René Vietto

René Vietto was a French road racing cyclist, born on 17 February 1914 and died on 14 October 1988, remembered as one of the great climbers of the early Tour de France. In his first Tour in 1934, as a member of the French national team supporting Antonin Magne, he won stages 7, 9 and 11 in the mountains, took the mountains classification and finished fifth overall. A legend grew around the day he gave his wheel to Magne on the Col de Portet d'Aspet, which made him a star in France, though the account was later embellished. He never won the Tour but came close: he was second in 1939 and fifth in 1947, and wore the yellow jersey for 15 stages in 1939 and 14 in 1947. Until Fabian Cancellara passed him in 2012, he had the most days in yellow of any rider who never won the race.