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The Tour de France first hit "Le Grande Boucle" in 1903. Conceived by a French newspaper as a way to boost sales, the first race was won by native son Maurice Garin. A tradition was born, and the race has seen over a hundred years of spectacle most every July since...

The first cyclist to hold the record for most victories in the Tour was Lucien Petit-Breton, who in 1908 defended his victory while racing for Peugeot-Wolber. Six years later, Belgian rider Philippe Thys joined Petit-Breton as a two-time champion while racing for the same Peugeot juggernaut. Following the First World War, Thys surpassed his teammate to take his third crown in 1920. Many riders claimed two crowns in the inter-war period - Firmin Lambot, Ottavio Bottecchia, Andre Leducq, Antonin Magne, Sylvere Maes, Gino Bartali, and Fausto Coppi all won two Tours - but no one could match the output of victories by Thys...

Then, from 1953 through 1955, the Frenchman Louison Bobet became the first rider to win three CONSECUTIVE Tour de France victories. Bobet, riding for a strong French team, brought the title back to its home soil after a half-decade with foreign riders. His shared record with Thys would not last long, though...

Less than a decade after Bobet's illustrious run, a new French champion emerged on the scene to become the undisputed champion. Jacques Anquetil, the greatest time-trial specialist of his era, claimed five Tour de France victories. His first, won in 1957, was augmented with four consecutive victories from 1961-1964. The age of the super-champion had been born...

Much like Bobet, Anquetil's record would not last long. A once-in-a-lifetime talent emerged from the roads of Flanders to dominate his sport like no athlete ever had before - or has since. Eddy Merckx, winner of 525 professional races during his career, won his first Tour de France title in his first attempt in 1969. In that race, he took the green sprint-points jersey AND the polka-dot climber's jersey in addition to the overall yellow champion's jersey... a feat which STILL goes unequalled. Merckx duplicated Anquetil's run of four consecutive Tour titles before declining participation in 1973. In his Tour return in 1974, Merckx equalled Anquetil's record of total victories, wining five Tours in five starts. He would not win another, though...

But there was yet another Frenchman who would emerge to co-habitate the Tour de France record book. Bernard Hinault, "The Badger", would take up the mantle left by Merckx's retirement

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