From the Archive: Tour de France, the Early Years - Sports Bizarre

Bizarre with Mick Molloy and Titus O’Reily

With LeTour entering its final week, we revisit one of our first episodes, looking at the early years of the Tour De France.

The early years of the Tour De France were a hot mess, with a spiked bottle of lemonade, itching powder put in cyclists’ shorts, riders taking rides in cars and trains, attempted murder and pitched battles between cyclists and spectators.

Beginning in 1903 as a marketing exercise to boost the circulation of the newspaper L’Auto, the first was won by Maurice-François Garin, who knocked an opponent off their bike, and then jumped on the wheels so they couldn’t ride it anymore.

The second Tour would result in the top four finishers all being disqualified, with the reasons never made public.

Titus O’Reily and Mick Molloy look at the early years of the Tour De France, and how those bizarre early races would set the tone for one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus.

Click here to join today

As a member, you’ll get:

• A weekly bonus podcast
• Access to all past episodes
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes access
• A fortnightly newsletter
• Access to the members-only chatroom
• Ability to vote on future episodes
• Early access to any live show tickets

Follow Sports Bizarre on:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

TikTok

YouTube

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.