Southwold’s Indirect Role in the Tour de France’s Genesis

While the Tour de France’s ties to England might not be readily apparent, an English coastal town contributed modestly to its inception. Victor Breyer, a sports journalist born in Southwold, Suffolk, became entangled in a dispute that indirectly resulted in the race’s establishment in 1903. His background was discovered by contemporary journalist, broadcaster, and author Ned Boulting, who documented the race’s beginnings in his latest publication. Boulting commented that Suffolk could “bask in a very small amount of reflected pride” regarding Southwold’s involvement in the genesis of the Tour de France. In his book, 1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession, Boulting details that Breyer’s father was Christian Breyer, a Frenchman. During a trip to London, Christian Breyer encountered Emma Magub from Southwold, whom he subsequently married. “They moved briefly to Southwold and that was where Victor Breyer was born,” stated Boulting, who provides commentary on the race for ITV. “Then they moved to Paris and the rest of the story and his influence on road racing played out in France, but [Victor] never lost his connection to Great Britain and his affection for Great Britain and, presumably, Southwold as well.” Victor commenced writing for the sports newspaper Le Velo during the late 1880s. Concurrently, France was fractured by the Dreyfus affair, a dispute revolving around army captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of espionage for the Prussians. “It had a knock-on effect which eventually led to the Tour de France being created,” Boulting further explained. “[Victor’s] newspaper believed he was innocent and they accused his opponents of being antisemitic. “This didn’t please a lot of the advertisers.” Advertisers subsequently pressured Henri Desgrange to establish a competing sports newspaper, L’Auto, which adopted a stance opposing the Dreyfus affair. Boulting indicates that L’Auto then conceived the Tour de France to prevail in the circulation competition, and it achieved considerable success. At that time, newspapers provided the sole means of following the race, and 111 Tours have now taken place since its inception. “The very fact that the Tour de France still exists today, you can trace it back to the war of words between Victor Breyer and Henri Desgrange and the whole of the Dreyfus affair, which dominated political life in late 19th Century France,” Boulting concluded. Breyer transitioned to L’Auto before subsequently serving as a translator for British and French allied forces during World War One. He possessed a profound passion for motorsports and participated in the boxing world, officiating matches and contributing to the sport’s promotion. Furthermore, Breyer was a founding member of the Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing body for cycling, and, throughout a comprehensive and diverse career, encountered aviation pioneers the Wright brothers. Boulting is scheduled to appear at the Apex Theatre, Bury St Edmunds, on 18 November to discuss his book. The book recounts how he acquired a segment of Pathé news film depicting a stage of the 1923 Tour and proceeded to investigate all available information about it. He enlisted the assistance of Southwold Museum curator Jo Flunder, who aided his research into Breyer’s life. Nevertheless, Mrs Flunder discovered that her own husband’s cousin, Enid Barber, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 90, might have known Victor. Enid Barber had worked as a boxing reporter, using a pseudonym in the 20th Century. “She would have certainly known of Victor, quite possibly corresponded with him, but I can’t find anything in her paperwork,” Mrs Flunder stated. “She did write to a lot of people and the connection would have been their mutual passion for boxing.” Boulting expressed his conviction that Breyer and Southwold represented “more than a significant footnote” in the race’s history. “[Suffolk] can bask in a very small amount at least of reflected pride on Southwold playing a part in the birth of the Tour de France – why not?” he remarked. For updates on Suffolk news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.