the 1903 tour de france was run in six stages. compared to modern stage races, the stages were extraordinarily long, with an average distance of over , compared to the average stage length in the 2004 tour de france; cyclists had one to three rest days between each stage, and the route was largely flat, with only one stage featuring a significant mountain. the cyclists were not grouped in teams but raced as individuals, and paid a fee of ten francs ( at 2003 prices) to compete in the race for general classification, or five francs to enter a single stage. as the stages were so long, all but the first started before dawn: the last stage started at 21:00 the night before.