The Very First Tour de France: Six Stages Across France
In the summer of 1903, a bold new sporting event rolled across the French countryside. Today, cycling fans around the world follow the famous Tour de France, but the very first race was quite different from the modern spectacle. It began not as a long-standing national tradition, but as an ambitious publicity stunt planned by a struggling sports newspaper named L'Auto.
The newspaper's editor, Henri Desgrange, wanted to boost sales and outdo a rival paper. To catch the public's attention, he organized an enormous bicycle race across the nation. Sixty riders lined up on July 1, 1903, outside a café just south of Paris. They faced a grueling course of roughly 1,500 miles, divided into just six massive stages. Unlike modern races, which feature smaller daily stages over three weeks, each 1903 stage was a colossal test of endurance. A single stage often spanned between 160 and nearly 300 miles.
- spectacle:
- An eye-catching, grand public display or show.
- grueling:
- Extremely tiring and demanding great effort.
- endurance:
- The ability to keep doing something difficult for a long time without giving up.
- cumulative:
- Formed by adding together separate parts or amounts over time.
- inaugural:
- Marking the very first time an event takes place.
- triumph:
- A great victory, achievement, or success.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What initial goal prompted Henri Desgrange to organize the first Tour de France?
- 2How did the format of the 1903 race stages differ from those of modern cycling races?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“The Very First Tour de France: Six Stages Across France” is a explanatory article reading passage about 1903 Tour de France, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (472 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.