Topic of the week: Tour de France before 1914

Nothing else represents more clearly how history of everyday life and history of road cycling competitions shape and influence one another than the outbreak of World War I.

The terrible event unfolded during the years between 1914 and 1918 serves as an obvious watershed in the history of the 1903-founded Tour de France too.

It's a cliché to say, after the war nothing was the same, but it's true.

The Tour de France stories from the time period are carrying a special vibe.

Let's take a look at some of them.