Every year in July, the Tour de France sets off on the roads of France (Photo: A.S.O/ Pauline Ballet)
Tour de France bicycling race, said to be the biggest cycling race in the world and the oldest of the three Grand Tours, is also considered as the most prestigious. Every year in July, the Tour de France sets off on the roads of France, crossing some of its most beautiful landscapes.
In 2024, the race route takes participants through the French and Italian Alps, Massif Central and the Pyrénées, earning a reputation as one of the hilliest routes explored during the event. For the first time, the Tour will begin in Florence, Italy on June 29 and end in Nice by July 21, South of France instead of Paris.
‘La Grande Boucle’
In over a century of existence, the Tour has extended its distance and passed through the whole country. Almost 3,500 km are now covered each year in the first three weeks of July, with 22 teams of 8 cyclists each. The 176 competitors criss-cross the most beautiful roads of France in 23 days, over 21 stages. More than a third of France’s departments are passed through, on a route that changes each year.
Spotlight
The Tour de France is the third major world sporting event after the Olympic Games and the World Cup, covered by 600 media and 2,000 journalists. The race is broadcast in 130 countries by 100 television channels over 6,300 hours, and is followed by 3.5 billion viewers.
A little tour to start
The first ever Tour de France took place in 1903. It had just six stages, Paris-Lyon, Lyon-Marseille, Marseille-Toulouse, Toulouse-Bordeaux, Bordeaux-Nantes and Nantes-Paris and 60 cyclists at the start line. At the time, the brave cycled up to 18 hours a day and night, on roads and dirt tracks. By the end, they had managed 2,300 km.
Polka dots
Mountain events are often the most famous and hotly contested. Spectators watch in awe as the riders attack the passes and hit speeds of 100 km/h. In the Pyrenees and the Alps, the Galibier and Tourmalet ascents are legendary sections of the Tour, worthy of a very elegant polka dot jersey for the best climber.
The darling of the Tour
In terms of the number of victories per nation, France comes out on top, with 36 races won by a French cyclist. In second place is Belgium with 18 wins, and in third is Spain with 12. The darling of the Tour remains Eddy Merckx, holding the record of 111 days in the yellow jersey.
‘Le maillot jaune’
The yellow jersey is worn by the race winner in the general classification, calculated by adding up the times from each individual stage. This tradition goes back to 1919. It has nothing to do with the July sunshine or the sunflower fields along the roads, it was simply the colour of the pages of newspaper L’Auto, which was creator and organiser of the competition at the time.
The Champs-Élysées finish
Each year, the Tour departs from a different city, whether in France or in a neighbouring country. Since 1975, the triumphal arrival of the cyclists has always taken place across a finish line on Paris’ Champs-Élysées. However, this year it will end in Nice, France, as the capital is already buzzing with Olympic preparations.
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