road race championship, outsprinting Germany's Rudi Altig in San Sebastián, Spain after the two had broken away with 40 km (24.9 mi) to go.^[163] He also won the Italian Autumn Classic, the Giro di Lombardia (the second world champion jersey also to win in Italy – the other was Alfredo Binda in the 1920s), and picked up third in Flèche Wallonne and Bordeaux–Paris,^[164] sixth in Paris–Roubaix and 10th in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He partnered Peter Post to victory in the six-day race at Brussels. He ended the year by winning the Sports Journalists' Association Sportsman of the Year Award (following Reg Harris – the only other cyclist to win),^[165] and he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, with Formula One World Champion Jim Clark coming second. Within British cycling, Simpson won the Bidlake Memorial Prize in 1965.^[166]

1966: Illness and injury[edit]

A stage victory in the Tour de France still eluded Simpson. He twice finished second, on stages 12 and 13, of the 1966 Tour de France, but abandoned on stage 17; he had attacked on the Col du Galibier but crashed on the descent and was unable to hold his handlebars.^[167] 1966, overall, was a write-off for Simpson, who missed much of the season due to a skiing injury the previous winter.^[168]

1967: Paris–Nice and Vuelta wins[edit]

He looked in form in early 1967. In April he won Paris–Nice (taking two second places and a third place on different days)^[169] and stage five of the Giro di Sardegna. He also rode in the 1967 Vuelta a España for the first time, collecting two stage victories and 33rd place overall.^[170]

Death[edit]

Going into the 1967 Tour de France, Simpson was determined to make an impact, he had not won a major race since the Giro di Lombardia in 1965, was in his eighth year as a professional and needed to earn more money before retiring and was optimistic he could finish high in the general classification, securing a contract with an Italian trade team and larger appearance fees from post-Tour criteriums.^{[171][172][173][174]} The 1967 Tour was contested by national teams, rather than trade teams.^{[n 2]} Simpson was undisputed leader of the British team, one of the weakest in the race, which consisted of four with experience of top-level racing and six who were riding the Tour for the first time.^{[176][177][178][179]} This could been seen as a handicap, but Simpson wasn't guaranteed the leadership of the Peugeot team, and would have to compete with Frenchman Roger Pingeon – the winner of the 1967 Tour.^[174] His plan was to either finish in the top-three or wear the yellow jersey; he had targeted three key stages, one of which included the 13th over Mont Ventoux, riding safe until the race reached the mountains.^{[180][181][182][183][184]}

After the first week, Simpson lay in sixth place overall, leading the favourites.^[185][186] As the race passed through the Alps, he fell ill on stage ten through the Col du Galibier pass, with diarrhoea and stomach pains; he wasn't able to eat and rode on reserves, finishing in 16th place, dropping to seventh overall, with his rivals now ahead.^[186][187] On the evening of stage 12 his personal manager, Daniel Dousset, put Simpson under pressure to produce good results.^{[188][189][174][190]} His friend and team-mate on the British team, Vin Denson, advised Simpson to limit his losses and settle with what he had;^[191] his Peugeot manager, Gaston Plaud, was in Marseille and asked Simpson to quit the race, even though he had no jurisdiction.^[192][179]

Stage 13 measured 211.5 km (131.4 mi), started in Marseille, went over the 1,910 m (6,270 ft)-high Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence", before finishing in Carpentras.^[185][193] At the start of the stage, the temperature was possibly as high as 45 °C (113 °F);^[193] the Tour doctor, Pierre Dumas, took a stroll at dawn. Near his hotel, the Noaille at Cannebière, he met other race followers at 6:30am. "If the riders take something [drugs] today, we'll have a death on our hands", he said.^[190][194] At the start line, a journalist noticed Simpson looked tired and ask him if the heat was the problem, Simpson replied "No, it's not the heat, it's the Tour."^[195] As the race reached lower slopes of Mont Ventoux, Simpson – still suffering with illness – was seen ingesting a number of pills with brandy.^{[196][197][n 3]} As the race closed in on the summit of Ventoux, the peloton began to fracture, and for a while, Simpson managed to stay in the front group of elite riders; he then starting slipped back to a group of chasers around one minute behind. He then began to lose control of his bike zig-zagging across the road.^{[201][n 4]} His team manager, Alec Taylor, feared for Simpson less for the way he was going up the mountain than for the way he would go down the other side.^{[n 5]}

One kilometre from the summit, Simpson fell off his bike. Taylor and the team mechanic, Harry Hall, came from team car. Hall tried to persuade Simpson to stop when he fell, saying "That's it for you, Tom." But Simpson said he wanted to go on. He said 'My straps, Harry, my straps!' Meaning that his toe-straps were still undone. They got him his bike and pushed him off.^{[202][203][204]} Simpson's last words, as remembered by Hall, and by Taylor, were 'On, on, on.' The words "Put me back on my bike!" were invented by Sid Saltmarsh, covering the event for The Sun and Cycling, who was not there at the time and in a reception black-spot for live accounts on Radio Tour.^{[205][204][206]} He managed to ride a further 500 yards (460 m) before he began to wobble and was held upright by three spectators, before helping him to the ground on side of the road. He was unconscious with his hands locked to the handlebars; Hall shouted for the other mechanic, Ken Ryall, to pry them loose and the pair laid the lifeless Simpson beside the road. Hall and a nurse from the Tour's medical team then took turns giving Simpson mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, before Dumas came with an oxygen mask.^[207][202]

Around 40 minutes after his collapse, a police helicopter took Simpson to a hospital in nearby Avignon,^{[202][208][179][209]} where he was pronounced dead, with official time of death at 5:40pm.^[202][179] Dumas refused to sign a burial certificate and a poisons expert from Marseille was commissioned to conduct an autopsy.^[209] Two empty tubes of amphetamines and a half-full tube were found in the rear pocket of his racing jersey, one of which was labelled 'Tonedron'.^[210] The British team had been called in for questioning and their baggage was searched. Two of the Belgian soigneurs who looked after riders in the team, specifically Simpson locked themselves in their room, got drunk and would not come out.^[211] On the next racing day the other riders were reluctant to continue racing so soon after Simpson's death and asked the organisers for a postponement.^[212] The French rider Jean Stablinski proposed instead that the race would go on but that one of the British riders, all wearing black armbands, would be allowed to win the stage. This honour went to Barry Hoban. This was later a subject of argument as it was widely believed that the race winner should have been Simpson's other team mate and close friend Vin Denson.^{[213][214][215][185]}

Aftermath[edit]

For a while, nothing happened. There was no inquest in either Britain or France. Then on 31 July 1967, British reporter, J. L. Manning of the Daily Mail, broke the news. Manning was a serious and well-respected journalist. His exposure, the first time a formal connection had been made between drugs and Simpson's death, set off a wave of similar reporting in Britain and elsewhere.^[216] French authorises confirmed that Simpson had traces of amphetamine in his body – impairing his judgement, which allowed him to push his body beyond its limit;^[206][217] the official cause of death was heart failure due to dehydration and heat exhaustion, with the addition of drugs a contributing factor.^[218]

Funeral[edit]

Simpson was buried in Harworth, after a service at the 12th-century church in the village, attended by an estimated 5,000 mourners, including Peugeot team-mate Eddy Merckx, standing outside in rain to hear the service by loudspeaker.^{[219][204][220]} The epitaph on Simpson's gravestone reads 'His body ached, his legs grew tired, but still he would not give in', taken from a card left for him by his brother, Harry, following his death.^[221]

Doping[edit]

Two years before his death, Simpson, writing in the British newspaper, The People, hinted at drug-taking in races, although he implied that it was other competitors who were involved.^[222][223] Asked about drugs by Eamonn Andrews on the BBC Home Service radio network, Simpson did not deny taking them but said that a rider who took drugs all the time might get to the top but he would not stay there.^[224]

William Fotheringham spoke to another British professional, Alan Ramsbottom, for his biography of Simpson, Put Me Back on My Bike. He quoted Ramsbottom as saying "Tom went on the Tour de France with one suitcase for his kit and another with his stuff, drugs and recovery things." Fotheringham said Lewis had the same memory. Ramsbottom added: "Tom took a lot of chances. He took a lot of it. I remember him taking a course of strychnine to build up to some big event. He showed me the box, and had to take one every few days."^{[n 6]}

On the subject of drugs, Simpson's friend and helper in Ghent, Albert Beurick, insisted: "I know he took them but he was a clever man. He didn't just take them, take them, take them. One day I remember he was going to take some to go training and he said "I don't need this... I'm getting as bad as [Jean] Stablinski."^{[n 7]}

Riding style and legacy[edit]

The 2005 documentary Wheels Within Wheels follows actor Simon Dutton, as he goes in search of the people and places that featured in the life of Simpson. It was made over four years and chronicles Dutton's mid-life crisis during which his quest is to rediscover the story of cycling legend Simpson.^[228] Simpson inspired the name of Simpson Magazine, which launched on 1 March 2013, the creators of the magazine said “It was Simpson’s spirit and style, his legendary tenacity and his ability to suffer that endeared him to cycling fans everywhere as much as the trophies he won”.^[229]

Memorials[edit]

A granite memorial to Simpson stands on the spot where he collapsed and died on Ventoux, one kilometre east of the summit, with the words 'Olympic medallist, world champion, British sporting ambassador'.^[230][231] The magazine Cycling – now Cycling Weekly – opened a subscription fund in the week following his death, raising around £1,500. It was unveiled in 1968 by Simpson's wife Helen, Hoban and the British team manager Alec Taylor. It was inspired by the memorial to motorcycle racer Jimmie Guthrie, who crash and died at Guthrie's Memorial, Isle of Man, in 1937.^[232] Over the years, it slowly fell into disrepair and a new plinth was constructed, secured into the mountainside with steel rods.^[233] On the 30th anniversary of Simpson's death, his daughters Joanne and Jane added a plaque that reads 'There is no mountain too high'.^[204] Concrete steps from the roadside to the memorial were opened on the 40th anniversary.^[234] The memorial has become a pilgrimage to cyclists who pass the memorial frequently leave tributes such as drinking bottles and caps.^[235] In nearby Bédoin, there is a plaque in the square, placed by journalists following the 1967 Tour.^[236]

At the Harworth and Bircotes Sports and Social Club, there is a museum dedicated to Simpson, opened by riders Denson, Hoban, Arthur Metcalfe and Lucien Van Impe on 12 August 2001.^[237] The main display includes the bicycle he used to win the 1967 Paris–Nice and the jersey, gloves and shorts he wore on the day of his death.^[238][239] A memorial outside the club – a replica of the one at Ventoux – was erected in 1997 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death.^[239] In his adopted hometown of Ghent there is a bust of Simpson in the Sportpalis (Sport Palace).^[240]

British rider David Millar won stage 12 of the 2012 Tour de France, on the 45th anniversary, and, having previously been banned from cycling for using performance-enhancing drugs himself, paid tribute to Simpson as well as reinforcing the importance of learning from his own, and Simpson's, mistakes.^[154]

Personal life[edit]

Soon after moving to France in 1959, Simpson met Helen Sherburn, whom he married on 3 January 1960 and with whom he had two daughters Jane and Joanne.^[204] After his death Helen Simpson married another cyclist, Barry Hoban, in 1969.^[241] Simpson is the uncle of Belgian cyclist Matthew Gilmore, whose mother was Tom's sister.^[242]

On 31 January 1966, Simpson appeared as a guest ("castaway") on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs; his favourite track was Ari's Theme from Exodus by London Festival Orchestra, his choice of book was The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens and luxury item was golfing equipment.^[243]

Career achievements[edit]

Major results[edit]

Source:^{[244][245][92][246]}

Grand Tour general classification results timeline[edit]

Source:^[247][248]

Grand Tour	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967
Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	33
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	29	WD	6	—	14	WD	WD	DNF

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish
WD	Withdrew

Monuments results timeline[edit]

Source:^{[92][248][70]}

Monument	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967
Milan – San Remo	—	38	25	—	19	1	DNF	—	70
Tour of Flanders	—	—	1	5	3	—	—	—	—
Paris–Roubaix	—	9	88	37	8	10	6	—	—
Liège–Bastogne–Liège	—	11	—	—	33	—	10	—	—
Giro di Lombardia	DNF	84	—	—	10	21	1	—	—

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

Awards and honours[edit]

• BBC Sports Personality of the Year: 1965^[249]
• Sports Journalists' Association's Sportsman of the Year: 1965^[165]
• Daily Express Sportsman of the Year: 1965^[249]
• Bidlake Memorial Prize: 1965^[166]
• British Cycling Hall of Fame: 2010^[250]

See also[edit]

• Doping at the Tour de France
• List of British cyclists
• List of drug-related deaths
• List of doping cases in cycling
• List of Olympic medalists in cycling (men)
• List of professional cyclists who died during a race

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tom Simpson (cyclist)

• Tom Simpson profile at Cycling Archives
• "The tragic death of Tom Simpson" on YouTube
• Tom Simpson at Find a Grave

Sporting positions
Preceded by Arthur Decabooter	Winner of the Tour of Flanders 1961	Succeeded by Rik Van Looy
Preceded by Jo de Roo	Winner of Bordeaux–Paris 1963	Succeeded by Michel Nédélec
Preceded by Joseph Groussard	Winner of Milan – San Remo 1964	Succeeded by Arie den Hartog
Preceded by Gianni Motta	Winner of the Giro di Lombardia 1965	Succeeded by Felice Gimondi
Preceded by Jacques Anquetil	Winner of Paris–Nice 1967	Succeeded by Rolf Wolfshohl

v t e UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race 1927 Alfredo Binda 1928–1929 Georges Ronsse 1930 Alfredo Binda 1931 Learco Guerra 1932 Alfredo Binda 1933 Georges Speicher 1934 Karel Kaers 1935 Jean Aerts 1936 Antonin Magne 1937 Éloi Meulenberg 1938 Marcel Kint 1946 Hans Knecht 1947 Theo Middelkamp 1948 Briek Schotte 1949 Rik Van Steenbergen 1950 Briek Schotte 1951 Ferdi Kübler 1952 Heinz Müller 1953 Fausto Coppi 1954 Louison Bobet 1955 Stan Ockers 1956–1957 Rik Van Steenbergen 1958 Ercole Baldini 1959 André Darrigade 1960–1961 Rik Van Looy 1962 Jean Stablinski 1963 Benoni Beheyt 1964 Jan Janssen 1965 Tom Simpson 1966 Rudi Altig 1967 Eddy Merckx 1968 Vittorio Adorni 1969 Harm Ottenbros 1970 Jean-Pierre Monseré 1971 Eddy Merckx 1972 Marino Basso 1973 Felice Gimondi 1974 Eddy Merckx 1975 Hennie Kuiper 1976 Freddy Maertens 1977 Francesco Moser 1978 Gerrie Knetemann 1979 Jan Raas 1980 Bernard Hinault 1981 Freddy Maertens 1982 Giuseppe Saronni 1983 Greg LeMond 1984 Claude Criquielion 1985 Joop Zoetemelk 1986 Moreno Argentin 1987 Stephen Roche 1988 Maurizio Fondriest 1989 Greg LeMond 1990 Rudy Dhaenens 1991–1992 Gianni Bugno 1993 Lance Armstrong 1994 Luc Leblanc 1995 Abraham Olano 1996 Johan Museeuw 1997 Laurent Brochard 1998 Oscar Camenzind 1999 Óscar Freire 2000 Romāns Vainšteins 2001 Óscar Freire 2002 Mario Cipollini 2003 Igor Astarloa 2004 Óscar Freire 2005 Tom Boonen 2006–2007 Paolo Bettini 2008 Alessandro Ballan 2009 Cadel Evans 2010 Thor Hushovd 2011 Mark Cavendish 2012 Philippe Gilbert

v t e BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award 1954–1959 1954 Christopher Chataway 1955 Gordon Pirie 1956 Jim Laker 1957 Dai Rees 1958 Ian Black 1959 John Surtees 1960–1969 1960 David Broome 1961 Stirling Moss 1962 Anita Lonsbrough 1963 Dorothy Hyman 1964 Mary Rand 1965 Tom Simpson 1966 Bobby Moore 1967 Henry Cooper 1968 David Hemery 1969 Ann Jones 1970–1979 1970 Henry Cooper 1971 HRH The Princess Anne 1972 Mary Peters 1973 Jackie Stewart 1974 Brendan Foster 1975 David Steele 1976 John Curry 1977 Virginia Wade 1978 Steve Ovett 1979 Sebastian Coe 1980–1989 1980 Robin Cousins 1981 Ian Botham 1982 Daley Thompson 1983 Steve Cram 1984 Torvill and Dean (Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean) 1985 Barry McGuigan 1986 Nigel Mansell 1987 Fatima Whitbread 1988 Steve Davis 1989 Nick Faldo 1990–1999 1990 Paul Gascoigne 1991 Liz McColgan 1992 Nigel Mansell 1993 Linford Christie 1994 Damon Hill 1995 Jonathan Edwards 1996 Damon Hill 1997 Greg Rusedski 1998 Michael Owen 1999 Lennox Lewis 2000–2009 2000 Steve Redgrave 2001 David Beckham 2002 Paula Radcliffe 2003 Jonny Wilkinson 2004 Kelly Holmes 2005 Andrew Flintoff 2006 Zara Phillips 2007 Joe Calzaghe 2008 Chris Hoy 2009 Ryan Giggs 2010–present 2010 Tony McCoy 2011 Mark Cavendish 2012 Bradley Wiggins

Authority control WorldCat VIAF: 75030845 LCCN: nr2001007821 GND: 133046834

Persondata
Name	Simpson, Tom
Alternative names	Simpson, Thomas
Short description	Professional cyclist
Date of birth	30 November 1937
Place of birth	Haswell, County Durham, England
Date of death	13 July 1967
Place of death	Mont Ventoux, Provence, France

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