Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Tour De France Pictures
Bryn Lennon / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong rides in the 2005 Tour de France, July 24, 2005.
JOEL SAGET / AFP / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong rides after crashing in the second stage of the 2010 Tour de France cycling race, July 5, 2010.
Alessandro Trovati / AP File Photo
Lance Armstrong signals seven for his seventh straight win in the Tour de France cycling race, at the start of the 21st and final stage of the race between Corbeil-Essonnes, south of Paris, and the French capital.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong heads to the start of stage 17 of the Tour de France in Pau, France, July 22, 2010.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong rides in a breakaway during stage 16 of the Tour de France on July 20, 2010 in Pau, France
PETER DEJONG / AP
American Floyd Landis rides during the 19th stage of the 93rd Tour de France. His third-place finish enabled Landis to regain the overall lead of the race
Lionel Bonaventure / AFP / Getty Images
The pack rides during the fourth stage of the 2011 Tour de France cycling race run between Lorient and Mur-de-Bretagne, western France, on July 5, 2011.
Universal / TempSport / Corbis
Tour de France, 1960
Thao Nguyen / AP
Lance Armstrong pauses during an interview in Austin, Texas on Feb. 15, 2011. The Justice Department laid out its case in a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong on Tuesday, Apriil 23, 2013 saying the cyclist violated his contract with the U.S. Postal Service and was "unjustly enriched" while cheating to win the Tour de France.
Eric Gaillard / Reuters
Lance Armstrong cycles alongside teammate George Hincapie during the 19th stage of the 92nd Tour de France, July 22, 2005.
NATHALIE MAGNIEZ / AFP / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong for a training session during the second of the two rest days of the 2010 Tour de France cycling race in Pau, France, July 21, 2010.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
American Lance Armstrong with team RadioShack arrives over the finish along the 213km stage three of the Tour de France on July 6, 2010 in Arenberg, France.
Bryn Lennon / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong of the USA and Astana prepares to train with his team in preparation for 2009 Tour de France, July 2, 2009 in Monaco.
Bas Czerwinski / AP
Lance Armstrong leads the breakaway group as they climb towards Tourmalet pass during the 16th stage of the Tour de France, July 20, 2010.
Pascal Pavani / AFP / Getty Images
France's Yohann Gene waits for the start of the 218 km and seventh stage of the 2011 Tour de France cycling race run between Le Mans and Chateauroux, center France, on July 8, 2011.
Christophe Ena / AP
Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, is followed by teammate Mark Cavendish of Britain, in rainbow jersey, as they pass the Arc de Triomphe during the 20th stage of the the Tour de France cycling race, July 22, 2012.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Lance Armstrong, riding for Team RadioShack, crosses the finish line of the 196-km Stage 13 of the Tour de France on July 17, 2010, in Revel
LAURENT REBOURS / AP
In this July 14 2008 file photo Leonardo Piepoli of Italy reacts on the podium in Hautacam after winning the the 10th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Pau and Hautacam, southern France
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. Spectators, 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. Spectator, 1953 Tour de France.
Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not originally published in LIFE. Spectators, 1953 Tour de France.
Photo Essays

Tour de France ’53: Rare Photos of a Sport Spectacle
On the eve of the 2012 Tour de France, LIFE offers a look back — through rare, vintage photographs — at the 1953 version of the utterly singular sports...


































