The Tour de France consists of 21 stages, each a day long, over the course of 23 days. It is the oldest of the Grand Tours and generally considered the most prestigious. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto. It has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except for the two World Wars. A similar race for women was held under different names between 1984 and 2009.