The city of Barcelona is preparing to host the Tour de France once again, recalling the cycling race's previous visits. One such occasion was on July 12, 1957, when the legendary French cyclist Jacques Anquetil won a time trial in Montjuïc. This event was part of the race's second stage in the Catalan capital, which saw 30,000 people fill the Olympic Stadium and another 70,000 gather around the mountain.
Anquetil, known as 'Maître Jacques,' was a master of the time trial. At just 23 years old at the time, he was celebrating the first of his five victories in the Tour de France. The Barcelona of 1957 bore some resemblance to today's city, notably that the Camp Nou was under construction, though back then it was for its inauguration. The political climate was shaped by the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Anquetil's personal life was marked by complex relationships. He married Janine, known as Nanou, on November 22, 1958, following a relationship that began to become public in March of the same year. Nanou, who followed the cyclist during races, fled her home to join him. The couple stayed at the Arycasa hotel in Barcelona during their visit.
Despite his sporting achievements, Anquetil could not have biological children with Janine. According to his daughter Sophie's account in a book, her mother, Annie (Janine's daughter from a previous marriage), began a relationship with Anquetil in 1971 when she was 18 years old. This triangular relationship, which caused a major scandal in France, culminated in Sophie's birth. Later, Anquetil had a son, Christopher, in 1986, with Dominique, his young partner.
Jacques Anquetil died of cancer in 1987 at the age of 53, leaving a legacy of five Tour de France titles, two Giro d'Italia wins, one Vuelta a España, and numerous victories in other classic races such as Paris-Nice and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
