| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Before Tour de France |
| Region | South France |
| English name | Grand Prix du Midi Libre |
| Local name(s) | Grand Prix du Midi Libre (in French) |
| Nickname(s) | Midi Libre |
| Discipline | Road |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Midi Libre |
| History | |
| First edition | 1949 |
| Editions | 55 |
| Final edition | 2004 |
| First winner |  Henri Massal (FRA) |
| Most wins | Jean-René Bernaudeau (FRA) (4 wins) |
| Final winner | Christophe Moreau (FRA) (2004) |
The Grand Prix du Midi Libre (referred to as just Midi Libre) was a multiple-stage cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation courses for the Tour de France. Because of the hills in southern France, a climber usually won but sometimes the decision was made in a flat stage.
In 2003 the course was not organized, due to financial problems. One year later it returned, named Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon, but this turned out to be a one-time comeback.
Winners
| Year | Country | Rider | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | France | Henri Massal | ||
| 1950 | France | Antonin Rolland | ||
| 1951 | France | Raphaël Geminiani | ||
| 1952 |  Italy | Siro Bianchi | ||
| 1953 | France | Pierre Nardi | ||
| 1954 |  Spain | Jesús Martinez | ||
| 1955 | Spain | Miguel Poblet | ||
| 1956 | France | Antonin Rolland | ||
| 1957 |  Luxembourg | Jempy Schmitz | ||
| 1958 | France | Francis Pipelin | ||
| 1959 | .svg.png){kind=small} Belgium | Jean Brankart | ||
| 1960 | France | Valentin Huot | ||
| 1961 | France | Joseph Groussard | ||
| 1962 |  Netherlands | Mies Stolker | ||
| 1963 | Spain | Fernando Manzaneque | ||
| 1964 | France | André Foucher | ||
| 1965 | France | André Foucher | ||
| 1966 | France | Jean-Claude Theilliere | ||
| 1967 | France | Michel Grain | ||
| 1969 | Spain | Luis Ocaña | ||
| 1970 | Italy | Walter Ricci | ||
| 1971 | Belgium | Eddy Merckx | ||
| 1972 | France | Cyrille Guimard | ||
| 1973 | France | Raymond Poulidor | ||
| 1974 | France | Jean-Pierre Danguillaume | ||
| 1975 | Italy | Francesco Moser | ||
| 1976 | France | Alain Meslet | ||
| 1977 | Italy | Wladimiro Panizza | ||
| 1978 | Italy | Claudio Bortolotto | ||
| 1979 | Italy | Giuseppe Saronni | ||
| 1980 | France | Jean-René Bernaudeau | ||
| 1981 | France | Jean-René Bernaudeau | ||
| 1982 | France | Jean-René Bernaudeau | ||
| 1983 | France | Jean-René Bernaudeau | ||
| 1984 | France | Dominique Garde | ||
| 1985 | Italy | Silvano Contini | ||
| 1986 | Belgium | Claude Criquielion | ||
| 1987 | France | Patrice Esnault | ||
| 1988 | Belgium | Claude Criquielion | ||
| 1989 | France | Jerome Simon | ||
| 1990 | France | Gérard Rué | ||
| 1991 | France | Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle | ||
| 1992 | France | Luc Leblanc | ||
| 1993 | Italy | Maurizio Fondriest | ||
| 1994 |  Slovakia | Ján Svorada | ||
| 1995 | Spain | Miguel Indurain | ||
| 1996 | France | Laurent Jalabert | ||
| 1997 | Italy | Alberto Elli | ||
| 1998 |  Switzerland | Laurent Dufaux | ||
| 1999 | France | Benoît Salmon | ||
| 2000 | France | Didier Rous | ||
| 2001 | Spain | Iban Mayo | ||
| 2002 | Result Void[1][2] | |||
| 2003 | No race | |||
| 2004 | France | Christophe Moreau | ||
References
- ^ "Lance Armstrong: Governing body strips American of Tour wins". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "Union Cycliste Internationale".