Who could have known that the introduction of the first mountain in the Tour de France in 1905 would five years later lead to perhaps the race's most famous quote? And who could have known some Tour peaks encountered for the first time nearly 100 years ago would become today's race monoliths?
It was race founder Henri Desgrange, the person responsible for many Tour innovations, who added several climbs in the Pyrenees to the 1910 race. His goal was simple: increase race excitement to increase circulation of his daily newspaper, L'Auto, which gave vast coverage to the race.
During a two-day stretch, riders in Stage 8 in 1910 endured the rigors of climbing obscure, mountainous dirt roads. Ascents like Aspin, Tourmalet, Aubisque, and Peyresourde were included. Many riders walked with their bikes on some of the difficult sections. Octave Lapize of France got angry. As he progressed past the halfway point of the Col d'Aubisque, Lapize noticed race officials and he spoke his peace in their direction: "You're assassins! All of you!" said Lapize en route to his overall race win.
Lapize's abrupt words have stood the test of time as the race's mountain mantra. Tour riders have a love-hate relationship with the famous and infamous race peaks, and nothing speaks to the severity of the climbs (and to the race directors who devise their ascents) like Lapize's outburst.
