Setting the Stage

As Europe moved toward the catastrophe of World War I, the Tour de France had established itself as more than just a bicycle race. It had become a lens through which France saw itself—its geography, its values, its capacity for suffering and triumph. The race that began as a circulation stunt for a struggling newspaper had evolved into a national institution.

The pioneers of 1903-1914 could never have imagined what their race would become: a global spectacle watched by millions, a technological showcase, a theater for human drama. Yet in their suffering and determination, in their innovation and courage, they established the essential truth that still defines the Tour: it is not merely about who rides fastest, but about who endures longest when every fiber of their being screams to quit.

Their legacy lives on in every rider who has ever donned a number and faced the starter's gun, knowing that ahead lay pain and glory in equal measure. The Tour de France was born in those early July days of 1903, but it was in the crucible of its first decade that its soul was forged—a soul that continues to inspire and captivate over a century later.# Chapter 2: Between the Wars: Building a Legend