How a 19th-century political scandal birthed the Tour de France

Entertainment · Published 2 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The world’s most famous cycling race wasn't born from a love of sport, but from a bitter political feud. To silence a progressive rival and spite a controversial editor, wealthy industrialists created a newspaper that would eventually change the landscape of global athletics forever.

L'Équipe's lineage traces back to 'Le Vélo,' a sports paper founded in 1892. The publication became a battleground for the Dreyfus affair, a massive French political scandal. When its editor, Pierre Giffard, took a pro-Dreyfus stance, he alienated wealthy conservative advertisers—including industrial giants like Michelin and Clément. These businessmen wanted to 'nail Giffard's beak shut' and funded a rival paper, L'Auto-Vélo, in 1900 to undermine the progressive influence of Le Vélo.

The rivalry was so intense that a court eventually forced the new paper to drop 'Vélo' from its name, leaving it as 'L'Auto.' To distinguish itself further, L'Auto adopted yellow newsprint (Le Vélo used green). In 1903, desperate for circulation, the paper launched the Tour de France. The race was a massive success: circulation jumped from 25,000 to 65,000 immediately after the first Tour, eventually peaking at over 854,000 copies in 1933.

The paper underwent a dark transformation during WWII when it fell into German hands and printed pro-Nazi propaganda. It was forcibly dissolved in 1945 before being reborn as L'Équipe in 1946. While the new iteration was required to use white paper to distance itself from its 'yellow' past, it retained deep ties to its ancestry, even printing 'L'Auto' in its original gothic font for racing coverage.

Beyond cycling, L'Équipe has shaped modern sports infrastructure. A journalist named Gabriel Hanot conceived the European Champion Clubs' Cup (now the UEFA Champions League), selecting prestigious clubs to represent the continent. Today, it remains a cornerstone of French media, having reached a historic peak of over 1.6 million copies following France's first World Cup victory in 1998.

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