Tour de France

Hello there. My name is Maurice Garin, and I love my bicycle. Whee. I love to pedal super, super fast. My legs go round and round, and the wind tickles my face. One day, in the year 1903, I heard about a brand-new, super-long bicycle race. It was going to go all the way around my country of France. I thought, 'Wow. A big adventure on my bicycle. I want to do that.' I was so excited to ride in the very first race of its kind.

On July 1st, 1903, the big day came. It was time to start the great bicycle adventure. So many people were cheering for us. 'Go, Maurice, go.' they shouted. My bicycle felt heavy and a little wobbly on the bumpy dirt roads, but I held on tight. I pedaled up big, tall hills. Huff, puff. Then I zoomed down the other side. What fun. I rode my bicycle through little towns while people were sleeping and past sunny fields with pretty flowers. My legs got very tired, but I kept pedaling. Round and round and round went my feet. It was the biggest bicycle adventure ever, and I did not want to stop. I knew I had to keep going to reach the finish line in the big city of Paris.

After many, many days of riding, I finally reached Paris on July 19th. I saw the finish line. I pedaled my fastest and crossed it. I did it. I won. I was the very first winner of the Tour de France. It made me so happy, I wanted to cheer. That race still happens every year, and it all started with my big adventure. It shows that any great journey begins with just one little push of the pedal. You can have big adventures too.