The 1,208 kilometres (751 mi) paced event was won by Louis Mottiat of Belgium, in 56 hours and 48 minutes.

[2] In 1921 the best riders of the season were invited to enter the Critérium des As, 27 laps of a 3.63 km circuit around Longchamp.

René de Latour, a journalist who organised the race in 1943, when the inside of the circuit included flak guns to defend the Renault factory in Boulogne-Billancourt, said: The tandems gave more shelter and the race became more and more spectacular.

If you talk to the older bike fans, they will tell you regretfully that racing was really beautiful to watch in the days of tandem-pacing and that nothing had ever really replaced them.

René de Latour[3]The most prolific winner was Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium, with five wins.