Buzz
Since its inception in 1903, the Tour de France has evolved into one of the most prestigious cycling competitions globally. The event gained immense popularity, partly due to the remarkable achievements of American cyclist Lance Armstrong, whose extraordinary endurance and skill captivated audiences worldwide. However, his legacy was later tarnished by scandal, though his impact on the sport remains undeniable.
Armstrong is just one of many unforgettable figures in the Tour de France's storied past. The race's early years, in particular, were filled with astonishing and often bizarre tales. Here, we explore ten incredible stories from the Tour's formative years that highlight its unique and chaotic beginnings.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Tour de France emerged as a groundbreaking event, capturing the imagination of both cyclists and spectators. The excitement and passion surrounding the race were unparalleled, leading to unforgettable moments that defined its early history. Dive in to discover the fascinating details.
10. The Notorious Cheater!
Maurice Garin, the victor of the inaugural Tour de France in 1903 and 1904, was a diminutive figure famously nicknamed “The Little Chimney Sweep.” A celebrated cyclist of his era, Garin had previously triumphed in an 1893 race that many consider a precursor to the Tour de France. His larger-than-life personality and unique quirks made him a standout figure of his time, a rarity in today’s world.
Garin was known for his unconventional habits, such as riding with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He also attributed his 1893 victory to his peculiar race-day diet, which included red wine, tapioca, hot chocolate, and oysters. While unusual, his success speaks for itself, leaving little room for criticism of his eccentric choices.
Garin’s legacy, however, is tinged with controversy. During the 1903 Tour de France, he gained notoriety for blatant cheating. He would shove competitors off their bikes, sabotage their wheels, and even hopped on a train to gain an unfair advantage. His antics were so egregious that he was stripped of his 1904 title. Despite this, his 1903 win remains official, and he is remembered as a national hero in France and a cycling legend worldwide.
9. Hot off the Presses
Contrary to popular belief, the Tour de France wasn’t initially created to celebrate cycling or athletic endurance. Instead, it was conceived as a marketing ploy to boost newspaper sales. In 1903, journalist Géo Lefèvre, working for the struggling publication “L’Auto,” proposed the idea of a long-distance cycling race to attract readers and revive the paper’s fortunes.
Lefèvre was assigned the challenge of increasing newspaper sales across France. While sports news was a profitable niche for competitors, his publication struggled to attract readers. To address this, he devised a plan to organize a grand cycling race that would generate buzz, drive exclusive coverage, and draw crowds to newsstands, ultimately boosting circulation.
Lefèvre pitched the idea to his editor-in-chief, Henri Desgrange, who enthusiastically approved. Desgrange, a former cycling champion himself, was fully on board. Together, they poured their efforts into organizing and promoting the event. However, initial interest was dismal—only 15 riders had registered a week before the race, and reader engagement was lukewarm. Desgrange postponed the start date by a month and reduced the race duration from five weeks to 18 days to make it more appealing.
To further incentivize participation, they offered a daily bonus of 5 francs to the next 50 riders who signed up. This promotion worked like a charm, attracting over 60 cyclists in a short span. With this surge in interest, the Tour de France quickly gained momentum and became a media sensation.
8. No Referees
Modern editions of the Tour de France are meticulously monitored, with officials stationed in every town, following riders in tracking vehicles, and capturing every moment on camera. This level of oversight ensures that riders cannot engage in foul play. However, during the race’s early years, such regulations were nonexistent, allowing for unchecked antics and mischief among competitors.
The winner’s prize of 3,000 francs, equivalent to two years’ wages for a laborer in 1903, was both a motivator and a source of trouble. While professional cyclists were the favorites, many amateurs joined the race, lured by the chance to win life-changing money. These amateurs were often willing to bend the rules or cheat outright to claim a piece of the lucrative prize.
Cheating took many forms during the race. Some riders, like Garin, sneaked onto trains to skip sections of the course. Others scattered tacks and nails on the road to puncture their rivals’ tires, gaining an unfair advantage.
Riders also exploited the lack of oversight by taking shortcuts, hitching rides on vehicles, and cutting corners, especially during nighttime segments. With minimal race officials and no reliable tracking methods, these underhanded tactics went largely unchecked.
7. Shaming the Loser
The first Tour de France introduced a unique tradition to humiliate the last-place rider. Known as the “red lantern,” this rider was required to carry a literal red lantern during the race. In 1903, the final competitor finished a staggering two days behind Maurice Garin. The red lantern, strapped to his bike, served as a public mark of his poor performance, akin to a scarlet letter in the world of cycling.
While the red lantern became a symbol of shame in the Tour de France, its origins lie in transportation safety. Before modern technology like GPS and satellites, trains used red lanterns at the end of cabooses to ensure all cars remained connected and on track. This simple yet effective method helped conductors monitor train movements. The Tour de France adopted this concept, applying it to the race’s last-place rider.
Today, the red lantern, or “lanterne rouge,” remains a part of the Tour de France, though riders no longer carry a physical lantern. Instead, the term is used to identify the cyclist in last place. Over time, it has evolved into a quirky badge of honor, celebrated by some riders who embrace the distinction of finishing the race, even if not in first place.
6. Poisoning Problems
In the early days of the Tour de France, poisoning rivals was a common tactic. Hippolyte Aucouturier, the 1903 favorite, was forced to withdraw after drinking poisoned lemonade handed to him by a spectator. The incident left him with severe stomach cramps, ending his race prematurely and highlighting the cutthroat nature of the competition.
Poisoning wasn’t an isolated issue. In 1911, Paul Duboc, a strong contender who had won two stages, fell victim to a similar scheme. A rival, François Lafourcade, spiked Duboc’s drink, sabotaging his chances of winning. These incidents underscore the extreme measures some riders took to gain an advantage in the race’s early years.
The following day, Duboc was forced to stop by the roadside, overcome by violent vomiting. Lafourcade and the other riders passed him without hesitation. Lafourcade not only escaped punishment but also managed to pin the blame on an innocent cyclist, framing him as the culprit behind the poisoning.
5. Fight! Fight! Fight!
While the 1903 Tour de France was chaotic, the 1904 edition was arguably the most scandalous. Midway through the race, four men in a car ambushed Maurice Garin, the previous year’s winner. They brutally assaulted him, possibly motivated by gambling interests or bribes from rival competitors.
This wasn’t the only incident of violence. During the second stage of the 1904 race, supporters of cyclist Antoine Fauré scattered glass shards on the road after he passed, causing numerous flat tires. When that wasn’t enough, they began hurling rocks at other riders, escalating the chaos.
The most severe clash occurred near Saint-Étienne, where locals fiercely supported Fauré. When Garin and another rider approached, the crowd blocked their path. After Garin protested, the mob attacked both cyclists. The situation only de-escalated when Géo Lefèvre, the race’s creator, fired a gunshot into the air. Despite the violence, Garin went on to win his second consecutive Tour de France, thwarting the mob’s intentions.
4. Dirty Tricks
In the early Tours, riders were prohibited from receiving external assistance for bike repairs. Flat tires were a frequent issue, forcing cyclists to fix their bikes mid-race. To prepare, many carried spare tires wrapped around their bodies, resembling the Michelin Man. With spectators and competitors often scattering glass, nails, and tacks on the road, tire problems were inevitable and widespread.
Flat tires were just the beginning. The early races were rife with underhanded tactics. In 1903, Maurice Garin and Fernand Augereau nearly clashed after Garin’s supporters pushed Fernand off his bike twice. Fernand managed to jump off before crashing, but Garin retaliated by stomping on his bike, rendering it irreparable.
The dirty tricks didn’t stop there. Riders strung wires across the road, hidden from view, causing competitors to crash. Others went as far as sprinkling itching powder into their rivals’ shorts, a tactic famously used in the 1904 race. No method was too extreme in the quest for victory during those chaotic early years.
3. Illegal Aid from Engines
One of the most audacious stories from the early Tour de France involves riders secretly receiving assistance from cars and motorcycles. Hippolyte Aucouturier, for instance, was infamous for hitching rides from early-model cars. His method wasn’t as simple as holding onto a bumper; instead, he devised a clever and nearly invisible system to gain an unfair advantage.
Aucouturier would place a cork in his mouth, tie a wire to it, and discreetly attach the other end to a car before the race. This allowed him to be towed without detection, sparing him physical exertion. His boldness reached its peak during the 1904 Tour de France, where he crossed the finish line being secretly pulled by a car, mere seconds behind race officials who had driven the entire stage. His suspiciously fast pace should have raised more questions!
2. Got Beer?
In the early 20th century, the importance of proper nutrition for athletes was poorly understood. This was evident in the first few years of the Tour de France, where riders lacked access to nutritionists or dietitians. Instead, they devised their own fueling strategies, often relying on unconventional choices like beer.
Maurice Garin, a legendary figure, frequently stopped at bars during the inaugural race. In the second year, Henri Cornet opted for champagne as his go-to drink while racing. Cornet also consumed large quantities of hot chocolate and ate several pounds of rice pudding daily, showcasing the unconventional and often bizarre dietary habits of early competitors.
In the early years of the Tour de France, the race route was loosely monitored, allowing riders to stop freely for meals and rest. One wealthy cyclist even arranged for his butler to prepare a roadside picnic during a stop. Beer was a common choice for refreshment, but riders also turned to more extreme measures. Henri Pélissier, a competitor from the era, famously admitted to using cocaine to boost energy and chloroform to numb pain during the grueling race.
1. Culling the Herd
The inaugural Tour de France began with an intense first stage: a 300-mile (482.8-kilometer) ride completed in a single day. Of the 60 cyclists who started in Paris on July 1, 1903, only 37 made it to Lyon. Maurice Garin emerged as the stage winner, finishing the 17-hour ride just one minute ahead of his closest rival. The remaining riders arrived exhausted, with officials describing them as moving “like sleepwalkers.”
The race only grew more grueling from there. Cyclists had to cover over 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) across just six stages, with minimal rest between rides. The extreme demands led to 23 riders dropping out on the first day, and by the end, only 21 of the original 60 competitors completed the race. For context, the 2017 Tour de France covered just over 100 miles (161 kilometers) per stage—a fraction of the original distance.
