In 1942, radio stations from both zones covered the Circuit de France, a pale imitation of the Tour

In 1942, faced with the stubborn refusal of the owner of L’Auto the newspaper that organized the Tour de France, which had not been held since 1939 the German occupiers decided to entrust the organization of a similar race to La France Socialiste, a newspaper run by hardline collaborators. Similar, yes, but with extremely limited resources.

The result was the Circuit de France, which instead of featuring 22 stages consisted of only six stages covering 1,611 kilometers, with a handful of French and Belgian riders. The race was concentrated in central France in order to avoid the coast, forbidden zones and borders. Yet the route still crossed the demarcation line twice the line separating France into two zones : the north and west occupied by the German army, and the south administered by the Vichy government.

The Circuit de France included six stages. This makeshift Tour de France, held from September 28 to October 4, proved to be a disaster. The stages were too long and exhausting, the weather was dreadful, and the organization appalling.

The reporters never even saw the race !

Gone were the live motorcycle and car reports once provided by Radio-Cité, Le Poste Parisien, Radio 37, Paris-PTT and Radio-Luxembourg. Because of fuel shortages, the thirty journalists had to follow the stages in a gasifier-powered bus. As a result, they never actually saw the race. In fact, they witnessed only one finish, in Saint-Étienne. To comment on the action, they had to rely on information gathered from team managers riding motorcycles alongside the cyclists.

Radio-Paris the German-controlled French-language station and the Radiodiffusion Nationale in Vichy both followed the Circuit de France, which represented a major propaganda opportunity.

Radio-Paris assigned coverage to one of its sports journalists, Marcel de Laborderie who had covered the Tour before the war for Le Miroir des Sports along with presenter Jacques Dutal.

Radio-Paris covered the Circuit de France in 1942. The Radiodiffusion Nationale fielded the already well-known Georges Briquet. This sports reporter had begun his career in 1933 during the Six-Day races and had delighted listeners of Le Poste Parisien. After the war, he would return with the same enthusiasm on the Chaîne Nationale. During the Circuit de France, he went on air daily at 1:25 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.

For both the German authorities and the Vichy regime, the competition was supposed to demonstrate that life continued despite war and deprivation. Sport became a tool of political and media propaganda, intended to distract the population while creating an illusion of normality in an occupied and divided France.

A Circuit de France that descended into disaster

This gruelling race turned into such a debacle that only 23 of the 79 riders managed to finish. The two-wheeled ordeal was won by Belgian rider François Neuville, who wore not the traditional yellow jersey but a black-and-white striped one.

The press in the southern zone openly criticized the race with relatively little censorship. Reports revealed that riders suffering punctures received no assistance and that there were no mechanics available. Worse still, the only repair truck broke down. Cyclists slept in dormitories set up in schools or seminaries, sometimes without blankets. Food supplies were inadequate, and riders had been required to hand over their ration coupons before the start. In Limoges, they ate at the Secours National soup kitchen alongside the homeless. Finally, riders had to wait motionless for three hours to pass inspection at the demarcation line checkpoint. A different kind of sport altogether.

The organizers had hoped to expand the Circuit de France to Champagne and Brittany, but the race would never be held again. The following year, several multi-stage cycling races were banned because of wartime restrictions.

The failure also highlighted the limits of sports propaganda under the Occupation. Without material resources, without popular enthusiasm, and in a country suffering severe shortages, it was impossible to recreate the excitement and passion of the real Tour de France.