Paris–Rouen was the first

cycle race Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling ...

covering a distance between two cities. It was held between the cities of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

on 7 November 1869. The winner of the inaugural race was an Englishman living in Paris, James Moore, who rode the 123 kilometres dividing both cities in 10 hours and 40 minutes, including time spent walking his bicycle up the steeper hills.Paris-Rouen 1869
/ref> The event was organized by the fortnightly cycling magazine Le Vélocipède Illustré and the

Olivier brothers The Olivier brothers, Aimé, René, and Marius, were the first people responsible for recognizing the commercial potential of a new invention : the bicycle. The Olivier family was wealthy, owning a series of chemical plant in France based in Lyon. ...

, owners of a bicycle manufacturer company called ''The Michaux Company''. They were delighted with the success of short races held in Parc de Saint Cloud, Paris and on 7 November they promoted a race between

and

, covering a distance of 123 kilometres. The first prize was one thousand gold

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

and a bicycle. The rules of the race said that the riders were not ''to be pulled by a dog or use sails''.Woodland, L. (2005), ''This Island Race'', Mousehold Press, p. 5 A total of 120 riders, including two women, participated in the race but just 32 finished within 24 hours. James Moore won, finishing 15 minutes ahead of Castera and Bobillier. The first woman, referred to as ''Miss America'', finishing in 29th position - 12 hours and 10 minutes after Moore. The race was not held after the outbreak of Franco-Prussian War in 1870, but it later returned as an amateur race.Paris-Rouen
/ref> The centenary was commemorated on 12 May 1969, and was won by Régis Delepine, who received the same prize as James Moore, one thousand gold

equivalent to 50

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General Standings

07-11-1869: Paris–Rouen, 123 km

References

1869 in sports Classic cycle races Cycle races in France 1869 in France November 1869 sports events {{France-cycling-race-stub