Antonin Magne

Antonin Magne, born on 15 February 1904 and died on 8 September 1983, was a French cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1931 and 1934. He raced as a professional from 1927 to 1939 and was nicknamed The Monk for his taciturn character. He was part of the Alleluia team that won the 1927 GP Wolber, then considered the unofficial world road race championship. In 1934 his team won 19 of the 23 stages of the Tour and he won two himself, including the first time trial in the race's history; after he broke a wheel in the Pyrenees the young René Vietto handed him his own. That year he also won the Grand Prix des Nations for the first time, repeating in 1935 and 1936, and in 1936 he was second in the Tour and then became world champion. After retiring he was directeur sportif of the Mercier team, managing riders such as Louison Bobet and Raymond Poulidor, and he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1962.