---
title: "When was Tour de France inaugurated ?"  
description: "When was Tour de France inaugurated ?"  
author: "Rajib Ahluwalia"  
published: 2018-07-22  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/47439/when-was-tour-de-france-inaugurated  
category: "sports"  
tags: ["sports"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# When was Tour de France inaugurated ?

When was [Tour de](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/100746/where-s-the-tour-de-france-held) [France](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/82062/the-controversial-france) inaugurated ?\
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## Answers

### Answer by Harshal Vispute

**The inaugural cycling race was organized and sponsored by the newspaper L'Auto**, the forerunner of today's daily, **L'Équipe, in 1903**. **Maurice Garin won the race,** which took place from **July 1 to 19 over a distance of 2,428 kilometers (1,509 miles).**

**T**he event was created to increase **L'Auto's circulation** as it began to decline due to competition with the **long-running Le Vélo.** The race was originally **slated to begin in June**, but it was **postponed one month and the prize money was increased due to a low number of applicants.** while it had fewer stages than **modern Grand Tours,** each one was far longer than those raced today. **The first stage road race was the Tour de France in 1903**, and while it had fewer stages than modern Grand Tours, each one was far longer than those raced today. Although competing in **all six stages** was required to qualify for the **general classification**, riders were not required to do so.

**Maurice Garin, the pre-race favorite, won the opening stage** and maintained his lead throughout the race**.** He also **won the final two stages,** putting him nearly three hours ahead of the next racer**. T**he event was deemed **successful enough to be rerun in 1904,** by which time **Le Vélo had** been put out of business because the circulation of L'Auto surged more than sixfold during and after the race.

Due to this event, **L'Auto's circulation surged dramatically**; following the race, **a special edition of 130,000 copies** **was printed**, and normal circulation increased from **25,000 to 65,000 copies**. The **Tour de France was rescheduled for 1904 as a result of the huge success. The cyclists had also earned the status of national heroes**. **Maurice Garin returned for the 1904 Tour de France but was disqualified from defending his championship**. Garin later acquired a gas station with the prize money **he received in 1903**, which totaled **6,075 francs (about US$40,000 and GBP£23,000 in 2006 values)** and worked there for the rest of his life.


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/47439/when-was-tour-de-france-inaugurated

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