Ali Neffati (22 January 1895 in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

– 19 April 1974 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a Tunisian cyclist who was professional between 1913 and 1930. He is known for being the first person from the African continent to participate in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, 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 ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, where he won several track championships. In 1913 he accepted an invitation to the Tour de France. He was iconic for wearing a

fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

instead of the traditional cap. Despite the setback caused to his career by the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 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.

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

*French Wikipedia 1895 births 1974 deaths Tunisian male cyclists Tunisian emigrants to France {{Tunisia-cycling-bio-stub