Stage 1 TDF 1904 425 k, 004 longest 237 k
07-05-04, 03:17 PM
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Stage 1 TDF 1904 425 k, 004 longest 237 k
I think I remember reading that the first stage of the TDF in 1904 was something in the range of 425 k. No support, do your own repairs ( sometimes including welding forks), no domestiques. The longest stage this year is 237 k. Back then-fixed-gear only, heavy wheels and frame, mainly gravel roads offset by smoking before stage starts and maybe a tot of rum. Different world we live in.
07-05-04, 03:56 PM
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Stage 1 on the 1904 TdF was 467km. "The 1904 Tour was of the of the most scandalous and sinister in history, tainted by plots,scams, booby-traps made of nails, surreptitious train journeys ..." The results were not released until December 2nd. Maurice Garin was stripped of a stage win and the yellow jersey. The new winner was Henri Cornet, aged 20, who had come in 5th.
Source: The Official History of the Tour de France, Centennial Edition, 1903 - 2003
Source: The Official History of the Tour de France, Centennial Edition, 1903 - 2003
