Brian Robinson, Britain's first Tour de France stage winner and widely regarded as a pioneering British cyclist in mainstream Europe in the 1950s, has died at age 91.

The news was announced Wednesday morning by his family.

Born in Yorkshire in 1930, Robinson was one of the first two Britons to complete the Tour, along with Tony Hoare in 1955. He went on to win the Tour de France in 1957, the first British stage win, and again in 1959, as well as the first British Criterium du Dauphiné at the Dauphiné Libéré, known as the second toughest stage race in France.

At a time when British riders rarely crossed the English Channel, Robinson became one of the top riders in European racing, paving the way for others such as Tom Simpson to follow later in the 1960s.

After his brother Desmond, an amateur racer, attended a training camp at the invitation of Simplex Components, Robinson was attracted to the French story and became a member of the Hercules team, which first raced abroad in 1955, and the Continental racing scene He adapted well.

Robinson quickly transformed from a preemie to a seasoned pro in Europe, competing and finishing in the Tour de France for the first time after only half a season of full-time racing at the highest level. The toughness of the race shocked him, but he was able to get through it nonetheless: "I didn't know that men could do this together."

Robinson's first Tour win came somewhat reluctantly on the transition stage to Brest in 1958, when Italy's Arrigo Padovan was disqualified; the day before the 1959 Tour ended, courtesy of officials and some arcane rules, the time cut off was Although he escaped exclusion for failing to make the cut in time, he still won the race by 20 minutes.

Repeated stomach problems prevented him from improving his overall ranking beyond his career-best 14th place in the 1956 Tour de France. At the Vuelta a España that same year, he was already eighth overall, making him the first Briton to finish in the top ten in a Grand Tour.

Robinson retired relatively early, at the age of 31, and returned to his construction business in his hometown of Millfield, Yorkshire.

However, he remained very close to the sport. Robinson was chairman of the Dave Rayner Foundation, which supports British racing abroad, and was instrumental in bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014. A very interesting interviewee, Robinson has also been seen regularly cycling to training in recent years.