The Entire History of the Tour de France, Basically

The Tour de France started in 1903 as a publicity stunt to sell newspapers. More than 120 years later, it's become one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Along the way, there have been legendary champions, impossible mountains, outrageous cheating scandals, two world wars, technological revolutions, and an alarming number of people making terrible decisions on bicycles. In this animated history documentary, Uncle Shio takes you through the entire history of the Tour de France — from its ridiculous beginnings to the modern era. Discover how a newspaper promotion became a three-week sporting spectacle, why early cyclists cheated their way across France, how the mountains changed everything, and how legendary champions shaped the world's most famous bicycle race. From Maurice Garin and Eddy Merckx to Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Tadej Pogačar, and Jonas Vingegaard, it's more than a century of cycling history. Basically. 🚴 *CHAPTERS* 00:00 Chapter 1 — The Beginning 01:56 Chapter 2 — Everybody Cheats 04:28 Chapter 3 — Mountains? Seriously? 07:50 Chapter 4 — The Yellow Shirt 11:10 Chapter 5 — France Goes Crazy 14:56 Chapter 6 — The Age of Legends 19:54 Chapter 7 — Science, Scandals, and Spandex 25:42 Chapter 8 — The Modern Madness 31:20 Chapter 9 — The Finish Line 🏆 *IN THIS VIDEO* 🚴 The first Tour de France in 1903 🚂 Cheating, trains, cars, and angry spectators 🏔️ The introduction of the mountains 💛 The origins of the yellow jersey 🌍 World wars and the evolution of professional cycling 🏆 Legendary Tour de France champions 💉 Cycling's biggest doping scandals 🔬 Modern racing technology and marginal gains 🇫🇷 The Pogačar–Vingegaard rivalry 🐔 And the occasional questionable decision involving poultry *ABOUT UNCLE SHIO'S HISTORY OF STUFF* History is fascinating. History is ridiculous. And sometimes, history involves riding a bicycle across France for three weeks. Welcome to Uncle Shio's History of Stuff, where we explore the history of just about everything through animated storytelling, sarcasm, and questionable jokes. If you enjoy funny animated history documentaries, consider subscribing for more. Thanks for watching! #TourDeFrance #CyclingHistory #AnimatedHistory