Around sixty cyclists set off from a café in Montgeron, just outside Paris, on 1st July, 1903: the start of the first ever Tour de France.

The event began as a circulation-boosting scheme by newspaper L'Auto; struggling to compete with its rival Le Vélo, they launched the race as a publicity exercise. But the challenge facing riders was extraordinary: the original route covered roughly 2,400 kilometres in six stages, with each stage far longer than those seen in the modern race. Competitors rode heavy single-speed bicycles with minimal technology and often travelled through the night. And, although professional cyclists entered, many participants were just enthusiastic amateurs attracted by the prize money and the possibility of fame. Of the sixty riders who started, only twenty-one completed the race.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the stunt evolved into the quintessentially French festival of cycling it became; consider the role of anti-semitic sympathies inspiring L’Auto’s advertisers; and discover the dark side of Maurice Garin, the race’s heroic first winner, nicknamed "The Little Chimney Sweep"...

Further Reading:

• ‘Worth a (bike) trip, 100 years later’ (The New York Times, 2003): https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/news/worth-a-bike-trip-100-years-later.html?searchResultPosition=4

• ‘A ride into the past’ (Financial Times, 2003): https://www.ft.com/content/ad90409a-de47-11e2-9b47-00144feab7de

• ‘20 Great Tour de France moments’ (8 Seconds Of Cycling, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEmHe19epmg

#France #Sport #1900s #Publishing

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.

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