Rene Pottier ( FR René Pottier ; June 5, 1879 , - January 25, 1907 , Levallois-Perret ) - French bicycle racer of the beginning of the XX century. Coming to the peak of his career, in 1906 Pottye won the Tour de France , but six months later committed suicide.
 Rene Pottye | |
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| personal information | |
| Citizenship |  France |
| Date of Birth | June 5, 1879 |
| Place of Birth | Moret-sur-Luan , Ильle-de-France |
| Date of death | January 25, 1907 (aged 27) |
| Place of death | Levallois-Perret , Ильle-de-France |
| Racer Information | |
| Specialization | , , |
| Major victories | |
| Tour de France ( 1906 ) | |
Biography
Competing among amateurs, in 1903 Pottye became the 2nd in the national championship and excelled in Bordeaux - Paris , after which he turned into professionals. In 1905, he became the 2nd in the elite category on Bordeaux - Paris. At Paris-Roubaix of the same season, Renee lost only to Louis Trussellier . The 2nd stage of the Tour de France 1905 included the race's historic debut mountain, Ballon d'Alsas . Potty overcame it before others, and therefore is considered the first "mountain king" of the race. Rene himself could not win the stage, finishing after Hippolytus Okuturie due to a puncture. At the next stage, the fall made him get off. Paris - Roubaix 1906 Pottye finished 3rd. At the Tour de France in 1906, Rene again showed the miner's abilities, winning both mountain stages in the first week. Having won the stages from the 2nd to the 5th, Pottye made a weighty bid for the final success, since the classification was conducted according to the sum of the places occupied in the stages. Having never finished the stage further than 5th place and having won the last stage, Rene won the victory, ahead of Georges Passierieu by 8 points. September 8, 1906 Potty won his last notable victory, winning the prestigious track Bol d'or .
January 27, 1907 Pottye was found hanged , the reason for which was the betrayal of his wife . In the same year, on the initiative of the Director of the Tour de France Henri Degrange , a monument to Potty was erected on Ballon d'Alsas.