When Tour de France went abroad before 1914

Cyclist riding in form of spectators whenTour de France visited Metz during the early years of its history.

Defining historical events of the 20th century often left  their marks on road cycling history. Just think about, for istance, the impact of World War 1 on the mythology of some famous races, like Paris-Roubaix. The born of the famous phase of “Hell of the North” is a quite well known story among cycling fans. … Read more

Tour de France winners died in the First World War

Francoise Faber, Octave Lapize, Lucien Petit-Breton, Tour de France winners, who lost their life in the First World War

As in almost every part of European life, also in the world of cycling races World War I was a significant watershed. Not only the naivity of some athletes ((who thought previously, that fighting on the battlefield would be the same like competing at the Olympics  – read more about it in Graham Healy:The Shattered … Read more

5 facts about Tour de France 1908

A group of riders at the start of Tour de France 1908

It was the first time, when the podium of the general classification was not entirely French. The 2nd in overall François Faber, although born and lived in France was originally a Luxembourgian. Lucien Petit-Breton became the first cyclist to win the Tour de France twice after he repeated his success from previous year. At one … Read more

Points system in general classification at the Tour de France (1905-1912)

Cyclists at the first stage of the Tour de France 1905

Between 1905 and 1912 points decided who is the best rider of the peloton. The first cyclist to cross the finish line received 1 point. Other cyclists received one point more than the cyclist who passed the line directly before him, plus an additional point for every five minutes between them, with a maximum of … Read more