Tour de France 1903

|} The first Tour de France is held of July 1st with the July 19th 1903.

General information

the departure of the first stage is given on July 1st to Montgeron, suburbs southern of Paris, in front of the Coffee “the alarm clock morning” with 15:16.
the course counts 6 stages for 2.428 km.
80 engaged runners, 60 only are aligned at the beginning, 21 are on arrival. The group is mainly French with 71 runners; 3 Belgians, 3 Swiss, 2 Germans and the Italian of Paris Rodolphe Muller, supplement the list of the volunteers.
Organizing of the Turn, the sporting daily newspaper the Car offers 20.000 francs to the winners: 3.000 for the winner of final general classification, 2000 for the second, 1.200 for the third, 800,500,250,200,100, and 50 with the following. The winner of the Paris-Lyon stage receives 1.500 francs; 700 francs, only, for the winner of the Toulouse-Bordeaux stage. Each runner still in race receives the every day expenses of 5 francs.
the average of the winner is of 26,450 km/h.
the five first of final general classification courrent on bicycles “the Frenchwoman”.
Organized by the sporting daily newspaper “the Car”, the test is not followed a departure on arrival on the road by only one newspaper: “The Sporting Review”. Géo Lefèvre, journalist of the Car , is indeed satisfied to cover departures and arrivals by carrying out the way of the stages in the train. It misses even the arrival by Garin to Lyon…
One estimates at 100.000 the number of the spectators present along the course in province; more than 20.000 spectators in Paris for the final arrival.

Stages

1st stage : Paris (Montgeron) - Lyon (467 km) on July 1st. Maurice Garin gains the stage in 17 hours, 45 minutes and 44 seconds in front of its compatriot Emile Pagie, at 24 seconds.
2nd stage : Lyon - Marseilles (374 km) on July 5th. The French Hippolyte Aucouturier gains the stage, but Maurice Garin guard the head with general classification. Aucouturier is not any more in race for general classification since his abandonment at the time of the first stage, it however is authorized, like all the others eliminated, to take share at the stages.
3rd stage : Marseilles - Toulouse (423 km) on July 8th. The French Hippolyte Aucouturier gains his second phase over the Lathe; Maurice Garin preserves the head at general classification.
4th stage : Toulouse - Bordeaux (268 km) on July 12th. Switzerland Charles Laeser gains the stage. The Genevese is not any more in race for general classification. It is the first victory of stage for a runner not-French. Maurice Garin preserves the head at general classification.
5th stage : Bordeaux - Nantes (425 km) on July 13rd. Maurice Garin gains the stage and consolidates its position with general classification at the head.
6th stage : Nantes - Paris (Park of the Princes) (471 km) on July 18th. Maurice Garin gains his 3rd stage over the Lathe and gains the test while counting nearly 3 a.m. in advance on the second of the classification, Lucien Pothier. The Parisian stage however is extremely disputed and is played sprint. Maurice Garin is essential one second on Fernand Augereau and the Belgian Julien “Samson” Lootens of a large second. Timing (real finishing line) is carried out with City-with Avray, but the course leads then the group to the Parc of the Princes for a lap of honor and the handing-over of the prices.

Sources

coll, Tour de France, 100 years , Paris, the Team, 2003, volume 1, p.22-33

External bonds

memory of cycling/Turn 1903

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