Tom Simpson won a bronze medal for track cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics and silver at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. When he was 21, he became a professional rider with the French team Raphael-Geminiani and in 1962 he wore the Tour de France yellow jersey, eventually finishing sixth. In 1965 he became Britain's first world road race champion. Amongst Simpson's wins were Milan-San Remo, Paris-Nice, Tour of Flanders and the Giro di Lombardia. In the 1967 Tour de France, Simpson collapsed and died during the ascent of Mont Ventoux, he was found to have taken amphetamines which proved fatal when combined with the heat. Drug taking in the 1960's was widespread amongst professional cyclist and there was little drug testing. A memorial near where he died has become a place of pilgrimage for many cyclists.

OldVelodromes.co.uk by Tony Baxter 2024