Early Attempts at Inclusion

While the professional Tour was exclusively male, the race's popularity inspired parallel events and unofficial participation. In 1904, a group of women attempted to ride the Tour route one day ahead of the men. Led by Marie Marvingt, an accomplished athlete who would later become the first woman to fly combat missions, they faced hostility from officials and many spectators.

The Forgotten Pioneers

These women—whose names are largely lost to history—dealt with additional challenges. They rode in long skirts, as bloomers were considered scandalous. They were denied access to official feeding stations and many hotels. Yet they persevered, with several completing substantial portions of the route. Their efforts, while unofficial and largely unrecognized at the time, planted seeds for future generations.

The early Tour also saw participation from riders of diverse economic backgrounds. While some, like Baron Henri Pépin de Gontaut, came from aristocratic families and rode for sport, most were working-class men seeking to escape poverty. The ten-franc entry fee represented several days' wages for a laborer, but the potential rewards—both in prize money and subsequent appearance fees—offered a path to a better life.