Marcel Dozol

• Comment: Sources provided just show very short, routine coverage. Nothing here to establish a pass of WP:NATHLETE Sulfurboy (talk) 23:28, 16 August 2026 (UTC)

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Marcel Dozol

Personal information
Full name	Baptiste Joseph Dozol
Nickname	Le Coureur avec un Chapeau Haute-forme
Born	(1877-10-04)4 October 1877 Cannes, France
Died	20 October 1918(1918-10-20) (aged 41) Compiègne, France
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Amateur team(s)
Cyclo Club de Cannes
Professional team(s)
1907–1908	Individual
Major wins
1903 Cannes–Mandelieu–Cannes; 1903 Cannes 50 km

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Baptiste Joseph "Marcel" Dozol, also written as Bastien Joseph Dozol, (4 October 1877 – 20 October 1918) was a French road racing cyclist and later cycling manager. He competed professionally in 1907 and 1908 and participated in the Tour de France in both years, finishing 32nd overall in the 1907 Tour de France.

Being a pioneer in selling cycling postcards during the Tour de France, he became known as Le Coureur avec un Chapeau Haute-forme ("the cyclist with a top hat") because he sold postcards bearing his photograph while competing in the Tour.

After his career Dozol found an organization for the independent cyclists in the Tour de France and became the manager of it. He continued this work through the Tour de France of 1914. During the First World War he served in the French Army, initially as a bicycle courier and later as a driver. He died in a military hospital in Compiègne in 1918.

Biography

Personal life

Dozol was born on 4 October 1877 in Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He was a gardener by profession.

Cycling career

At the age of seventeen he joined the Cyclo Club de Cannes and subsequently competed in local amateur races.

In 1903, Dozol won a 50-kilometre race organised by the Club de la Pédale de Cannes to mark the opening of the Nouvelle Corniche. Later that year he also won an 80-kilometre amateur race on the Cannes–Mandelieu–Cannes route. Earlier results included second place in a Cannes race in 1894 and third place in a 100-kilometre departmental championship in 1899.

In December 1906, the French sporting newspaper L'Auto reported that Dozol had travelled from Cannes to Paris in preparation for the forthcoming 1907 Tour de France. He covered approximately 1,000 kilometres in eight days, travelling through Brignoles, Aix, Arles, Nîmes, Avignon and Dijon. He was expected to ride a bicycle from the Peugeot workshops.

On 27 June 1907, Dozol arrived in Geneva after riding from Cannes through Aix-en-Provence, Valence, Grenoble and Annecy. He was entered for the Tour under race number 24. He spent two days in Grenoble studying the ascent of the Laffrey before continuing towards Paris via Valentigney and the Ballon d'Alsace.

Dozol started the 1907 Tour de France on 8 July among 92 competitors as an independent cyclist. Dozol belonged to the group of less prominent riders who competed without the support of one of the major commercial teams. These riders had to survive on the daily allowance paid by the Tour organisation. To supplement his income, Dozol had postcards printed showing himself in cycling clothes. He sold them at stage starts and during the race, often putting on a top hat and calling out to spectators to buy a signed photograph. This earned him the nickname Le Coureur avec un Chapeau Haute-forme ("the cyclist with a top hat").

The first stage followed the classic Paris–Roubaix route over 272 kilometres. Dozol finished 67th, more than five hours behind stage winner Louis Trousselier. Two days later he finished 65th at Metz after a 398-kilometre stage that took him more than 25 hours.

In the twelfth stage, from Nantes to Brest, Dozol suffered a serious mechanical problem after a crash broke his bicycle frame. He lost approximately three hours trying to repair the bicycle with the assistance of a blacksmith. Unable to restore the frame properly, he tied it together with rope and continued the race. He reached Brest shortly before the control closed. Dozol completed the Tour and was classified 32nd overall with 522 points.

The postcard trade also became a feature of the independent riders' culture during following Tour de France editions. Other riders subsequently adopted similar methods of raising money from spectators and collectors.

Dozol returned for the 1908 Tour de France, this time riding an Alcyon bicycle, although he was not under contract to the manufacturer. During the fourth stage from Belfort he abandoned at Besançon after 67 kilometres. He had crashed heavily in wet conditions and had already fallen several times during the night. The crash also involved Georges Woiron.

After the 1908 Tour, Dozol made one further documented appearance as cyclist. On 5–6 September 1908 he competed in the Bol d'Or, a 24-hour track race, riding a tandem with Van Schoonhoven as part of the pacemaking team of Jean Gougoltz. Gougoltz's team finished fifth.

Cycling organization manager

Following the 1908 Tour, Dozol announced the creation of the Union des Déshérités du Tour de France, an organization for the independent riders (known as the Coureurs Isolé and, colloquially, as les déshérités) in the Tour and worked as a manager and service provider. His work involved transporting luggage, arranging beds and rooms, and providing practical assistance to the riders. He charged approximately 30 francs for his services for the month of the Tour, with a reduced advance payment for riders who abandoned early. His postcard business continued during rest days, when he was easily recognisable by his top hat.

In 1909 he arranged sponsorship from the Daunay company, a manufacturer and supplier of bicycle brakes and tyres, for some of his riders. In 1910 he supported a group of 37 riders. Among the riders associated with his organisation were Georges Bronchard, Lacointe, Guichard, Perreard, Varalda, Laganier, Louis Gardent, Rabot, De Maria, René Chaudé and Chopard.

Dozol continued his work as manager for the the independent riders team during subsequent editions until the 1914 Tour de France.

Military service and death

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Dozol was mobilised into the French Army in August 1914. He initially served as an ordonnance, distributing military orders by bicycle at the the 114th Territorial Infantry Regiment, 6th Company.

From September 1915, he was an automobile driver at the headquarters of the 17th Army Corps. He later served with the 20th Train Squadron. From April 1917 Dozol served as an automobile driver with the army's fresh-meat supply service at cattle park.

Dozol died on 20 October 1918 in military hospital 2/62 at Compiègne, Oise, after being admitted with a serious case of influenza. He was 41 years old. French military records classified his death as resulting from illness contracted during service, and list him as a second-class soldier of the 20th train formation.

References

This article "Marcel Dozol" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Marcel Dozol. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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