Editing Tour de France (section)

===The first Tour de France (1903)===
{{Main|1903 Tour de France}}
[[File:Wielrennen, Tour de France 1903, SFA001006411.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Maurice Garin]], winner of the first Tour de France standing on the right. The man on the left is possibly [[Leon Georget]] (1903).<ref>[[Spaarnestad Photo]] image number SFA001006411</ref>]]
The first Tour de France was staged in 1903. The plan was a five-stage race from 31 May to 5 July, starting in Paris and stopping in Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Nantes before returning to Paris. Toulouse was added later to break the long haul across [[southern France]] from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Stages would go through the night and finish next afternoon, with rest days before riders set off again. But this proved too daunting and the costs too great for most{{sfn|Dauncey|Hare|2013|p=13}} and only 15 competitors had entered. Desgrange had never been wholly convinced and he came close to dropping the idea.{{sfn|Nicholson|1991|p=44}} Instead, he cut the length to 19 days, changed the dates to 1 to 19 July, and offered a daily allowance to those who averaged at least {{convert|20|km/h}} on all the stages,{{sfn|Cazeneuve|Chany|2011|p=21}} equivalent to what a rider would have expected to earn each day had he worked in a factory.{{sfn|Dauncey|Hare|2013|p=131}} He also cut the entry fee from 20 to 10 francs and set the first prize at 12,000 francs and the prize for each day's winner at 3,000 francs. The winner would thereby win six times what most workers earned in a year.{{sfn|Dauncey|Hare|2013|p=131}} That attracted between 60 and 80 entrants&nbsp;– the higher number may have included serious inquiries and some who dropped out&nbsp;– among them not just professionals but amateurs, some unemployed, and some simply adventurous.{{sfn|Woodland|2007|p=}}

The first Tour de France started almost outside the Café Reveil-Matin at the junction of the Melun and Corbeil roads in the village of [[Montgeron]]. It was waved away by the starter, Georges Abran, at 3:16&nbsp;p.m. on 1 July 1903. ''L'Auto'' hadn't featured the race on its front page that morning.<ref group="n">L'Auto preferred to concentrate on the Coupe Gordon-Bennett car race, even though it wasn't to start for another 48 hours. The choice reflects not only that the Tour de France was an unknown quantity&nbsp;– only after the first race had finished did it establish a reputation&nbsp;– but it hints at Desgrange's uncertainty. His position as editor depended on raising sales. That would happen if the Tour succeeded. But the paper and his employers would lose much money if it didn't. Desgrange preferred to keep a distance. He didn't drop the flag at the start and he didn't follow the riders. Reporting was left to Lefèvre, whose idea it had been, who followed the race by bike and by train. Desgrange showed a personal interest in his race only when it looked a success.</ref>{{sfn|Cazeneuve|Chany|2011|p=26}}{{sfn|Allchin|Bell|2003|p=3}}

Among the competitors were the eventual winner, [[Maurice Garin]], his well-built rival [[Hippolyte Aucouturier]], the German favourite [[Josef Fischer (cyclist)|Josef Fischer]], and a collection of adventurers, including one competing as "Samson".<ref group="n">The use of false and often colourful names was not unusual. It reflected not only the daring of the enterprise but the slight scandal still associated with riding bicycle races, enough that some preferred to use a false name. The first city-to-city race, from Paris to Rouen, included many made-up names or simply initials. The first woman to finish had entered as "Miss America", despite not being American.</ref>

Many riders dropped out of the race after completing the initial stages, as the physical effort the tour required was just too much. Only a mere 24 entrants remained at the end of the fourth stage.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Tour de France: The Illustrated History|last = Latzell|first = Marguerite|publisher = Firefly Books|year = 2003|isbn = 1552977366|location = Toronto, Buffalo|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/tourdefranceillu0000laze|via=Archive.org}}</ref> The race finished on the edge of Paris at Ville d'Avray, outside the Restaurant du Père Auto, before a ceremonial ride into Paris and several laps of the Parc des Princes. Garin dominated the race, winning the first and last two stages, at {{convert|25.68|km/h}}. The last rider, [[Arsène Millocheau]], finished 64h 47m 22s behind him.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

''L'Auto''<nowiki/>'s mission was accomplished, as circulation of the publication doubled throughout the race, making the race something much larger than Desgrange had ever hoped for.{{fact|date=November 2024}}