The first of July 1, 1903144 cyclists set up camp on the outskirts of Paris to bring to life the first edition of the Tour de France. They came from Germany, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and, obviously, France.
They had six stages ahead of them, completing a circle from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and ending at the start of the crossing.
Awaiting them were 2,428 kilometersdivided into days that alternated competition and rest days in between, since some stages exceeded twenty hours on the bike.
The winner of this madness created to sell more newspapers was Maurice Garin, a Frenchman of Italian origin, whose recognized profession was that of chimney sweep. Garin completed the circle through France in 94 hours at a rate of 25 kilometers per hour. The second, Lucien Pothier, would take three hours more.
Almost 120 years later...
Three anonymous cyclists, Thibault Jean, Laurent Charbonnier and Fred Machabert took the route of the pioneers on July 22, 2021.
Their goal: to complete the route of the first Tour de France in history in the same days.
"We are nothing more than three passionate cyclists who live cycling in the same way. Three lovers of the great distance with the sole objective of enjoying cycling", Fred starts by saying: "Laurent, our captain, is a policeman, Thibault, assistant of a field hockey team in Switzerland, and myself, a specialist in cycling communication".
It all started in June 2018, when Fred set himself a simple challenge on paper: "Cycling from dawn to dusk to complete 310 kilometers without stopping. It was exhilarating. The following year, I met up with Laurent to do the same in the Haute-Loire area reaching 335 kilometers and 6,000 meters of elevation gain."
"And you know what? -We went to the Auvergne and the Rhône Alpes to cover 585 kilometers. In our first attempt the form was not the best, and we decided to stop at 450 kilometers, but months later we came back and we did it, "Lolo" and I, after 22 hours pedaling, proving that the great distance is addictive".
A suggestion that arrives via Instagram
The snowball didn't stop growing. One day Thibault sends them a private on Instagram. A message that sounded like a challenge: "I've seen the route of the 1903 Tour... how nice it would be to do it again". The fuse had already been lit.
"My goodness, 2,400 kilometers in seven daysI said to myself. But the decision didn't take long, why not, I thought, and in a few minutes we had taken up Thibault's gauntlet: we were going to do the 1903 Tour, the three of us," Fred explains.
Riding for a good cause
As soon as the route took shapethe days were decided and the project became a reality, the need arose to do something useful with it all: "We wanted a cause, We wanted a cause, a reason that our efforts could benefit, and we thought of "Les Etoiles Fillantes”an organization that helps children with brain cancer giving them material and human resources as well as financial help to the families".
Fred knew its president and did not hesitate to turn his "Tour 1903" to the goal of spreading the work of the organization and working to improve research into childhood brain tumors.
"When I called Sandie - president of "Les Etoiles Fillantes" - and explained the project to her, she called me crazy, but it didn't take her a second to agree."
France in six days
For the challenge, Fred, a connoisseur of the cycling industry, didn't hesitate to put it to trusted partners, including Gobik to dress the challenge: "I know the brand for a while and works with very good materials, I think a Tadej Pogačar can say the same. When you spend fifteen hours on the bike, good clothing is essential. After seventy hours in six days on the bike I can say that the clothes have responded perfectly".
And so began the adventure of our boys: "It was the Tour of 1903, the first. Six days, only one major pass, the Col de la République at 1,161 meters, but 2,400 kilometers. They left on the first of July and finished it 19 days later, we wanted to do it in six. The route was the same, both the start and finish cities and the waypoints. It was interesting to research the original route and plot it on the map".
One day caused them some fear: "The stage from Marseille to Toulouse, the third section. It was 395 kilometers through a very windy area. It took us fifteen hours to do it, although the next day we rode the shorter section, to Bordeaux, 'only' 270 kilometers to get to the hotel in time to see the end of the Tour stage".
There are three moments that portray this week very well: "The first day we had to leave with the assistance car because of a problem. This is an adventure, we said to ourselves, but deep down, we were really scared. I remember with great emotion the arrival in Toulouse, after fifteen hours of pedaling, at the halfway point of the challenge. That day we ended up arriving at midnight, after riding next to such a special place as the Canal du Midi. Thousands of beautiful memories and the feeling that we have a beautiful country.
Discover the route on Strava:
TDF1903 - Étape 1: 422 km | 14:19 h | + 3,354 m
https://www.strava.com/activities/5513099129
TDF1903 - Étape 2: 354 km | 12:56 h | + 2.316 m
https://www.strava.com/activities/5518222172
TDF1903 - Étape 3: 395 km | 14:58 h | + 1.914 m
https://www.strava.com/activities/5524182751
TDF1903 - Étape 4: 269 km | 8:51 h | + 760 m
https://www.strava.com/activities/5532226776
TDF1903 - Étape 5: 354 km | 12:43 h | + 1,887 m
https://www.strava.com/activities/5539797601
TDF1903 - Étape 6: 302 km | 10:39 h | + 1,052 m
https://www.strava.com/activities/5543769856
Via JoanSeguidor's Notebook
Photos: FABREGUE Rémi Agence Kros
