| The first Tour de France was in 1903. The race | | | | being altered from year to year, keeping the |
| originated because of a feud between 2 French | | | | course fresh and competitors on their toes. In |
| newspapers - Le Velo and L'Auto-velo. A | | | | 1910 Desgrange added the Pyranees to the route, |
| trademark hearing, that Le Velowon, over the | | | | and the following year, the Alps. |
| names of the papers started the row. The editor | | | | The famous yellow jersey worn by the winner of |
| of the losing paper, which was forced to change | | | | the Tour was thought up by Desgrange in 1919 |
| its anme to L'Auto decided a race would create | | | | when he decided the leader of the race should |
| publicity and stop the paper from losing | | | | wear something distinctive - and because his |
| readership. George Lefevre suggested a race | | | | paper was printed on yellow paper, the jersey |
| over 6 days covering roads and mountains. The | | | | was to be yellow - the maillot jaune. |
| Tour de France was born on 19 January 1903 | | | | The distance of the race changes from year to |
| when 'The Greatest Cycling Trial in the Entire | | | | year depending on the course but most recently |
| World' was announced in L'Auto - stretching over | | | | it tends to stretch between 3500 and 4000 |
| a month participants would cycle from Paris to | | | | kilometres. |
| Lyon to Marseilles to Toulouse to Bordeaux to | | | | To enter the race is strictly by invitation. There |
| Nantes and back to Paris. The 20 franc entry fee | | | | are 20 or so teams, each with 9 riders. The prize |
| was clearly off putting at there were only 15 | | | | money is now over $2 million. |
| entrants for the 1903 Tour. The race was | | | | The first Tour was won by Maurice Garin. The |
| suspended and riders were incentivised with a | | | | record for most wins of the tour goes to |
| 20,000 franc prize fund. On July 19th the first | | | | America Lance Armstrong with 7 successive wins |
| ever Tour was underway with 60 competitors. | | | | between 1999 and 2005. |
| Maurice Garin was the first ever winner of the | | | | Last years winner was Floyd Landis, also of the |
| Tour and was greeted in Paris by a crowd of | | | | United States. Past winners have some from all |
| 20,000 people. Circulation of L'Auto also rose- by | | | | over the world. Noticeably, a British rider has yet |
| 500%!! | | | | to win the race - with a Grand Depart in London |
| The basic formula of the Tour de France has | | | | in July 2007 for the 94th Tour de france - is this |
| remained unchanged from the original race back in | | | | year our year? |
| 1903. Interest has been kept alive by the route | | | | |