The Tour de France 2026 will experience its 27th Grand Départ abroad on July 4th. Exactly one hundred years ago, in 1926, the race experienced a historic moment when the start was given from Evian, for the first time away from the Paris headquarters of the organizing newspaper L'Auto.

Among other anniversaries that stand out in Tour history, the editions marked by the number 6 offer pages worth revisiting: the atypical victory of Roger Walkowiak in 1956, the heroic finale of Raymond Poulidor's fourteenth and final participation at the age of 40 in 1976, and the changing of the guard in 1986 between five-time French winner Bernard Hinault and the first American winner, his La Vie Claire teammate Greg LeMond. Thanks to our friends at ASO, we will retrace these events in a sort of countdown to the great appointment in Barcelona.

ROGER WALKOWIAK, THE MAN OF THE EXPLOIT

Edition: 43rd
Date: July 5 - July 28, 1956
Stages: 22
Distance: 4,498 kilometers between Reims and Paris
Countries crossed: France, Belgium, Italy
Average speed: 36.268 km/h

Podium:
1. Roger Walkowiak (FRA / Nord-Est - Centro)
2. Gilbert Bauvin (BEL / Saint-Raphaël-R. Geminiani-Dunlop)
3. Jan Adriaensens (BEL / Mercier-BP-Hutchinson)

Points classification: Stan Ockers (BEL / Elvé-Peugeot)
Best climber award: Charly Gaul (LUX / Faema-Guerra)
Combativity award: André Darrigade (FRA / Bianchi-Pirelli)
International team competition: Belgium

Yellow jerseys: Roger Walkowiak (8), André Darrigade (6), Jan Adriaensens, Wout Wagtmans (3), Gilbert Desmet (2), Gerrit Voorting (1)

Stage winners: Roger Hassenforder (4), Alfred De Bruyne, Nino Defilippis (3), Charly Gaul (2), André Darrigade, Arrigo Padovan, Joseph Morvan, Alessandro Fantini, Miguel Poblet, Jean-Pierre Schmitz, Joseph Thomin, Jean Forestier, Stan Ockers, Miguel Bover, Gastone Nencini (1).

The absence of defending champion Louison Bobet (hadn't happened since 1927), the withdrawal of several outsiders, the authorization to change wheels in case of puncture, the first visit to Turin: even before its start, the 1956 Tour de France already contained elements that anticipated an atypical scenario.

French sprinter André Darrigade claimed the first of his 19 Yellow Jerseys thanks to his victory achieved in Liège. If Belgian Gilbert Desmet snatches it from him for two days, Darrigade recovers it until the sixth stage, on the eve of a seventh day that would shake up this 43rd edition.

A breakaway of 31 men surprises the peloton and several favorites, relegated to 18 minutes behind, between Lorient and Angers. While Italian Alessandro Fantini wins the stage, regional French rider Roger Walkowiak (Nord-Est - Centro) surprises the peloton and takes the yellow jersey.

His sporting director Sauveur Ducazeaux (on the left) suggests losing the jersey to avoid exhausting himself defending it, to save himself from attacks by the big teams and then reclaim it. The advice would prove decisive: Roger Walkowiak cedes the jersey on the tenth stage but is a major protagonist in the Pyrenean stages.

Roger Walkowiak is again a protagonist on the Alpine slopes. His presence in the breakaway of the 17th stage, from Gap to Turin, takes him from fifth to second place in the general classification, 4 minutes and 27 seconds behind Dutch leader Wout Wagtmans.

Competing with the best climbers such as Federico Bahamontes, Stan Ockers, or Charly Gaul, Roger Walkowiak finally reclaimed the Yellow Jersey during the 18th stage (Turin - Grenoble). He kept it the next day despite a crash and losing 30 seconds to his main rival, Gilbert Bauvin.

Gilbert Bauvin (on the right) gained another 2 minutes during the 20th stage (time trial) but Roger Walkowiak held on. He won the Grande Boucle, the greatest success of his career, by 1'25" ahead of Bauvin (his only podium) and 3'44" ahead of Jan Adriaensens (first of his two third-place finishes).

Roger Walkowiak demonstrated excellent ability in off-road cycling to secure an unexpected victory, giving rise to the expression: "A Tour in Walko style." He was the first to win the general classification without winning a single stage. "The Tour winner I loved most," said Jacques Goddet.

Although he finished far back in the general classification (50th), the eccentric and popular Roger Hassenforder distinguished himself by winning 4 stages, including a solo breakaway of 187 kilometers between Lyon and Montluçon.