The Touring Club de France (TCF) was founded in 1890, as a club devoted to travel, founded by cyclists. One key mover in the founding of the club was Paul de Vivie, who was much inspired by the British Cyclists’ Touring Club.

However, unlike the Cyclists’ Touring Club, the TCF quickly opened its doors to non-cyclists, welcoming every sort of traveller using every new method of transport from motorcars to aeroplanes. The ‘TCF Revue Mensuelle’ (the TCF Monthly Revue), the club’s house magazine reflects this eclectic approach with articles on subjects such as the need for remote hotels to provide good airfields.

In cycling terms, the ‘TCF Revue Mensuelle’ carried a number of seminal articles on cycling and bicycle technology. Paul de Vivie regularly contributed articles from the 1890s to the 1920s. It was also a natural place for quality bicycle manufacturers to advertise their wares, and for keen cyclists to place small ads - all of which provides a wealth of information for the aspiring cycle historian.

The Touring Club de France closed down in 1983.