However, as the race progressed, it was clear that Defraye was the stronger rider, and he was made team leader.

[2] The point system from the 1911 Tour de France was still in use, including the cleaning up of the classification after stages 8 and 14.

[3] It was changed in one aspect: if one or more cyclists, excluding the first seven, finished in the same time, they split their points.

[5] The Alcyon team had the pre-race favourite, Gustave Garrigou, the winner of the previous Tour de France.

[7] In the sixth stage, Defraye attacked and only Lapize could follow, as they climbed the major Alp mountains together.

[12] During that stage in the Pyrenees, Defraye broke away on the Col de Portet d'Aspet, and Lapize could not follow.

"[6] The rest of his team La Française, the two remaining Charles Crupelandt and Marcel Godivier did not start the next stage, also in protest.

[3] Eugene Christophe, who dominated in the Alps with three consecutive stage victories,[6] including the longest solo breakaway ever of 315 kilometres (196 mi)[13] and had shared the lead after his third stage victory,[11] became the second-placed cyclist after Lapize's retreat.

Christophe was not a good sprinter, so he had to break away from Defraye to win back points.

[6] If the Tour de France was decided on time instead of points, Christophe would have led the race until the final stage, where he accepted his loss and allowed a group including Defraye to ride away.