1903 Tour statistics | Stage Results and running GC | Final complete GC | Start list
Henri Desgrange, editor of L'Auto (ancestor to today's l'Equipe), was desperate to find a way to win a circulation war with competing sports newspaper Le Vélo. The Tour de France was suggested to Desgrange as a sales promotion. It was to be like a Six-Day race, only on the road. The race was an instant hit. L'Auto's circulation soared and Desgrange went down in history as the father of the greatest sporting event in the world. Note that in the first edition the stages are staggeringly long. The races would have to start in the dark in order to finish stages that could take over 17 hours to complete.
A few of notes about the early Tours.
Distances are approximate.
Riders could abandon a stage and still start the next stage and compete for stage prizes but they were out of the race for the General Classification.
Statistics
| Number of stages |
6 |
| Number of riders starting |
60 |
| Number of riders finishing |
21 |
| Distance |
2,428 km |
| Average speed |
25.679 km/hr |
Stage results and running General Classification
Stage 1: Paris - Lyon, 467 km
- 1. Maurice Garin: 17hr 45min 13sec
- 2. Emile Pagie @ 55sec
- 3. Leon Georget @ 34min 59sec
- 4. Fernand Augereau @ 1hr 2min 50sec
- 5. Jean Fischer @ 1hr 4min 55sec
- 6. Marcel Kerff @ 1hr 42min 55sec
- 7. Alois Catteau @ 1hr 48min57sec
- 8. Ernest Piven @ 1hr 49min 49sec
- 9. Leon Habets @ 2hr 8min 16sec
- 10. François Beaugendre @ 2hr 8min 27sec
GC after Stage 1: GC times and places same as stage 1 results
Stage 2: Lyon - Marseille, 374 km
Major Ascent: Col de la Républic
- 1. Hyppolyte Aucouturier: 14hr 28min 53sec
- 2. Leon Georget s.t.
- 3. Eugene Brange @ 26min 6sec
- 4. Maurice Garin @ 26min 7sec
- 5. Rodolphe Muller s.t.
- 6. Lucien Pothier s.t.
- 7. Marcel Kerff @ 39min 37sec
- 8. Fernand Augereau @ 57min 17sec
- 9. Georges Pasquier @ 1hr 32min 10sec
- 10. François Beaugendre s.t.
GC after Stage 2:
- 1. Maurice Garin
- 2. Leon Georget @ 8min 52sec
- 3. Fernand Augereau @ 1hr 34min
Stage 3: Marseille - Toulouse, 423 km
- 1. Hippolyte Aucouturier: 17hr 55min 4sec
- 2. Eugene Brange @ 32min 22sec
- 3. Julien Lootens "Samson" s.t.
- 4. Maurice Garin s.t.
- 5. Lucien Pothier s.t.
- 6. François Beaugendre @ 1hr
- 7. Jean Fischer @ 1hr 35min 18sec
- 8. Rodolphe Muller @ 1hr 35min 19sec
- 9. Alois Catteau s.t.
- 10. Marcel Kerff s.t.
GC after Stage 3:
- 1. Maurice Garin
- 2. Leon Georget @ 1hr 58min 53sec
- 3. Lucien Pothier @ 2hr 58min 1sec
Stage 4: Toulouse - Bordeaux, 268 km
- 1. Charles Laeser: 8hr 46min
- 2. Julien Lootens "Samson" @ 4min 3sec
- 3. Rodolphe Muller s.t.
- 4. Leon Georget s.t.
- 5. Maurice Garin s.t.
- 6. Jean Fischer s.t.
- 7. Lucien Pothier s.t.
- 8. Eugene Brange @ 7min 41sec
- 9. Alois Catteau s.t.
- 10. Jean Dargassies @ 26min
GC after Stage 4:
- 1. Maurice Garin
- 2. Leon Georget @ 1hr 58min 53sec
- 3. Fernand Augereau @ 2hr 58min 1sec
Stage 5: Bordeaux - Nantes, 425 km
- 1. Maurice Garin: 16hr 26min 31sec
- 2. Georges Pasquier s.t.
- 3. Lucien Pothier s.t.
- 4. Fernand Augereau @ 10min 35sec
- 5. Ambroise Garin @ 33min 34sec
- 6. Rodolphe Muller @ 36min 33sec
- 7. Jean Fischer @ 1hr 4min 3sec
- 8. Marcel Kerff s.t.
- 9. Jean Dargassies @ 1hr 21min 9sec
- 10. Ferdinand Payan @ 1hr 33min 24sec
GC after Stage 5:
- 1. Maurice Garin
- 2. Lucien Pothier @ 2hr 58min 1sec
- 3. Fernand Augereau @ 4hr 29min 14sec
6th and Final Stage: Nantes - Paris (Parc des Princes), 471 km
- 1. Maurice Garin: 18hr 9min
- 2. Fernand Augereau @ 10sec
- 3. Julien Lootens "Samson" s.t.
- 4. Jean Fischer @ 1min 20sec
- 5. Lucien Pothier @ 1min 30sec
- 6. Rodolphe Muller @ 2min
- 7. Alexandre Foureaux @ 2min 30sec
- 8. Julien Girbe @ 2min 35sec
- 9. François Beaugendre @ 21min
- 10. Marcel Kerff @ 53min
Final Complete Individual General Classification
| 1 |
Maurice Garin (France) |
93h 33m 00s |
| 2. |
Lucien Pothier (France) |
@ 2hr 49min 45sec |
| 3 |
Fernand Augereau (France) |
@ 4hr 29min 38sec |
| 4 |
Rodolfo Muller (Italy) |
@ 4hr 39min 30sec |
| 5 |
Jean Fischer (France) |
@ 4hr 58min 44sec |
| 6 |
Marcel Kerff (Belgium) |
@ 5hr 52min 24sec |
| 7 |
Julien Lootens "Samson" (Belgium) |
@ 8hr 31min 8sec |
| 8 |
Georges Pasquier (France) |
@ 10hr 24min 4sec |
| 9 |
François Beaugendre (France) |
@ 10hr 52min 14sec |
| 10 |
Aloïs Catteau (France) |
@ 12hr 44min 57sec |
| 11 |
Jean Dargassis (France) |
@ 13hr 39min 40sec |
| 12 |
Ferdinand Payan (France) |
@ 19hr 9min 2sec |
| 13 |
Julien Girbe (France) |
@ 23hr 16min 52sec |
| 14 |
Isidore Lechartier (France) |
@ 24hr 5min 13sec |
| 15 |
Josef Fischer (Germany) |
@ 25hr 14min 26sec |
| 16 |
Alexandre Foureaux (France) |
@ 31hr 50min 52sec |
| 17 |
René Salais (France) |
@ 32hr 34min 43sec |
| 18 |
Emile Moulin (France) |
@ 49hr 43min 15sec |
| 19 |
Georges Borot (France) |
@ 51hr 37min 38sec |
| 20 |
Pierre Desvages (France) |
@ 62hr 53min 54sec |
| 21 |
Arsene Millocheau (France) |
@ 64h 47m 22s |
Roster of Starting Riders
- Hyppolite Aucouturier (France)
- Fernand Augereau (France)
- Louis Babrel (France)
- Lucien Barroy (France)
- Ludwig Bartelmann (Germany)
- Francois Beaugendre (France)
- Bendene (France)
- Georges Borot (France)
- Eugene Brange (France)
- Alois Catteau (France)
- Claude Chapperon (France)
- Charrier (France)
- Jean Dargassies (France)
- Daumain (France)
- Philippe Deballade (France)
- Pierre Desvages (France)
- Victor Dupre (France)
- Durandeau (France)
- H. Ellinamourt (France)
- Jean Fischer (France)
- Joseph Fischer (Germany)
- L. Fougere (France)
- A. Foureaux (France)
- Maurice Garin (France)
- Henri Gauban (France)
- Eugene Geay (France)
- Leon Georget (France)
- Julien Girbe (France)
- Guetier (France)
- Gustave Guillarme (France)
- Leon Habits (France)
- Antoine Jaeck (Switzerland)
- Marcel Kerff (Belgium)
- Charles Laeser (Switzerland)
- Lassartigue (France)
- Lechartier (France)
- Victor Lefevre (France)
- Marcel Lequatre (Switzerland)
- Julien Lootens (Belgium) raced as "Samson". Some results use only this name.
- Paul Mercier (Switzerland)
- Ansene Millocheau (France)
- Monachon (France)
- Emile Moulin (France)
- Benjamin Mounier (France)
- Rodolfo Muller (Italy)
- Hyppolyte Pagie (France)
- Arthur Pasquier (France)
- Ferdinand Payan (France)
- Armand Perin (France)
- Leon Pernette (France)
- Ernest Pivin (France)
- Lucien Pothier (France)
- Francois Poussel (France)
- Leon Riche (France)
- Rene' Salais (France)
- Jules Sales (Belgium)
- Henri Timmermann (France)
- E. Torisani (France)
- Paul Tripper (France)
- Edouard Wattelier (France)
