| One of my favourite past times is to go mountain | | | | against what Le Velo stood and were very much |
| biking down countryside trails and travel long | | | | against the support of Dreyfus's innocence. Those |
| distances from one town to another. For me this is | | | | that withdrew their advertising later published their |
| an enjoyable form of keeping fit and you have the | | | | own rival magazine. |
| added benefit of appreciating the scenery. Mountain | | | | L'Auto was established and to promote it the Tour |
| biking does not necessarily have to be enjoyed in | | | | de France began. This was also a publicity spectacle |
| your own home territory and one can be involved | | | | to rival Le Velo and their event, Paris-Brest et retour |
| with mountain biking abroad. Places like France, Italy, | | | | organised by editor Pierre Gifford. Originally, the race |
| Spain, Africa and Australia. | | | | was discussed to be a five weeklong tour, however |
| Mountain biking in France is more popular than any | | | | with only 15 entrants this was then reduced down to |
| other destination because of the smooth and | | | | just 19 days. Cycling journalist Geo Lefevre and |
| challenging trails that make biking here more fun. The | | | | Editor Henri Desgrange announced the event on |
| French Alps is famous for holding the popular Tour de | | | | January 19th of 1903 - thus born a new trend of |
| France biking event, whereby thousands of | | | | mountain biking in France. |
| spectators come from all over the world and support | | | | The public were caught and drawn in by the event, |
| the contenders. The Alps is also popular with skiing | | | | from the growing number of entrants (who were |
| holidays and professional skiing competitions, which | | | | offered a daily allowance) and the entertainment |
| has placed the French Alps as one of the top | | | | attractions (some amateur and unemployed |
| destinations for activity holidays. | | | | entertainers). The tour was split into stages of riding |
| The Tour de France has helped to keep the Alps to | | | | 400km, this saw the riders riding into the night, which |
| maintain its reputation for being one of the best | | | | captured the spectators attention. After the event, |
| experience mountain biking in France as a whole. The | | | | the magazine sales went from 25,000 copies sold to |
| first Tour de France event began in 1903 and is | | | | 65,000. By 1933 when the Tour had finished |
| structured so it is partaken in stages rather than one | | | | Desgrange had received a record of 854,000. |
| long marathon. History will reveal that the Tour de | | | | L'Auto magazine was not a direct predecessor to the |
| France was largely influenced and inspired by the | | | | now popular magazine L'Equipe, but was a spiritual |
| popular sporting magazine in France, called Le Velo. | | | | figure and influence to the current organisers of the |
| Like most sporting magazines, this focussed on | | | | Tour. This is not directly organised by L'Equipe but is |
| sporting events but also included politic and current | | | | run by its owners called Societe du Tour de France. |
| affairs in France. | | | | To this day this is an event which has grown on a |
| Le Velo was produced and published to symbolise the | | | | massive scale over the years. This has influenced |
| innocence of Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused and | | | | much of France to see many holidaymakers take |
| found guilty of selling secrets to the Germans. There | | | | part in mountain biking in places like the French Alps, |
| was a large division between the people of France, | | | | but also open up other events like the Tour such as |
| with one side favouring his innocence and the other | | | | Giro d'Italia based in Italy and Vuelta a Espana based |
| believing he was guilty. Some of the advertisers were | | | | in Spain. |