After he won the two major Alpine stages, journalists reported that this 'boy' could be the purest mountain climber that France knew.

[4] Him giving his wheel to Magne was seen as the expected thing to do: Vietto was not leading the stage, and was too far behind in the general classification.

The image of a 20-year-old who sacrificed his chance of winning a Tour stage doubled his popularity.

He was closest in 1939, when he gained the yellow jersey in Lorient in one of the first stages, but in the mountains, once his favorite place, he was left by Sylvère Maes.

As a result, he took the yellow jersey in Brussels, to lose it two days before the finish, in a time trial of 139 km.

Legend has it[8] that Vietto insisted his domestique, Apo Lazaridès, cut off one of his own toes to match.