Gino Bartali, captain of the Italian team, threatened and assaulted on the Col d'Aspin by some French supporters accusing him to have caused Jean Robic's fall, retired after winning the 12th stage from Pau to Saint-Gaudens and left the race together with all the other Italian riders (including Fiorenzo Magni, who was wearing the yellow jersey).

Algerian-French cyclist Abdel-Kader Zaaf became famous in this Tour de France by being so disoriented that he rode in the wrong direction.

The "interest" for the yellow jersey (the prize money for the leader of the general classification after each stage) was increased to 100.000 French Francs.

[9] On the first day of the race, before the Tour had started, French cyclist Charles Coste was replaced by Paul Giguet.

[4] The teams entering the race were:[9] The winner of the previous Tour de France, Fausto Coppi, was injured during the 1950 Giro d'Italia, so he could not defend his title.

[1] Still the Italians were favourites, especially Gino Bartali, who had come second in the 1950 Giro d'Italia behind Hugo Koblet, who did not enter the 1950 Tour de France.

[11] The 1950 Tour de France started on 13 July, and had four rest days, in Dinard, Pau, Nice and Saint-Étienne.

[12] The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,360 m (7,740 ft) at the summit of the Col d'Izoard mountain pass on stage 18.

[1] Things started well for the Italian team, as they won five of the first ten stages,[18] although the yellow jersey for the leader of the general classification was exchanged between Luxembourgian Jean Goldschmit and French Bernard Gauthier.

[20] Bartali told his team manager Alfredo Binda that he was leaving the Tour de France, and that all Italian cyclists should abandon the race.

[21] Magni felt bad about giving up the chance to win the Tour de France, but accepted the decision.

[22] The Tour organisation wanted to keep the Italian cyclists in the race, and among other compromises offered to give them neutral gray jerseys, so the spectators would not recognize them.

[3] With Magni out of the race, Swiss Ferdinand Kübler became the new leader of the general classification, closely followed by Bobet and Geminiani.

Out of respect for Magni, Kübler did not wear the yellow jersey (indicating the leader in the general classification) in the 12th stage.

That stage was won by Belgian Maurice Blomme, but not without difficulties: he was so exhausted that he mistook a dark shadow for the finish line, and stopped racing.

The secretary of the Tour de France, Jean Garnault, had to put him back on his bicycle so he would ride the last meters of the stage.

Two riders from the North African team, Marcel Molinès and Abdel-Kader Zaaf, broke away after 15 kilometers, and created a large gap, also because the other cyclists were more occupied with getting drinks.

[27] Second placed rider in the general classification, Ockers was unable to win back time in later stages, so Kübler stayed in the lead for the rest of the race, and became the first Swiss winner of the Tour de France.

[25] Kübler did not enter the next three Tours de France, but when he returned in 1954, he finished in second place, and won the green jersey for the points classification.