The Tour De France History
Originally posted on & updated on 2nd February, 2024
The Tour De France is a one of France’s biggest sporting events and it attracts millions of people from around the world.
The first annual Tour De France race took place over a century ago on the 1st July, 1903. A local chief cycling journalist, Geo Lefevre, came up with the idea of individuals and teams racing round the perimeter of France as a way to promoting the publication he worked for; L’Auto.
The race was broken into stages and the winner received 12,000 francs (approx £1,200). Although the route has changed since the earlier races, they continues to end in Paris and since 1975, final stage has been along the Champs-Élysées.
These days, many spectators camp along the route days before the event even begins and some holiday makers plan their trip around the route, booking rooms at various points along the way to make sure they don’t miss out on any of the action. There are also plenty of people who visit in July each year without even knowing the race is going on or crossing paths with it once.
If you plan on visiting France around this time, make sure you plan ahead. There will be a number of roads closed during the three weeks so make sure you find out in advance if your journey is likely to be affected. And don’t assume that just because the road is open, that it will be an easy ride.
Remember there will be lots of spectators trying to get from one stage to the next and with most Tour de France stages ending in a completely different city to the one they begin in, there is a lot of ground to be covered.
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