Jean Dargaties, known as Jean Dargassies (born Grisolles, Tarn-et-Garonne, France, 15 July 1872, died Grisolles, 7 August 1965) was a French racing cyclist who rode the first Tour de France because the man who sold him a bike told him he ought to. He rode it three times, coming 11th in 1903 and fourth in 1904. In 1905 he was part of Henri Pepin's experimental team that 'voyaged' rather than 'raced' its way around France. Background Jean Dargassies was a blacksmith in the village of Grisolles, north of Toulouse. The town's main industry was broom-making. The forge was at 4 avénue de la République. He was "not very tall but well built, with thighs and calves like the pillars of a cathedral." He had a spreading blond moustache. In a picture of the forge, he is posing beside a horse, a broad leather belt round his waist, a hammer in his hand. His mother wears an ankle-length striped dress and a bonnet. Two other men in the family, probably his brothers, are also there. All four are wearing wooden clogs. Dargassies' father was also a blacksmith, his mother a housewife [ménagère]. Jean was the second son. The oldest brother, Jérome, was destined to take over the business. Entering the Tour de France Legend says that Dargassies bought a bicycle so that he could ride 25 km to Montauban, as far to the north as Toulouse was to the south. Nobody in the family had left the immediate area. The shop owner had heard of a new race, the Tour de France, to be promoted that summer. He looked him up and down and said: "You could ride that, with muscles like yours." Dargassies wrote to L'Auto to say he wanted to take part. By the days before the start, he had heard nothing. He went to Paris anyway to meet the race director, Géo Lefèvre. There were few entrants from the south and Lefèvre, a Parisian, was entranced by Dargassie's country ways and his marked southern accent. He recounted the meeting in L'Auto: "My name is Dargassies and I've come from Grisolles." "Where?" "From Grisolles, near Montauban, and I've come to make inquiries." "About?" "Inquiries about the Tour de France." "But... You're already entered, I think. "Heavens, yes, [pardi], I've entered! I just wanted to know what's going to happen." "You haven't read L'Auto?" L'Auto? I don't think anyone reads