1903 Tour de France

1903 Tour de France
Map of France with the route of the 1903 Tour de France on it, showing that the race started in Paris, went clockwise through France and ended in Paris after six stages.
Route of the 1903 Tour de France followed clockwise, starting in Montgeron and ending in Paris
Race details
Dates1–19 July 1903
Stages6
Distance2,428 km (1,509 mi)
Winning time94h 33' 14"
Results
  Winner  Maurice Garin (FRA)
  Second  Lucien Pothier (FRA)
  Third  Fernand Augereau (FRA)
1904 →

The 1903 Tour de France was the first cycling race set up and sponsored by the newspaper L'Auto, ancestor of the current daily, L'Équipe. It ran from 1 to 19 July in six stages over 2,428 km (1,509 mi), and was won by Maurice Garin.[1]

The race was invented to boost the circulation of L'Auto, after its circulation started to plummet from competition with the long-standing Le Vélo. Originally scheduled to start in June, the race was postponed one month, and the prize money was increased, after a disappointing level of applications from competitors. The 1903 Tour de France was the first stage road race, and compared to modern Grand Tours, it had relatively few stages, but each was much longer than those raced today. The cyclists did not have to compete in all six stages, although this was necessary to qualify for the general classification.

The pre-race favourite, Maurice Garin, won the first stage, and retained the lead throughout. He also won the last two stages, and had a margin of almost three hours over the next cyclist. The circulation of L'Auto increased more than sixfold during and after the race, so the race was considered successful enough to be rerun in 1904, by which time Le Vélo had been forced out of business.

  1. ^ Augendre 2016, p. 108.