Turin, Dec. 31 (LaPresse) – Émile Idée passed away yesterday at the age of 104. He was the oldest surviving cyclist from the first post-war Tour de France, held in 1947.
“He was also the French professional champion in 1942 and 1947. A delightful character,” commented David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), on X, offering his "heartfelt condolences to the family."
Idée won a stage of the Tour de France in Nîmes in 1949, during his third and final participation in the Grande Boucle. Born in Nouvion-le-Comte in the Aisne, his career began during the early days of World War II, but he managed to become French champion in 1942 in Lyon, in the so-called free zone, and to claim a second national title five years later.
Runner-up in the Grand Prix des Nations in 1946 and 1947, both times behind the legendary Fausto Coppi, Idée, nicknamed "the King of Chevreuse," ended his career at the end of 1951.