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2023 Tour de France: A Thrilling Preview of the Upcoming Race

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The 2023 Tour de France is positioned to deliver non-stop action and excitement, making it one of the most memorable races in recent history. With the Grand Départ starting in Bilbao, Spain, the race will showcase some of the country’s most breathtaking landscapes, including rolling hills, pristine coastline, and quaint villages.

As the race makes its way to France, cyclists will face a number of challenging routes that test their endurance and ability to tackle difficult terrain. The return of the Puy de Dôme, a dormant volcanic dome in the Massif Central, is a particularly exciting addition to this year’s route. The climb is known for its steep incline and breathtaking views, making it a popular destination for cyclists and fans alike.

In addition to the challenging routes, the 2023 Tour de France is also notable for its short time trial distance. With the time trial portion totaling only 22 kms, this year’s race is set to be a test of speed and skill, as cyclists race against the clock to determine who has the best all-around abilities. This, combined with the arduous itinerary, will make the 2023 Tour de France a true test of athleticism, as cyclists push themselves to their limits in an effort to come out on top.

2023 Tour de France route
Aurélien PAPA, Adobe Stock

The Stages

Featuring a balance of flat terrain for sprinters, mountain peaks for climbers, and a time-trial for specialists, the 2023 Tour de France promises to be a thrilling evaluation of endurance and technical ability. The race kicks off in Bilbao, Spain with a 185 km loop that includes five climbs and over 3,300 m of ascent. The first week takes riders through the Basque region, with highlights including San Sebastian, Bayonne, Nogaro Circuit, and Pau.

The mountains make their appearance in the second week, with stages that feature the Aspin, Tourmalet, Col de la Ramaz, Joux Plane, Col de la Loze, and the final climbs in the Tour. The individual time trial on July 18 offers a chance for the specialists to gain time, before the sprinters return front and centre in the final phases. The race concludes, as is tradition, on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

In total, the Tour de France 2023 features 21 stages, covering over 3,000 km and 50,000+ m of ascent. It begins on July 1st and finishes on July 23rd. Whether you’re a fan of the sprinters, the climbers, or the specialists, there is something for everyone in this year’s race. So get ready to follow the action as the world’s best riders take on the challenge.

The Riders

With the race fast approaching, you can bet that all the world’s top racers have been preparing diligently for the most prestigious event of the year. 2023’s race promises to be a gripping battle between three of the best riders on the planet. 

Let’s take a closer look at Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar, and Egan Bernal and their chances in the Tour de France 2023. With similar strengths and a wide breadth of combined experience, the battle for this year’s Maillot Jaune is projected to be a nail-biting adventure the entire way through.

Jonas Vingegaard

2023 Tour de France rider
Jonas Vingegaard, Getty Images

Age: 26
Team: Jumbo Vismo
Nationality: Denmark

Jonas Vingegaard, winner of the Tour de France 2022 and runner-up in 2021, is considered the top favourite for victory in 2023. He might have been a surprise package in 2021, but his performance last year was nothing short of a masterpiece. His biggest weakness is his limited experience in Grand Tours, but his ability to adapt to new roles has already been put to the test, one which he has passed with flying colours. 

The 2023 Tour route, with its emphasis on ascents, is the perfect opportunity for Vingegaard to once again take the tournament by storm. He is an exceptional mountain climber and time trial specialist, undoubtedly boosted by his confidence from last year’s win, making him a monster to face in this year’s competition.

Tadej Pogačar

Tadej Pogačar, Getty Images

Age: 24
Team: UAE Team Emirates
Nationality: Slovenia

Tadej Pogačar, the winner of the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, is the number one rival for Jonas Vingegaard. He has been the most successful Tour de France racer in the last three years with his results speaking for themselves. He is powerful on all terrains, and it’s safe to say he has any mistakes from last year sitting very comfortably at the forefront of his mind.

The 2023 Tour route is tailor-made for Pogačar, with its hilly start in the Basque Country and plenty of high mountain stages. He is a rider who thrives on unpredictability, and in a route where anything can happen, he will feel right at home and ready to take back his title.

Egan Bernal

Egan Bernal, Getty Images

Age: 26
Team: Ineos Grenadiers
Nationality: Colombia

Egan Bernal is a bit of a mystery figure in this year’s race. Despite his life-threatening injuries from a crash in 2021 and potential complications in his recovery, he has made a remarkable comeback. Bernal remains cautious, stating that merely completing the race in Paris would be a major accomplishment, yet he possesses several advantages, including real-life victory experience from his win back in 2019.

The climbing-focused route of the 2023 Tour suits Bernal perfectly, providing him with an opportunity to regain his top form. He excels in climbing and performs well in time trials, making him a strong contender for the overall win.

The Classifications

The Tour de France is renowned for its challenging terrain and fierce competition. However, it’s not just about the overall winner, as there are several classifications that riders can compete for throughout the race. Here’s a look at the main categories:

Yellow Jersey (Maillot Jaune) 

This is the most prestigious classification, awarded to the rider with the lowest overall time after each stage. The rider wearing this jersey is considered the leader of the race.

Green Jersey (Maillot Vert)

This classification is awarded to the rider with the most points earned through intermediate sprints and stage finishes. Sprinters are usually the top contenders for this jersey.

Polka Dot Jersey (Maillot à Pois Rouges)

This classification is awarded to the best climber of the race, given to the rider who accumulates the most points from reaching the summit of designated mountain stages.

White Jersey (Maillot Blanc)

This classification is awarded to the best young rider under the age of 26. It is calculated in the same way as the Yellow Jersey, but only for riders within the age range.

Team Classification

This classification is awarded to the team with the lowest overall time for its three best riders in each stage.

Tour de France jersey winners, www.sportingnews.com

These classifications add extra excitement and competition to the race, with riders striving to be the best in their respective categories. The Tour de France is a true test of endurance, skill, and teamwork, with each classification representing a different aspect of cycling. 

The beauty of this system is it allows the individual strengths and skill sets of different riders to shine through and be recognized on the world stage. Even if you aren’t the overall winner when your bike crosses the line in Paris, you’ll have had the chance to make your mark on this prestigious event, and cement your name in cycling history.

Whether you’re a beginner, amateur, or professional cyclist, there’s few things more exciting than getting to watch the best of the best compete in the sport that you love. We’ll be following this year’s race closely to see what the world’s top cyclists can produce, and look forward to the new standards that will be set in this ever-changing and always dynamic global display of grit and determination.

We hope you get to enjoy the spectacle alongside us as we all work towards our own personal bests of becoming better, stronger, healthier cyclists!

Mini Team Sky Asking The Tough Questions

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team sky mini

Can it get any more funny? This is a pretty hilarious video with Chris Froome and some other Team Sky riders. They should employ this tactic during the race too!

Team Sky Meets Mini Team SkyAnd that’s a wrap! Team Sky and Sir Dave get asked the tough questions when they finally meet the Minis. #TdF2016

Posted by Sky Loves Cycling on Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Why Chris Froome Is Raddest Wearer Of The Yellow Jersey

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chris froome the raddest

Tour De France leader, Chris Froome with Team Sky, has not had the largest fan club in the past especially for the caliber of rider that he is, but the club is certainly growing at this year’s TDF. Spectators and fans have complained that Chris Froome’s Team Sky tactics are boring to watch and that they lack pizzazz and emotion like the good ol’ days, but on the contrary they are successful. This Tour de France, Chris Froome has broken the Sky mold on several occasions and has flipped his rivals upside down.

Chris Froome’s Upbringing

As a child Chris Froome was not destined to become a two-time winner of the TDF, like other European racers. Lots of European professional cyclists have long histories with cycling running deep in their family heritage; not Chris Froome. He did not grow up being told great tales of cyclists or see big professional races in Europe. Froome grew up in Kenya and South Africa with lions and sort of stumbled into cycling at age 14. He took quickly to the sport but didn’t turn professional until 22. This is quite an untraditional path and somewhat explains his unconventional way of doing things.

South Africa Training Camp

One reason Chris Froome is the raddest wearer of the yellow jersey is that Froome returned to his roots in South Africa at the beginning of the season, with American Ian Boswell, to began preparing specifically for the TDF. South Africa is not the typical place professional cyclists go to train, but it does provide all the key components a top rider needs such as warm weather, long climbs, and altitude. South Africa provided an unusual training experience for the two with the exotic wildlife and very different way of life than in Europe. Froome returning to his home continent of Africa to prepare and not heading to popular training camp destinations such as Mallorca or Tenerife certainly differentiates Chris Froome from his competitors.

Downhill Attack

Early in the Tour,  Nario Quintana held off attacks from Team Sky and looked to be in a good position for the day as they crested the final climb, but Chris Froome had other plans. Froome attacked on the descent of the Peyresourde while Quintana and Valverde chased. Froome held off the chasers and managed to put 13 seconds on them and moved into the yellow jersey. No one ever expected Froome to attack on this descent, not standard Team Sky tactics. This move flipped Froome’s skeptics and was quite clever catching his opponents off guard and propelling himself into yellow. Froome gained a lot of recognition from his critics and made the race exciting to watch.

Breakaway with Peter Sagan

Stage 11 was expected to be a day for the sprinters, but Chris Froome and Peter Sagan had different plans. Sagan went on the late attack roughly ten kilometers from the finish… and Froome followed. Along with Sagan’s teammate Maciej Bodnar and Froome’s teammate Geraint Thomas, the two teams dropped the hammer in the final few kilometers. Sagan planned to give the win to Bodnar but realized Froome was going to sprint for the stage win, as well as gain valuable time on Froome’s GC rivals. Sagan was forced to sprint obviously beating Froome, but it is not very common to see the yellow jersey and the green jersey sprinting against each other for the finish. That day Froome gained an additional twelve seconds on GC rivals and raced his bike with instinct, not a well thought out and executed plan. Sky tactics are normally simple; set a blistering pace on the climbs to discourage attacks. On this stage Froome followed his gut. Jumping in a break caught everyone by surprise and publicized that he can race his bike and is at the Tour to race, not just ride uphill faster than everyone else.

The Froome Run

One of the most popular memes in cycling right now must be Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux with his bike. Fans crowded the famous climb and caused a race motorcycle to stop with Richie Porte, Bauke Mollema, and Chris Froome close behind causing them to crash into the motorcycle. With Froome’s support car a long way back he took to foot and began to run the final kilometer to limit his losses. What was a funny moment for spectators was a moment of fear and panic for Froome. This was an admirable move by Froome to keep his yellow jersey, and a display of how desperately he wants to win. Riders in the past in similar situations have thrown bikes or would have just accepted the time loss, but not Froome. He was willing to run for every second of time to stay in yellow. Ultimately the ASO gave Froome and Porte the same finishing time as Mollema because of the strange circumstances but Froome had already gained the respect from fans.

Changing Views of Chris Froome

Jumping in the break with world champion Peter Sagan, running up Mont Ventoux, and attacking the descents turned many follower’s heads during this years Tour de France. This style of racing is interesting to watch for spectators and rewrites the script for normal TDF stage racing. Sagan has such a large following because of his personality and how he races with passion and instinct. Chris Froome has seemed to channel the same type of passion and instinct at this year’s Tour is becoming increasingly more desirable to cheer for. Chris Froome probably won’t continue his running career but hopefully will continue racing with the same fire and aggression we have seen thus far.

How To Fix A Bike In The Tour de France At 50kph

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how to fix a bike in the tour de frace
One thing with professional races, like the Tour de France, is that the race waits for no one. The front of the race may slow if there is a crash or for a “nature” break but for flat tires or bike mechanicals, you will quickly fall behind. The job of the team car is to feed riders bottles as well as food along with making sure their bikes stay in proper working order. Often times this means fixing whatever needs fixed while moving at speeds of 30 or 40 mph, or more. The Wall Street Journal put interviewed a mechanic from one of the teams who is the one reaching out the window performing any fixes. It’s a pretty interesting task and one that seams risky for both rider and mechanic. The next time you see a rider getting service on their bike from the team car, you’ll know what’s going on.


Chris Froome Running To Keep Lead in Tour de France

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chris froome running

The stage up Mount Ventoux in the Tour de France always makes for some incredible racing as well as watching. The first interesting thing, well probably not the first but one of them, was that the stage finish had to be moved 6 kilometers down the mountain because of super high winds at the summit. The next interesting thing was perhaps one of the most interesting things to happen in the Tour de France EVER. Chris Froome, the wearer of the yellow jersey, left his broken bike on the side of the road and started running to the finish line, over a kilometer away.

The incident began when the hoards of spectators on the side of the road only left space for about one rider to fit through. The motorcycles ahead of Froome’s group were slowed and eventually stopped while one immediately ahead of the riders crashed into them. Froome and a few other riders then ended up crashing as well. Froome’s bike was completely useless as you can see from the photo below. With all of the spectators and other riders falling back the neutral support car was a few minutes back and his team car was even farther. The only thing left for him to do was run. As you can see in NBC Sports‘s video below, he didn’t just run for a few feet but for quite awhile. He eventually was able to get a neutral support bike but then also had issues with it and eventually his team car made it to him to give his spare bike. Froome ended up losing a few minutes but not a lot of time as could easily have been the case. The Commissaire’s however awarded Chris Froome and the others involved in the crash the same time thus leaving Froome with the Yellow Jersey.

Foomes broken bike
Photo Credit: tdwsport – Tim De Waele – www.tdwsport.com

 


How To Win A Sprint In The Tour de France

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how to win a sprint in the tour de france
Winning a sprint doesn’t come down to any one thing but rather a culmination of things including teamwork, speed, calculation, and power. Win a sprint of the Tour de France and you’ll be remembered for a long time. This video gets into how teams approach a sprint finish and why they are lined up they way they are. When you’re watching the next sprint finish, look and see what team members are riding where and see how far back their sprinter starts their sprint from. There’s a lot going on at 40+ mph and a lot of comes down to instinct and split second decisions. If you hesitate, it’s already too late. This video from Eurosport does a good job of describing the details of sprint.

El vídeo que explica cómo ganar un sprint

Hoy que en Le Tour de France hay etapa de descanso, te explicamos todo lo que hay que hacer para ganar un sprint. ¡Qué pasada!

El Tour, en Eurosport, http://bit.ly/29y78wh

Posted by Eurosport on Monday, July 11, 2016

How Is The Tour de France Route Determined?

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tour de france route

Why would someone ride a bike across France for thousands of kilometers? The answer was simple and still is. In the early 1900’s it was to sell newspapers and now it is to boaster new products through sponsorship and feature attractions around France such as spectacles and cities. To do so the organizers must layout scenic and iconic routes. How do they create a route that is challenging, memorable, and even logistically possible? First you need to know a little bit of the history of the Tour de France Route and how it grew into the world’s largest sporting event.

Tour de France Route History

The Tour de France began in 1903 and was a publicity stunt to sell more French newspapers. In the beginning, the Tour de France route was six stages with a field size of about sixty contestants. Talent ranged from riders solely up for the challenge to racers that were sponsored by different bicycle manufactures. The field was comprised of primarily French competitors but several Belgians, Germans, Swiss, and Italians took part. The race began in a suburb of Montgeron, at the Café au Reveil Martin. Who would have guessed the first Tour de France cyclist started from a café? Every year with the exception of 1915-1918 and 1940-1946 due to World War I and World War II the Tour de France has been held. (Follow this link for More Tour de France Facts)

Route Selections and How the Organizers Decide

A lot goes into planning the Tour de France route every year. Cities are selected years in advance through much consideration and planning. Jean-Louis Pagês is the man responsible for which cities get to host the top cyclist in July. If a town is interested in hosting the Tour de France they first submit a letter to the Amaury Sports Organization (ASO) requesting to be an arrival or departure town. Pagês then visits the town to see if the town can handle such a large caliber event. If the city is selected to host the start of a stage they must pay a sizeable fee of no less than $50,000 (often times considerably more). To host a finish, the rate is doubled. Allegedly London paid well over $2 million dollars just in fees to the ASO to host the grand depart in 2007. Over 200 applicants are considered to host the 21-stage race. The Tour de France route has always featured several iconic mountain stages such as Alpe d’Huez, Mont Ventoux, Col du Galibier, and the Col du Tourmalet. Since 1975 the Tour de France has finished on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The depart cities always change and rotate through France, but it is safe to expect these race finishes to always have a place in the Tour de France.

2016 Tour De France Route

The 2016 Tour de France Route will cover an astounding 3,519 kilometers and visit three different countries before finishing on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Sixteen new cities will be visited for arrivals and departures throughout the race. In 2016 the Grand Depart was from Mont-Saint Michel and finished on Utah Beach, one of the new stage cities in honor of D-Day. On this day we saw Mark Cavendish outsprint Marcel Kittel to claim the yellow jersey. This year the race has selected 9 flat stages, 1 hilly stage, 9 mountain stages and 2 individual time trial stages. Out of the 9 mountain stages, 4 are mountaintop finishes which add another level of complexity to route selections and logistics. The route is run in a counterclockwise direction this year traveling down to the southern boarder of France  and into the Pyrenees before heading northwest into the Alps and before returning to Paris.

The Future Tour De France Route

No doubt, Pagês is already planning more extravagant and beautiful stages for the future. The 2017 Grand Depart has already been announced and will start in Dusseldorf, Germany. This will be the fourth time Germany has hosted the Grand Depart, thirty years after West Berlin in 1987. The entire route for 2017 is likely already approved and finalized by the ASO, although the public will not be notified until the fall. While we are only thinking about the 2016 Tour de France, Pages is already planning extravagant and breathtaking stages several years from now.

References:

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0709/How-are-Tour-de-France-towns-are-picked-Incognito

http://www.history.com/news/the-birth-of-the-tour-de-france-110-years-ago

http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2016/us/overall-route.html

What Is The Tour de France?

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what is the tour de france

The Tour de France is a three week long bicycle stage race, mostly through France, although it sometimes starts in different countries and may cross French borders during those three weeks. Its first edition was in 1903 as a promotion for a sporting newspaper. That edition was only five stages with only fifteen riders. The Tour has grown to twenty one stages with 198 riders in 2016. But what is the Tour de France on a day-to-day basis? It’s has a lot going on and all at the same time.

So What Is The Tour de France – Some History

Henri Desgrange, the editor of LeVelo started the Tour de France as a publicity stunt in 1903. His newspaper was the second most popular sporting newspaper in France. While neither paper remains, the Tour has survived, only stopping for World Wars One and Two.

Four riders have won the overall classification at the Tour five times each: Jacques Aquetil of France, Eddy Merckx of Belgium, Bernard Hinault of France and Miguel Indurain of Spain. To finish the Tour is quite a feat; to win with such domination makes a rider a legend.

Stages

Each day, the riders start a stage. There are a few different kinds of stages:

  • Time Trials: Each rider races against the clock individually. These can be decisive in the overall classification.
  • Team Time Trials: Each team races together against the clock.
  • Flat Stages: These stages usually end in a group sprint. Everyone gets the same time.
  • Medium Mountain Stages: Usually rolling stages that lead to breakaways but do not have much impact on the overall classification.
  • High Mountain Stages: This is where the biggest battles of the Tour happen. The stages go over the biggest mountains in France, making big time gaps in the race and having a big impact on the overall classification.

If the riders cross the finish line in a group, each rider receives the same time. If there is at least a one second gap between one group of riders and another, then the second group will receive a time that is behind that of the first group. On each stage, riders in contention for the overall classification are careful not to let gaps open, especially on flat stages where it is a careless mistake. Those seconds can matter on a later stage. Greg LeMond won the 1989 Tour by eight seconds, the smallest margin in history.

Each stage each day has a start and finish. All riders start together (except for time trials, where the officials track the time of each rider) and finish around the same time, with the riders falling behind receiving a longer time which is how the overall classification is determined.

The Classifications

There are four main classifications:

  • General Classification – This is the cumulative time from each stage. The lowest time wins. Each rider must start and finish each stage to continue the race. This is for the coveted yellow jersey.
  • Points Classification – Riders win points at intermediate sprints and at the finish line. Flat stages have more points available at the finish than time trials, hilly, and mountain stages. This green jersey usually goes to a sprinter.
  • Mountains Classification – Each categorized climb has points awarded based on their difficulty. The smallest is category four, then three, two and one. The hardest are HC, or hors categorie, French for beyond category. These are the iconic climbs – Tourmalet, Alp de Huez, etc. The leader of the mountains classification wears a white jersey with red polka dots.
  • Young Rider Classification – This is timed the same way as the general classification except that it is only for riders under twenty five years old. The wearer of this white jersey is expected to be the future of the sport.

There are two minor and one informal classification:

  • Most Aggressive Rider – Each day, the race jury awards a red race number to be worn the next day to the most aggressive rider. This rider went to the greatest effort to animate the day’s the stage. Often it is the most active person in the breakaway.
  • Team classification – Each team’s top three rider’s times are added together to get the team classification time. The lowest time is the leader. The leading team gets yellow numbers and sometimes add their own flare, like yellow helmets.
  • Lanterne Rouge – This is the rider that is last on the overall classification, the red lantern, and is an informal classification. This refers to the red light at the back of a train. This rider always is a worker for a team and often has suffered some sort of difficulty during the race, requiring a heroic effort to continue on.

It’s a Team Sport!

While the focus is on individual jerseys and stage wins, cycling in general is a team sport. It is critical in grand tours like the Tour de France (there are two other grand tours – the Giro d’ Italia and the Vuelta a Espana). Without support riders mixed in with leaders on the nine person teams, those leaders would not succeed.

Each team will usually have a rider shooting for a high position in the overall classification. That rider should be able to climb and time trial well. His teammates will protect him with their draft so he uses as little energy as possible. They will also fetch bottles and food for him and wait for him if he needs a bathroom break or has a mechanical failure like a flat tire.

Teams also usually have a sprinter that is trying to win stages. Around the sprinter are other fast riders that try to bring the sprinter to the line as quickly as possible and in good position to out-sprint the other team’s sprinters. These riders are comfortable jockeying for position in the fast finishes and are required to keep their sprinter out of the wind until the last two hundred meters or so of each stage. Other team members that are not on riding are team directors, soigneurs, chefs, and mechanics. Team directors drive the team cars, hand out food and drinks, and generally make tactical decisions for the team. Soigneurs do whatever the riders need off the bike. Things like massage, carrying bags, doing laundry, making race food and drink, as well as feeding during the race from the feed zone. Chefs are obvious and their role is critical – they keep riders properly fueled for the three week race by cooking in the team’s hotel kitchen or often times now in a traveling kitchen that teams travel with. Mechanics take care of each rider’s multiple bikes along with the team’s cars, trucks, and buses. It’s a complicated and huge task that goes on for three weeks and it’s all for the riders to do the best that they can!

There is a lot going on at the Tour de France. If you do not understand early on, it is normal. There are so many nuances that it takes quite a while to grasp a firm understanding of the race. Keep watching and you will get more and more each day.

If you have a specific question about the Tour de France, ask in the comments section below and we’ll get you your answer asap!

Tour de France Facts

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tour de france facts

With the Tour de France on, you should catch up on your history of La Gran Boucle (the nickname of the Tour, French for The Great Circuit). The race is rich with tradition, stemming from its long history starting in 1903 as a publicity stunt for a sports newspaper, L’Auto, and running every year except during the two World Wars. The leader’s jersey of the race is yellow because that is color of newsprint in L’Auto. The newspaper is long gone, but the Tour continues on. This list of Tour de France facts will help you understand the race.

The Winners

Winning the overall classification in the Tour de France immortalizes a rider. Winning it five times makes a rider a legend. Four riders have done it – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Lance Armstrong won seven times but was stripped of his victories because he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs to fuel his victories.

Winning the overall classification entails a rider covering the twenty or so stages of the Tour in the least time. Each stage is timed – the officials add the time together from each of the twenty or so stages. The number of stages depends on the route of the race.

There are also many other opportunities to win. Riders can win the stage each day, along with:

  • The most aggressive rider, awarded to the rider that animated the race the most each day.
  • The sprinter’s jersey, based on points on intermediate sprints and stage finished.
  • The king of the mountains jersey, based on points awarded at the top of climbs.
  • The young rider’s jersey, like the general classification, but for riders under twenty five.

Winning any of these competitions can be a tremendous boost to a riders career and is often a life-long dream of many cyclists.

The Losers

Cycling is full of failure. Only one person wins (on the backs of his teammates) and when a race is as big as the Tour, about one hundred eighty people lose. But there is an informal competition in the general classification for last place, called the Lantern Rouge, or red lamp. It refers to the red light at the end of a train.

Tour Teams

A Tour team comprises of nine riders, based on the team’s goal’s in the race. Some teams go for the general classification, some shoot for stage wins, others the green jersey. Each team wants to get good results so they can be invited back to the biggest stage in the cycling world. It is very good for the team’s sponsors, who foot the bill for the teams. Racing at the Tour means excellent exposure for the sponsors. Getting good results is even better for the sponsors.

Team directors are like the in-game coaches at the Tour. They drive the team car and support the riders throughout the race with tactics, equipment and nutrition. There are also mechanics in the car, along with mechanics that go ahead to the hotel at the end of the stage. Soigneurs prepare food, give massages and are generally available for the riders needs so they can focus on riding and recovering after the stage. Teams also have cooks preparing nutritious meals and doctors to take care of any medical concerns.

Vehicles at the Tour

During the Tour, each team has two cars in the caravan which escorts the riders. One car stays with the main group of riders, the peloton and the other is available to go with the breakaway up the road.In the team car there are spare wheels, spare bikes, extra clothing, water and food for the riders. The team directors drive the cars with a mechanic in the back seat.

In addition to the team cars in the caravan, there are many other vehicles:

  • Race officials and judges are in cars and on motorcycles monitoring the race.
  • Neutral service motorcycles and cars can help riders with mechanical failures if their team cars are not there.
  • There is a car for the race doctor, along with ambulances for the inevitable crashes.
  • Media cars, motorcycles and helicopters, with print, photographic and video reporters mix in with the peloton to give fans at home a close look at the race.
  • Preceding the race, there is a promotional caravan with cars advertising the race sponsors, often throwing free merchandise to the fans lining the course.

All of these vehicles hold the people that make the Tour happen. The total is around four thousand, making for an economic boon at each stop of the Tour. It also requires that each stage has the capacity to house this rolling carnival.

Fun Tour de France Facts

The rider with the most Tour starts is George Hincapie with seventeen. The rider with the most Tour finishes is Joop Joetemelk with sixteen.

Greg LeMond won the Tour on the last day by eight seconds in 1990. He came into the final stage with a fifty second deficit to Laurent Fignon. He used aerobars, an unprecedented (at the time) piece of equipment that allowed to be more aerodynamic. It helped carry LeMond to his slim victory. He was also the first non-European winner of the Tour.

The first Tour in 1903 was only five stages and only had fifteen riders. Early Tours required that riders support themselves – they had to get their own food and water and do their own repairs, no matter how mangled their bikes may have been.

The editor of L’Auto and founder of the Tour was Henri Desgrange.

There are a few different kinds of Tour stages:

  • Time trials: Each rider races against the clock individually. These can be decisive in the overall classification.
  • Team time trials: Each team races together against the clock.
  • Flat stages: These stages usually end in a group sprint.
  • Medium mountain stages: Usually rolling stages that lead to breakaways but do not have much impact on the overall classification.
  • High mountain stages: This is where the biggest battles of the Tour happen. The stages go over the biggest mountains in the tour, making big time gaps in the race and having a big impact on the overall classification.

The individual time trial was stage one of the 2015 Tour when Rohan Dennis won the stage at 55.446 kilometers per hour. The fastest stage ever was Team Orica/Greenedge in a team time trial on stage five in 2013 at 57.8 kilometers per hour. The fastest mass start stage was Mario Cippollini’s victory in 1999 on stage four at 50.4 kilometers per hour.

Watch This Year’s Tour

With a new understanding of the Tour de France, you can follow the action more closely. Each year, historic moments happen. See what you can spot in the 2016 edition.

How To Watch The Tour de France

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how to watch the tour de france

The Tour de France starts on Saturday, July 2nd in the Northern part of France in Normandy on the island of Mont Saint Michel with a 188 kilometer (117 mile) flat opening road stage. The first week starts with flat to medium mountain stages but ends with two mountain days before the race’s first rest day. Riders will traverse the eastern and central part of the country on their way south to the Pyrenees and into Spain for a day. The race heads into Andorra, a tiny country nestled between Spain and France in the heart of the Pyrenees. The race then travels across the south of France toward the Alps with a mix of flat days, medium mountain days, and mountain days along with the first individual time trial. The race then heads into Switzerland with the second rest day in Bern. The final week of racing stays in the same area of the country in the Alps with three mountain days and an individual time trial plus the last flat stage into Paris.

The tour is always an incredible spectacle to watch whether you’re lucky enough to be in France or watching from half a world away. There are a number of ways to catch highlights or to see every minute of the race. Knowing how to watch the Tour de France before it starts will help to make sure you don’t miss any of the action.

In Person Of Course

What better way is there to watch a sport? In person of course. If you ever get the chance to go and watch a race such as the Tour, do it. It will be amazing and something you remember the rest of your life. When you’re not in France however there are still a host of ways to watch.

How To Watch the Tour De France on TV

The oldest way to watch a sporting event without actually being there is via the television of course. Due to the length of time its been around, sports coverage on television tends to be the best way to take in a race because they know the ins and outs of what’s going on and often have exclusive interviews with key people in the race, both riders and team directors.

In the US – NBC Sports – In the US, NBC has exclusive rights to the race so you won’t find it on any other sports network. The channel is not the standard NBC channel but rather their NBCSN channel. They may have abbreviated coverage or highlights on their main channel which is much more readily available than the sports channel. If you have a subscription you can also watch the race again on-demand online if you miss it during the day.

In Canada – SportsNet1 – If you’re in Canada you can watch the Tour de France live on SportsNet1.

In Europe – EuroSport – If you’re in Europe, coverage is always provided by EuroSport which is much more standard than NBC Sports is in the US.

In the UK – EuroSport and ITV4 – In the UK you have two coverage options to watch on TV: EuroSport and ITV4.

Online – Paid

In addition to NBC’s television coverage, they also have a tour tracker app that allows you to watch via the internet. The pricing and details will come out just before the race starts but in 2015 in was $19.99 for the whole race. In addition to the desktop app they also have a mobile app.

Online – Free

As with any TV show or event, you can find pirated feeds of the race whether it’s the EuroSport broadcast, which is very popular, or the NBC Sports feed. With these however, the quality is often times much less than the above options and typically has a lot of pop-up ads not to mention the issue of legality. Three popular websites are: CyclingHub.tv, steephill.tv, and cyclingfans.com.

A Local Establishment

Because of the popularity of the race and the general camaraderie the sport brings, many places such as bike shops, fitness studios, bars, and restaurants, will show the race. At these place you won’t only be able to watch the race but also mingle with other like-minded fans.

A Friends Place

Like going to a local establishment, going to a friends place to watch the race is also a great option as watching a race with someone is always a lot more fun. A good option for this is to watch the prime-time replay in the evening as in North America the coverage is always during the morning.

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