Tom Simpson monument

During the very warm (up to 42°C) July 13, 1967, Simpson fell off his bike 1.4 km before the top of the mountain. His sports administrator put him back on, but Simpson fell again. He fell unconscious, was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Avignon, but died on the way. Then Tour director Felix Lévitan was criticized for setting out too tough a course. However, four unused ampoules were later found in Simpson's shirt, one of which contained amphetamine. Simpson is said to have died from a combination of heat and exhaustion. Yet it was not only the use of doping that caused his death. It was the combination of great heat, dehydration, his trait of never wanting to give up, alcohol and the use of amphetamine, which can make one reckless, that became fatal to him. Simpson's death led to tightened doping controls during the Tour de France.

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