Britain’s first Tour de France stage winner Brian Robinson dies, aged 91

Brian Robinson, the pioneering Yorkshireman who became the first British cyclist to finish the Tour de France, has died at the age of 91.

The Mirfield-born rider, who made further history by winning two stages of the Tour in 1958 and 1959, passed away yesterday, his grandson, Jake Womersley, announced on social media this morning.

It's with great sadness the family of Brian Robinson have to announce his passing yesterday.

Funeral detail to follow. pic.twitter.com/3rQL1aAMdK

— Jake womersley (@Jake_womersley) October 26, 2022

A hugely popular and influential figure, Robinson was part of the first British team to take on the Tour de France in 1955. While the 1955 Tour was regarded as a step into the unknown for Robinson and his teammates, the Yorkshireman had already achieved some notable results on the continent earlier that year while racing for Hercules (the de-facto British team for that summer’s Tour, raced by national squads), including fourth at the Flèche Wallonne classic and eighth overall at Paris-Nice.

Nevertheless, as the rest of the Hercules-branded Great Britain national team succumbed to the demands of cycling’s biggest race, Robinson finished an impressive 29th overall and, along with lanterne rouge Tony Hoar, became the first Brit to complete the ‘Big Loop’.

Not that Robinson realised the scale of his achievement at the time. Speaking to author William Fotheringham for his book on British cycling, Roule Britannia, he said: “I knew Charly Holland had started the Tour, I knew no one had finished before us, but when you’re young and keen you just put your head down and go and don’t read the history books.”

Just heard that Brian Robinson has died. The saddest news. He was a great man, a fierce competitor, a trailblazer, a generous soul, funny as hell and kinder than you could imagine. Yorkshire, England, has lost a Great. pic.twitter.com/bzkU3v82Oj

— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) October 26, 2022

In any case, the Yorkshireman continued to write his name into cycling’s history books, becoming the first Briton to win a Tour stage in 1958, before repeating the feat the following year with a memorable solo victory in the Jura mountains, beating the rest of the field into Chalon by over twenty minutes, to this day one of the race’s largest winning margins.

Notably, Robinson also became the first man from the UK to secure a professional contract at a leading European squad, Saint-Raphaël. In his seven years as a full-time pro, he put together a formidable palmares, winning a stage and the overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1961, taking eighth on GC at the 1956 Vuelta a España and 14th at that year’s Tour, before securing a podium spot at Milan-San Remo in 1957.

His successes and pioneering status near the top of the sport on the continent in the late 1950s helped pave the way for the next generation of British talent, led by future world champion Tom Simpson, with whom Robinson shared a team (Rapha) and a flat in 1960 and 1961.

As President of the Dave Rayner Fund, Robinson continued to play a key role in helping young British cyclists succeed in Europe, while he was also a patron of StreetBikes, a Yorkshire-based charity which provides all-inclusive cycling sessions for people of all abilities.

He was a key figure in Yorkshire’s successful bid to host the opening stages of the Tour de France in 2014, the same year a beer was launched in his honour, bearing a polka-dot design in a nod to his success in the mountains during his career.

Robinson continued to ride his bike well into his 80s, and despite being struck by a motorist while riding near his home in 2014, puncturing a lung and suffering a fractured collarbone and ribs, still managed to clock up 80 miles a week.

Pioneer. Trailblazer. Legend.

Today we join the cycling community in sending our heartfelt condolences to the family of Brian Robinson – the first British rider to complete and win a stage at @LeTour, and member of the British Cycling Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/oimk7DzQff

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) October 26, 2022

I have a great sense of personal loss today to learn of the death of Brian Robinson, the first British winner of a stage in the Tour de France. It was an absolute honour to have known Brian, a man of great achievement and great modesty. Respect! pic.twitter.com/Q2kTvjMC0n

— Chris Sidwells (@ChrisSidwells) October 26, 2022

His passing has been greeted with sadness across the British cycling community.

Cycling author Chris Sidwells, the nephew of Tom Simpson, posted on Twitter: “I have a great sense of personal loss today to learn of the death of Brian Robinson, the first British winner of a stage in the Tour de France. It was an absolute honour to have known Brian, a man of great achievement and great modesty. Respect!”

ITV commentator Ned Boulting described Robinson’s passing as the “saddest news”, describing him as a “great man, a fierce competitor, a trailblazer, a generous soul, funny as hell and kinder than you could imagine. Yorkshire, England, has lost a Great.”