The 1972 Tour de France started with the following 12 teams, each with 11 cyclists: Molteni Beaulieu–Flandria Sonolor Peugeot–BP–Michelin De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter Bic Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson Rokado Salvarani Goudsmit–Hoff Gitane Watney–Avia In the previous year, Ocana was on his way to beat Merckx, when he fell as leader and had to give up. Everybody expected Merckx and Ocana to battle for the victory in 1972. Ocana felt that he could have won the 1971 Tour, and Merckx did not like the comments that he did not deserve the 1971 victory, and both wanted to show their strengths. Merckx had won important races before the Tour started, including the 1972 Giro d'Italia, and was also the reigning world champion. Ocana had won less races, but won the Criterium du Dauphiné Libéré.

The most important other participants were considered Raymond Poulidor, Felice Gimondi, Joop Zoetemelk and Bernard Thévenet.

José Manuel Fuente, who had won the 1972 Vuelta a España and finished second in the 1972 Giro d'Italia, did not compete, as his team decided they had already been in too many hard races.

Herman Van Springel had announced four days prior to the Tour that he would leave his team after his contract would end at the end of 1972. His team then removed him from the Tour squad.

Start list

By team

+Molteni No. Rider Pos. 1 1 2 26 3 22 4 28 5 51 6 43 7 37 8 DNF 9 14 10 15 11 DNF+Beaulieu–Flandria No. Rider Pos. 12 DNF 13 59 14 DNF 15 DNF 16 83 17 DNF 18 DNF 19 DNF 20 62 21 33 22 5+Sonolor No. Rider Pos. 23 DNF 24 81 25 7 26 87 27 25 28 27 29 48 30 DNF 31 66 32 4 33 DNF+Peugeot–BP–Michelin No. Rider Pos. 34 DNF 35 21 36 41 37 11 38 31 39 44 40 38 41 DNF 42 47 43 9 44 45+De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter No. Rider Pos. 45 65 46 8 47 23 48 10 49 DNF 50 6 51 32 52 46 53 DNF 54 80 55 49+Bic No. Rider Pos. 56 56 57 40 58 64 59 DNF 60 DNF 61 12 62 DNF 63 DNF 64 29 65 30 66 35+Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson No. Rider Pos. 67 DNF 68 76 69 DNF 70 DNF 71 DNF 72 70 73 36 74 58 75 19 76 3 77 DNF+Rokado No. Rider Pos. 78 17 79 34 80 DNF 81 60 82 20 83 52 84 63 85 42 86 DNF 87 DNF 88 24+Salvarani No. Rider Pos. 89 82 90 74 91 85 92 2 93 DNF 94 86 95 13 96 39 97 DNF 98 53 99 DNF+Goudsmit–Hoff No. Rider Pos. 100 DNF 101 DNF 102 DNF 103 78 104 61 105 18 106 73 107 DNF 108 DNF 109 71 110 54+Gitane No. Rider Pos. 111 88 112 DNF 113 DNF 114 50 115 72 116 57 117 DNF 118 75 119 84 120 DNF 121 55+Watney–Avia No. Rider Pos. 122 69 123 DNF 124 DNF 125 79 126 DNF 127 DNF 128 68 129 77 130 DNF 131 16 132 67

By rider + Legend No. Starting number worn by the rider during the Tour Pos. Position in the general classification DNF Denotes a rider who did not finish

No. Name Nationality Team Pos. 1 Eddy Merckx Molteni 1 2 Joseph Bruyère Molteni 26 3 Jos Deschoenmaecker Molteni 22 4 Jos Huysmans Molteni 28 5 Willy In 't Ven Molteni 51 6 Marc Lievens Molteni 43 7 Frans Mintjens Molteni 37 8 Jozef Spruyt Molteni DNF 9 Roger Swerts Molteni 14 10 Martin Van Den Bossche Molteni 15 11 Victor Van Schil Molteni DNF 12 Joaquim Andrade Beaulieu–Flandria DNF 13 Gérard David Beaulieu–Flandria 59 14 Johan De Muynck Beaulieu–Flandria DNF 15 André Dierickx Beaulieu–Flandria DNF 16 Evert Dolman Beaulieu–Flandria 83 17 Fernando Mendes Beaulieu–Flandria DNF 18 Jan Van De Wiele Beaulieu–Flandria DNF 19 Herman Van Der Slagmolen Beaulieu–Flandria DNF 20 Ronny Van Marcke Beaulieu–Flandria 62 21 Willy Van Neste Beaulieu–Flandria 33 22 Joop Zoetemelk Beaulieu–Flandria 5 23 José Catieau Sonolor DNF 24 Bernard Guyot Sonolor 81 25 Yves Hézard Sonolor 7 26 Robert Mintkiewicz Sonolor 87 27 Mathieu Pustjens Sonolor 25 28 Walter Ricci Sonolor 27 29 Raymond Riotte Sonolor 48 30 Jean-Jacques Sanquer Sonolor DNF 31 Willy Teirlinck Sonolor 66 32 Lucien Van Impe Sonolor 4 33 Daniel Van Ryckeghem Sonolor DNF 34 Robert Bouloux Peugeot–BP–Michelin DNF 35 Jean-Pierre Danguillaume Peugeot–BP–Michelin 21 36 Wilfried David Peugeot–BP–Michelin 41 37 Raymond Delisle Peugeot–BP–Michelin 11 38 Ronald De Witte Peugeot–BP–Michelin 31 39 Walter Godefroot Peugeot–BP–Michelin 44 40 Jean-Pierre Paranteau Peugeot–BP–Michelin 38 41 Roger Pingeon Peugeot–BP–Michelin DNF 42 Christian Raymond Peugeot–BP–Michelin 47 43 Bernard Thévenet Peugeot–BP–Michelin 9 44 Jürgen Tschan Peugeot–BP–Michelin 45 45 Willy Abbeloos De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 65 46 Joaquim Agostinho De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 8 47 Herman Beysens De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 23 48 Edward Janssens De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 10 49 Roger Kindt De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter DNF 50 Mariano Martínez De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 6 51 Joël Millard De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 32 52 Jean-Claude Largeau De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 46 53 André Poppe De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter DNF 54 Rik Van Linden De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 80 55 Ludo Van Staeyen De Gribaldy–Magniflex–Van Cauter 49 56 Jesús Aranzabal Bic 56 57 Roland Berland Bic 40 58 Jean-Claude Genty Bic 64 59 Bernard Labourdette Bic DNF 60 Désiré Letort Bic DNF 61 Leif Mortensen Bic 12 62 Luis Ocaña Bic DNF 63 Alain Santy Bic DNF 64 Guy Santy Bic 29 65 Johny Schleck Bic 30 66 Sylvain Vasseur Bic 35 67 Jacques Cadiou Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson DNF 68 Régis Delépine Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson 76 69 Jean-Pierre Genet Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson DNF 70 René Grelin Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson DNF 71 Cyrille Guimard Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson DNF 72 Barry Hoban Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson 70 73 Gérard Moneyron Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson 36 74 Jack Mourioux Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson 58 75 Michel Périn Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson 19 76 Raymond Poulidor Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson 3 77 Yves Ravaleu Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson DNF 78 Lucien Aimar Rokado 17 79 Gilbert Bellone Rokado 34 80 Hans Junkermann Rokado DNF 81 Gerben Karstens Rokado 60 82 Karl-Heinz Kunde Rokado 20 83 Karl-Heinz Muddemann Rokado 52 84 Wilfried Peffgen Rokado 63 85 Dieter Puschel Rokado 42 86 Bernd Rasing Rokado DNF 87 Wim Schepers Rokado DNF 88 Rolf Wolfshohl Rokado 24 89 Marino Basso Salvarani 82 90 Pietro Campagnari Salvarani 74 91 Luigi Castelletti Salvarani 85 92 Felice Gimondi Salvarani 2 93 Ercole Gualazzini Salvarani DNF 94 Pietro Guerra Salvarani 86 95 Antoon Houbrechts Salvarani 13 96 Primo Mori Salvarani 39 97 Guido Reybrouck Salvarani DNF 98 Giacinto Santambrogio Salvarani 53 99 Italo Zilioli Salvarani DNF 100 Leo Duyndam Goudsmit–Hoff DNF 101 Ger Harings Goudsmit–Hoff DNF 102 Cees Koeken Goudsmit–Hoff DNF 103 Jan Krekels Goudsmit–Hoff 78 104 Wim Prinsen Goudsmit–Hoff 61 105 Tino Tabak Goudsmit–Hoff 18 106 Jos van der Vleuten Goudsmit–Hoff 73 107 Jan van Katwijk Goudsmit–Hoff DNF 108 Harrie Van Leeuwen Goudsmit–Hoff DNF 109 Gerard Vianen Goudsmit–Hoff 71 110 Marinus Wagtmans Goudsmit–Hoff 54 111 Alain Bellouis Gitane 88 112 Serge Bolley Gitane DNF 113 Gérard Briend Gitane DNF 114 Georges Chappe Gitane 50 115 Jean-Claude Daunat Gitane 72 116 René Grenier Gitane 57 117 Loïc Le Bourhis Gitane DNF 118 Pierre Matignon Gitane 75 119 Léon-Paul Ménard Gitane 84 120 Jean Vidament Gitane DNF 121 Michael Wright Gitane 55 122 Paul Aerts Watney–Avia 69 123 Etienne Antheunis Watney–Avia DNF 124 Michel Coulon Watney–Avia DNF 125 Pieter Nassen Watney–Avia 79 126 Englebert Opdebeeck Watney–Avia DNF 127 Walter Planckaert Watney–Avia DNF 128 Marc Sohet Watney–Avia 68 129 Noël Van Clooster Watney–Avia 77 130 Willy Van Malderghem Watney–Avia DNF 131 Frans Verbeeck Watney–Avia 16 132 Eddy Verstraeten Watney–Avia 67

References