The first Tour de France in 1903 was a groundbreaking event in the history of professional cycling and sports in general. Organized by the French newspaper L’Auto,
it was designed to boost the paper’s sales and quickly became the most prestigious cycling race in the world.
The idea for the race came from L’Auto’s editor, Henri Desgrange, and journalist Géo Lefèvre, who sought to outshine their rival newspaper, Le Vélo. To capture public attention, they proposed a multi-stage cycling race across France. The inaugural race started on July 1, 1903, and covered 2,428 km (1,509 miles) in six long stages, with riders competing both during the day and night.
The start of the first Tour de France
In the Parisian suburb of Montgeron, the café Au Réveil Matin played a historic role in the birth of the Tour de France. On the afternoon of July 1, 1903, a crowd gathered outside its building, witnessing the start of what would become the most prestigious cycling race in the world.
Cafés like this were crucial in the early years of the Tour, serving as meeting points for cyclists and organizers.
A total of 78 riders had registered for the race, but only 60 appeared at the starting line. Some competed under pseudonyms, including Julien Lootens, a Belgian who signed up as “Samson.” The competitors, mostly professionals and semi-professionals, were about to embark on a grueling challenge across France.
The first stage of the Tour began at 3:16 pm, covering a staggering 467 km from Montgeron to Lyon.
The riders faced difficult road conditions, riding on dirt and gravel with minimal support. After an exhausting battle, Maurice Garin emerged victorious, completing the stage in 17 hours, 45 minutes, and 13 seconds. His dominance in this stage set the tone for the rest of the race, which he would ultimately go on to win.
The sociocultural impact of the first Tour de France and the pre-WW1 era editions of the race in general) is a recurring important topic on both the Vintage Road Cycling Stories blog and in my longer articles on Patreon.
If you’d like to dive deeper into this particular period of history of Tour de France, please click on the links above.
More Tour de France milestones: