The 

1962 Tour de France was the 49th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand
Tours. The three-week 4,274-kilometre (2,656 mi) race of 22 stages, including two split stages,
started in Nancy on 24 June and finished at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 15 July.[1]
From 1930 to 1961, the Tour de France was contested by national teams, but in 1962
commercially sponsored international trade teams returned.[2][a] From the late-1950s to 1962, the
Tour had seen the absence of top riders who had bowed to pressure from their teams' extra-
sportif (non-cycling industry) sponsors to ride other races that better suited their brands.[4][5] This,
and a demand for wider advertising from a declining bicycle industry, led to the reintroduction of
the trade team format.[6][7] In early February 1962, 22 teams submitted applications for the race,
[8]
 with the final list of 15 announced at the end of the month. The Spanish-based Kas was the
first choice reserve team.[9]
Each of the 15 teams consisted of 10 cyclists (150 total),[10][11] an increase from the 1961 Tour,
which had 11 teams of 12 cyclists (132 total).[12] Each team was required to have a dominant
nationality; at least six cyclists should have the same nationality, or only two nationalities should
be present.[13][14] For the first time, French cyclists were outnumbered; the largest number of riders
from a nation came from Italy (52), with the next largest coming from France (50) and Belgium
(28). Riders represented a further six nations, all European.[11] Of the start list of 150,[b] 66 were
riding the Tour de France for the first time.[17] The total number of riders that finished the race was
94,[18] a record high to that point.[19] The average age of riders in the race was 27.5 years,
[20]
 ranging from the 21-year-old Tiziano Galvanin (Legnano–Pirelli) to the 40-year-old Pino
Cerami (Peugeot–BP–Dunlop).[21][22] The Legnano–Pirelli cyclists had the youngest average age
while Margnat–Paloma–D'Alessandro cyclists had the oldest.[20] The presentation of the teams –
where the members of each team's roster are introduced in front of the media and local
dignitaries – took place outside the Place de la Carrière in Nancy before the start of the opening
stage held in the city.[23]
Rudi Altig of Saint-Raphaël–Helyett–Hutchinson was the first rider to wear the general
classification's yellow jersey after winning the first stage.[23] Altig lost it the following day to André
Darrigade of Gitane–Leroux–Dunlop–R. Geminiani, who won stage 2a, before regaining it after
winning stage three.[24] The race lead was taken by Altig's teammate Albertus Geldermans after
stage six.[24] He held it for two stages, before Darrigade took it back for the next two.[24] Flandria–
Faema–Clément rider Willy Schroeders then led the race from the end of stage nine to the end of
eleven,[24] at which point Schroeder's teammate Rik Van Looy, a major pre-race favourite,
[25]
 abandoned the race with an injury.[26] The following day, British rider Tom Simpson of Gitane–
Leroux became the first from outside mainland Europe to wear the yellow jersey.[27][28] He lost it
after stage thirteen's individual time trial in the Pyrenees to Flandria's Jef Planckaert, who then
held it for seven stages, which included the Alps.[24] Jacques Anquetil of Saint-Raphaël won the
individual time trial of stage twenty to put himself into the yellow jersey, which he held until the
conclusion of the race;[24] he defended his title, winning his third Tour de France.[29] Planckaert
finished second in the general classification, 4 min and 59 s in arrears, with Mercier–BP–
Hutchinson rider Raymond Poulidor third, over ten minutes behind Anquetil. Altig won the points
classification and Margnat's Federico Bahamontes won the mountains classification.[18] Saint-
Raphaël won the team classification.[30] The overall awards for most combative and unluckiest
were given to Eddy Pauwels of Wiel's–Groene Leeuw and Van Looy respectively.[31][32] Altig
and Philco's Emile Daems won the most stages, with three each.[33]

Teams