Good shout that - today is his 72nd birthday. I always held a grudge against him - part exchange for Denis Bond from Spurs & weren't they lucky to get rid of him... Greedy bugger too. He used to own a one bedroom flat in St Albans Road & tried to rent it to me and three mates for £10 a week each. That would have just about doubled the wage he was on at the time from Watford...
Did we have this one before? It was a bit of a debacle as they struggled to get riders.... depending on the website, 60 started and up to 84 took part... They should make a film about it as it was mired with dramas.. Only 24 finished and the last rider was about 65+ hours behind the first!
Does this have anything to do with the 'Compagnons du Tour de France' in the middle ages ? They were artisans, or journeymen who were required to tour France immediately upon gaining their apprenticeship - whether they rode or walked I have no idea.
If I'm right on that then the answer would be zero, because I think they were required to go on foot - like the Wanderjahre in Germany.
If it was before the first tour de France in 1 I'm assuming that the expression 'Tour de France' predated the actual cycling competition which started in 1903, and so may not be about bicycles.
That is right Theo. It didn't take place, but in 1903 communication was not as today. Many people believed that it had, so when the race did start later in the year it was thought to be a second race. This continued with each race up to WW1 having an extra number, but eventually the organizers corrected the situation. Over to you.
