Ireland and the Tour de France piece on RTÉ Brainstorm

You will have heard of the Tour de France, I'm sure! The annual road cycling race that runs through France has been drawing spectators since it began in 1903. I just wrote about some of the Irish cyclists who took part in this mythic race over the years for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

Cyclists in the Tour de France in July 1923. Image source.

Dublin-born Seamus (Shay) Elliott was the first Irishman to compete in the Tour de France. That was 70 years ago in 1956 and since then, many Irishmen and some Irishwomen have taken part in the Tour. One Irishman even won the race - that was Stephen Roche in 1987. I watched the Champs-Elysées stage in person a few times. The crowds can be big and the cyclists go so fast that it is hard to see anything but the atmosphere is quite special. 

The women's Tour race has been run in various forms since around 1955 and the latest iteration began in 2022. Let's hope that it and the men's race continue to be enjoyed by spectators for years to come.