Twenty-one riders finished all six stages of the first Tour de France in 1903.
The inaugural race was held from 1 to 19 July 1903 and covered 2,428 kilometres. Sixty cyclists started the main competition, but only 21 completed every stage and qualified for the final general classification.
Maurice Garin won that first Tour, finishing ahead of Lucien Pothier and Fernand Augereau. The race was created by the newspaper L’Auto as a circulation-boosting publicity project during its rivalry with Le Vélo.
A frequent source of confusion is the difference between starters and finishers. Sixty riders began the principal race, while additional cyclists entered individual stages under the event’s early rules. The number 21 refers specifically to riders completing all six stages.