Tour de France
Multi-stage cycling race / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Tour de France (French pronunciation: [tuʁ də fʁɑ̃s]) is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race held primarily in France.[1] It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.
2024 Tour de France | |
Race details | |
---|---|
Date | July |
Region | France and other European countries |
Local name(s) | Tour de France (in French) |
Discipline | Road |
Competition | UCI World Tour |
Type | Stage race (Grand Tour) |
Organiser | Amaury Sport Organisation |
Race director | Christian Prudhomme |
Web site | www |
History | |
First edition | 1 July 1903; 121 years ago (1903-07-01) |
First winner | Maurice Garin (FRA) |
Most wins | Jacques Anquetil (FRA) Eddy Merckx (BEL) Bernard Hinault (FRA) Miguel Induráin (ESP)
|
Most recent | Tadej Pogačar (SVN) |
The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto,[2] and has been held annually since, except when stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity, the race was lengthened and gained more international participation. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.[3][4]
Traditionally, the bulk of the race is held in July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same, and includes time trials,[1] passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and (except in 2024) a finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.[5][6] The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23 or 24 day period and cover approximately 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) total.[7] The race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits.[8]
Twenty to twenty-two teams of eight riders usually compete. All of the stages are timed to the finish and the riders' times are compounded with their previous stage times.[1] The rider with the lowest cumulative time is the leader of the race and wears the yellow jersey.[1][9] While the general classification attracts the most attention, there are other contests held within the Tour: the points classification for the sprinters (green jersey), the mountains classification for the climbers (polka dot jersey), young rider classification for riders under the age of 26 (white jersey), and the team classification, based on the first three finishers from each team on each stage.[1] Achieving a stage win also provides prestige, often accomplished by a team's sprint specialist or a rider taking part in a breakaway.
A similar race for women was held under various names between 1984 and 2009. Following criticism by campaigners and the professional women's peloton, a one/two day race (La Course by Le Tour de France) was held between 2014 and 2021. The first Tour de France Femmes was held in 2022.[10]