One-day races and Classics André Darrigade (born 24 April 1929)[1] is a retired French professional road bicycle racer between 1951 and 1966.

Five of those Tour victories were on opening days,[2] a record tied by Fabian Cancellara in 2012 (who won 4 prologues and an individual time trial in 2009).

He came to attention at the other end of the country and on the track by beating the future world sprint champion, Antonio Maspes[4] in a meeting at the Vélodrome d'Hiver the night before the Six Days of Paris race there.

René de Latour said: "It is a very 'musical' name to [northern] French ears, especially when pronounced by a southerner who rolls his Rs like a Scotsman to make it sound like Darrrrrigade.

[5] De Latour said: Darrigade stayed in Paris and joined one of its leading clubs, the Vélo-Club d'Asnières-Courbevoie, at the invitation of Francis Pélissier, the former professional who was one of its officials.

He won the 1956 Giro di Lombardia, beating the Campionissimo Fausto Coppi in front of his home crowd at the Milan velodrome.

He won the world championship in Zandvoort on 16 August 1959, dominating a breakaway of eight riders, ahead of the Italian Michele Gismondi and the Belgian Noël Foré.

On retiring for good, André became an ardent fan of Biarritz Olympique, the town's rugby team, with his friend Albaladejo.

[16] On 12 July 2017, a 6 metre tall statue, designed by "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" Guy Pendanx, was unveiled in Darrigade's honour in Narrosse .Darrigade's brother, Roger, six years younger, also rode as a professional.