1957 Tour de France, Race Official’s Car Flag, Jacques Anquetil

In a tradition that started with the first Tour de France in 1903, these flags were affixed to wood dowels and placed in unique holders on race official cars. These flags were used well into the 1960s. For 20+ years after that, the flags were used by officials and course marshals to warn riders of oncoming danger. What is particularly appealing is that the flags had the year visible from post-WWII until the late 1960s. As time has marched on, the desirability of these flags has grown, with particular interest given to the years where the winner was also considered a grand champion.

1957 marked the 44th edition of the Tour, taking place from 27 June to 20 July. It was composed of 22 stages over 4,669 km (2,901 mi).

Jacques Anquetil won his first of five Tour de France titles in 1957. He easily won by 14′ 56″ over second-place finisher Marcel Janssens.

The French national team dominated in the 1957 Tour de France; they provided the winning cyclist and won the team classification and almost every daily team classification. They lost only one cyclist and had the stage winner 12 times. They won the green jersey and took second in the mountains classification. Only once did they not have the yellow jersey for the overall leader, when Nicolas Barone took it after the seventh stage.

Flag Size: 24 x 17 inches (61 x 43 cm)

Stick Length: 19 1/2 inches (49.5 cm)

Note:  This flag does have discoloration and a hole.

This is a one-of-a-kind item; please look carefully at the photos to determine the condition.