The Tour de France is the most famous cycling race in the world.
It was first organised in
1903 by the newspaper L'Auto, with the aim of stimulating the public and, above
all, winning over its rival Le Vélo. Today, it is the 3rd most watched sporting
event in the world, after the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games.
But the
Tour de France hasn't always ended on the Champs-Elysées! This spectacular finish
dates back to 1975, thanks to journalist Yves Mourousi, who would have
contacted Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the French president at the time, directly
to suggest the idea. Under the applause of 1.5 million spectators, the French
cyclist Bernard Thévenet was crowned winner of the 1975 Tour de France on the
Champs-Elysées. This final stage has now become unmissable and has made the
Champs-Elysées an iconic venue for competition and celebration, engraved in the
history of sport.
To
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the finish on the Champs-Elysées in style,
Monnaie de Paris is unveiling a complete two-part collection. The first part,
in € gold and silver, will be available 100 days before the
Tour de France kicks off in Lille-Nord de France. The collector coins and
mini-medals will be available a few days before the official start.
On the face
of this coin, a Tour de France cyclist is shown with his fist raised, as a sign
of victory. Behind him is the symbol of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées: the Arc
de Triomphe. On the left, a vintage cyclist is depicted in drawing, a reference
to the participants in the 1975 Tour de France. The outline of the coin and the
spokes are reminiscent of a bicycle wheel. The Tour de France logo is on the
right, the yeardate on the left, and the hallmarks are inscribed in the inner
tube.
