One day, a ballsy Frenchman (aren't they all) decided to go on a 2,500km long cycle-race across the whole of France. Geo Lefevre, a journalist with L'Auto Magazine, got the backing of his editor, Henri Desgrange, and on the 1st July 1903, the Tour de France was born. 60 cyclists competed in the 6 huge stages and only 21 made it to the end.
At the beginning, people thought they were mad. But little by little, their endurance, courage and determination were admired by the French population, who flocked to the side of roads to watch The Tour go by.
Since then, the Tour de France has grown and grown in population, now gaining international status. The French love it because it shows off France's less known villages, towns and landscapes. The rest of the world loves it because it's still an amazing physical feat, to bike for so long and in sometimes very hostile conditions.