Tom Simpson

BirthdateNovember 30, 1937
BirthplaceHaswell, County Durham
NationalityBritish
SportRoad cycling
Active years1956-1967
Career teamsSt. Raphael, Peugeot-BP, Gitane-Leroux, Salvarani, and British national team
Major wins1961 Tour of Flanders, 1964 Milan-San Remo, and 1965 Giro di Lombardia
AwardsBBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1965

British road cyclist Tom Simpson won several notable championships. He earned the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games team pursuit bronze medal as an amateur rider. He turned pro and won several significant matches.

Simpson was the first British Tour de France winner in 1962. He defeated Rudi Altig at the 1965 UCI Road World Championships in Spain. He won the Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, and Giro di Lombardia.

Simpson died on Mt Ventoux in the 1967 Tour de France. He died from a heart attack after collapsing on the mountain. Dehydration, amphetamines, and booze killed Simpson.

A memorial stone was placed where he collapsed. Several bikers climb Mt Ventoux to visit the stone. In 2017, Olympic gold medalist and Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins placed a memorial stone for Simpson in Haswell, his birthplace.

Here are Tom Simpson’s seven biggest achievements:

YearAchievement
1956Bronze medal in team pursuit at the Olympic Games in Melbourne
1960Winner of the Tour du Sud-Est
1961Winner of the Tour of Flanders
1964Winner of Milan-San Remo and fourth place in the UCI Road World Championships
1965Winner of the UCI Road World Championships and the Giro di Lombardia
1966Second place in the Paris-Nice race
1967Third place in the Criterium du Dauphine Libere

Advertising links are marked with *. We receive a small commission on sales, nothing changes for you.

Leave a Comment