The Challenge Desgrange-Colombo competition was created in 1948 to get the cyclists from two of the most dominant countries of the sport, France and Italy, to participate in each other's races.

[1] Named after long-time Tour de France director Henri Desgrange and Giro d'Italia director Emilio Colombo [it], the competition was organised by the newspapers L'Équipe, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Het Nieuwsblad-Sportwereld and Les Sports.

[2] It marked early co-operation between L'Équipe and La Gazzetta dello Sport which lasts to this day.

[3][4] The first winner was Belgian Briek Schotte, who won the Tour of Flanders and also world road race championship of the 1948 season.

The 1949 edition was won by the Italian Fausto Coppi while 1950 went to the Swiss Ferdi Kubler and 1951 to Frenchman Louison Bobet.