In 1910 makes the then nineteen-year-old Adolphe Hélière his debut in the Tour. The Frenchman is one of the many riders without a sponsor who hope to be noticed by one of the big teams. He is a car mechanic by profession, but has also been active in cycling for some time.
Hélière finishes thirteenth in Paris-Le Mans before the Tour, but the readers of magazine L’Auto have little confidence in his chances for the Tour. They don’t think he will even finish the third stage. But Hélière causes amazement and is still on the bike in the sixth stage to Nice. However, he arrives almost ten hours after the stage winner.
Many riders without a team save some money in those days by sleeping outside instead of in a hotel room. So too Hélière, who spends the night on the beach of Nice. A day later, the riders enjoy a rest day, on which Hélière and a number of other riders go back to the beach in the afternoon.
It is very hot that day, so Hélière wants to take a dip in the sea. It doesn’t last long: the teenager can’t keep his head above water and drowns immediately. There are many theories about his cause of death: he was bitten by a jellyfish, he suffered a blockage after a hearty meal, or he succumbed to heat or exhaustion.
Hélière is one of the four riders who died during the Tour. In 1935, Francisco Cepeda is the next victim after a hard fall in a descent. Tom Simpson, who died on Mont Ventoux in 1967, is undoubtedly the best known. And in 1995, Fabio Casartelli is the last rider to die in the Tour after a fall in a descent.