The 1972 Tour de France was the 59th Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 22, 1972. It was comprised of 20 stages over 3846.6 km, ridden at an average speed of 35.371 km/h. The long awaited clash between Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña after Ocaña crashed on Col de Mente in the 1971 Tour de France.