FOR this Nostalgia edition we will be looking at cycling in Cumbria as audiences around the world enjoy Tour de France.

The annual men's cycling race is a multiple stage event held primarily, it is the oldest of the three Grand Tours and is generally considered to be the most prestigious.

The race was first organised in 1903 and has been held annually ever since, except when it was stopped for the two World Wars.

The event started to gain more prominence and popularity, it was eventually lengthened and gained more international participation.

It is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete are usually UCI World Teams, with the exception of teams that organisers invite.

Most of the race is usually held in July, while the route changes each year the format of it remains the same.

Riders will pass through the the Pyrenees and Alps, and except for this year's tournament, finish in Paris.

A similar race for women was held under various names between 1984 and 2009.

The first Tour de France was staged in 1903. The plan was a five-stage race from May 31 to July 5, starting in Paris and stopping in Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Nantes before returning to Paris. Toulouse was added later to break the long haul across southern France from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Like most other parts of the world, cycling is incredibly popular here in Cumbria as these photos show. Maybe this year the Tour de France tournament will encourage a new breed of Cumbrian cyclists to take up the sport.