Circuit des Champs de Bataille
The Circuit des Champs de Bataille was a multiple-stage road bicycle race held in northern France, Belgium and Luxembourg between 28 April and 11 May 1919. The race was composed of seven stages, with the first stage starting in and the last stage finishing in Strasbourg, a city in Alsace that with the end of hostilities had again become part of France. The stages took the race to Luxembourg City, Brussels, Amiens, Paris, Bar-le-Duc and Belfort. The race was approximately long, with riders covering around per day, with a rest day in between each stage. 

The race was organised by the newspaper "Le Petit Journal" as a means of reinvigorating bicycle racing in the region following World War I, to honour those who died in the war and for publicity purposes for the newspaper. It was announced on 5 January 1919, less than two months after the armistice of 11 November 1918. Although Europe was in the midst of reconstruction and then at the height of the deadly flu pandemic, the "Petit Journal"'s 8,500 franc purse, the equivalent of four years' wages for a typical working man, guaranteed that the race would attract top talent. The newspaper also organised a number of other sporting events during 1919, including a football tournament for the liberated regions, an air race, a cross-country running race, a swimming competition and a boxing match. Although 140 riders registered for the race, many could not train or muster basic equipment, leaving just 87 riders to start the race in Strasbourg, including the prominent riders Oscar Egg, Jean Alavoine, Ali Neffati (who wore a fez) and Paul Duboc, as well as future cycling champions Jules Vanhevel, Lucien Buysse and Albert Dejonghe. The race was won by the Belgian Charles Deruyter, who finished with a lead of 2 hours 25 minutes. He was reportedly so cold at the end of the third stage that he was unable to sign his name, having astonished observers at the finish line of the second stage by crossing in a full-length woman's fur coat that had been given to him by a spectator along the way.

Historian Christopher Thompson reports that of the 87 riders who started the race, only 13 successfully finished it. It has since been described as the toughest cycle race in history. World War I had reduced many of the towns and villages that the race passed through to rubble. "Le Petit Journal" reported on "terrible weather, broken roads, freezing wind and icy conditions". Some local newspapers had warned before the event that the roads were in such a poor condition as to be unsuitable, but the organisers argued that these conditions bestowed prestige on the race, citing military cyclists who used the same roads under machine-gun fire. Given only rudimentary directions, riders had to search through piles of rubble at various crossroads to find signage directing them to the next town; some former villages were discernable only by smears of red brick dust. As a result of shortages caused by the war, the competitors also had to deal with poor supplies of food and poor-quality tires. Newspapers including "Le Petit Journal" and "L'Auto" did not see the difficulties of the event as evidence of the state of post-war France, but rather celebrated the race's competitors as "heroic survivors" who symbolised national revival; some 67 professional French cyclists were known to have died during the conflict. Upon its completion, the event's organisers called it a "victory ... for the French race". The publication "Vélo-Sport" praised the Belgian participants as "géants de courage et de volonté" ("heroes of courage and willpower") who had given the public "lessons in vigour".

A race of the same name was held again in 1920, but it was organised as a one-day race rather than a stage race. This event was won by the French rider Henri Pélissier.
Q3609
road bicycle race
Concept
Q142
France
LOC
Q31
Belgium
LOC
Q32
Luxembourg
LOC
Q6602
Strasbourg
LOC
Q1142
Alsace
LOC
Q1842
Luxembourg City
LOC
Q240
Brussels
ORG
Q41604
Amiens
LOC
Q90
Paris
LOC
Q185721
Bar-le-Duc
LOC
Q171545
Belfort
LOC
Q2115162
Le Petit Journal
MEDIA
Q361
World War I
EVE
Q253224
armistice of 11 November 1918
EVE
Q178275
deadly flu pandemic
Concept
Q870126
Oscar Egg
PER
Q251743
Jean Alavoine
PER
Q2003165
Ali Neffati
PER
Q189862
fez
Concept
Q1355797
Paul Duboc
PER
Q1427061
Jules Vanhevel
PER
Q503647
Lucien Buysse
PER
Q981490
Albert Dejonghe
PER
Q15971961
Charles Deruyter
PER
Q815748
L'Auto
MEDIA
Q378848
Henri Pélissier
PER
Q20080770
Circuit des Champs de Bataille
Concept
1919-05-11T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
11 May 1919
DATE
1919-01-05T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
5 January 1919
DATE
1918-11-11T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
11 November 1918
DATE
1919-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1919
DATE
1920-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1920
DATE
+28^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
28
NUMBER
+87^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
87
NUMBER
+2^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
2
NUMBER
+25^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
25
NUMBER
+87^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
87
NUMBER
+13^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
13
NUMBER
+67^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
67
NUMBER
sport
country
country
country
start point