Ali Neffati

Ali Neffati

Neffati in 1913
Personal information
Born	January 22, 1895 Tunis, Tunisia
Died	April 19, 1974 (aged 79) Paris, France
Team information
Discipline	Track, road
Role	Rider
Professional team(s)
1919	I.V.E. - Soly
1922	Bianchi - Laborda

Ali Neffati (22 January 1895 in Tunis – 19 April 1974 in Paris) was a Tunisian cyclist who was professional between 1913 and 1930.^[1] He is known for being the first African to participate in the Tour de France, when he participated in the 1913 edition. He also was in the 1914 Tour de France, but didn't finish either of them. In the 1914 Tour, he was hit by a car from the organization, and could not continue.

Neffati's cycling career began in 1908 in Tunisia, where he won several track championships. In 1913 he accepted an invitation to the Tour de France. During this Tour de France, he was eighteen years old, making him the youngest participant ever in the Tour de France. He was iconic for wearing a fez instead of the traditional cap. Despite the setback caused to his career by the World War One, he returned to racing in 1918 and became a regular at major races of the time. He was one of 87 riders to compete in the Circuit des Champs de Bataille in early 1919, the stages of which crossed towns devastated by World War I; the race is remembered as the toughest in cycling history.^[2]

Major results

1913

National chase champion

National stayer champion

1914

National sprint champion

1917

9th Paris–Tours

1918

9th Paris–Tours

Stage 1 Course du Midi

Stage 1 Volta Ciclista Provincia Tarragona

2nd Volta Ciclista Provincia Tarragona

1925

2nd French National Stayers Championships

References

1. "Ali Neffati". Retrieved 7 March 2015.
2. Isitt, Tom (8 April 2014). "Saddles, Somme and snow: a tale of the toughest cycle race ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

• French Wikipedia