During coverage of the scandal-soaked 2007 Tour De France, CNN lightly hinted at the cycle race’s history with associating itself with controversy. Research on my part showed this is true.
The 1904 Tour De France bordered on comedic farce. Cheating was rampant, even conspicuous. One rider crashed repeatedly in compliance with blackmail threats. Another was found to have ridden a train part of the way through. Even though skipping on the very definition of a bike race defies logic, it seems almost reasonable in realising that the Tours prior to 1906 were continuous races without pause. Six stages were to be completed without sleep.
The spectators were no better. Fans left nails in the path of their enemies. In one instance a riot of onlookers escalated in the road, resulting in revolver shots and slashed tyres.
After all the scandal, the ridiculous length of the race, and spectator boorishness in the path of the cyclists, the newspaper L’Auto (which had established the race as a publicity stunt in 1903) declared,’The Tour is finished.’