Tour de France information
The early days of the Tour de France. On the 1st July 1903, 60 cyclists set off from Paris. After more than 2400 kilometres of cycling, at an average speed of 25.7 kmh, they returned to Paris on the 19th July, in a competition won by Maurice Garin of France. The Tour de France had been born.
Apart from the war years of 1915-1918 and 1940-1946 the Tour de France has taken place every year since. By 2000, the number of participants had increased to 200, the distance covered to 3,660 kilometres, and the average speed to 39.6 kmh. But that is not to detract from those early racers, when both roads and equipment were much inferior to those found today.
The Tour de France is now watched all around the world, with an audience that includes many non-cyclists, and is perhaps the greatest 'mainstream' endurance event there is.
During the race there are four 'shirts' awarded to the leaders. The 'maillot jaune' goes to the overall leader at that point in the race; the 'maillot vert' to the winner of that days stage; the 'maillot a pois' (they look more like cherries than peas...) to the best climber; and the 'maillot blanc' to the best youth competitor.
The overall winner of the Tour de France is the competitor who takes the lowest overall time. So it is possible to win the competition without ever actually winning a stage in the race. Some entrants are faster on the flatter parts of the course, some are better in the mountains, but it is performing well and consistently in all stages that is ultimately important.
It is important to realise also that many of the entrants have no chance of winning, because the cyclists each form part of a team, and many of the team members are there to support the 'team leader'. So in recent years, for example, while Lance Armstrong was the team leader for Discovery Channel, other members of the same team were responsible for cycling in front of him (to reduce wind resistance on him), or going to the supply cars to get water and food for him. So the team leaders are chosen before the Tour de France starts, and they are much more likely to win than other members of the same team.
There is perhaps as much tactical planning and psychology involved as physical fitness, which adds to the excitement. Almost like a game of chess sometimes, the mental battles between the competitors, along with the tactical decisions - when to push ahead, when to hang back etc are vitally important.
An example of a tactical decision - riders in the peloton (the main pack of cyclists) are very protected from wind, and this can save up to 50% of the energy required to cycle. So making a break to move ahead of the group means using far more energy. As a result the main pack usually catches up with these break away groups, that have over-tired themselves.
The cyclists are in constant radio communication with their support vehicles to help them with these decisions. Indeed, far from being a chance to enjoy the French countryside, competitors in the Tour de France have crowds of enthusiasts along much of the route, their support vehicles talking in their headsets, television motorbikes around them and television helicopters overhead. Not to mention the other competitors...so it is far from being a peaceful race.
Above all it is the mountain stages stages in the Tour de France that are most popular with viewers. To see the superhuman effort required of the cyclists, day after day, to ride up some of the most gruelling roads in Europe is somehow completely gripping. The last few minutes of each days race are usually equally exciting, as riders make last minute sprints to try and take the lead for that stage.
So I recommend you take a look at the Tour de France - even better come to France and watch a couple of stages as part of your holiday - and see why so many of us all around the world think it is the highlight of the years sporting calendar.
Drugs in the Tour de France
Unfortunately no discussion of the Tour de France in recent years is possible without mention of the drugs problem that has blighted the race. Possibly there has not been a 'clean' race or winner for almost two decades, or perhaps Lance Armstrong was a superhuman exception, perhaps we'll never know.
But the fact remains that great numbers of the cyclists have achieved their results only with the help of drugs (often EPO), and it is hard to know who is actually racing 'clean'. This is having serious consequences for the contest, and the organisers are now making some more serious efforts to improve matters. Because of the high stakes involved and the large amounts of money involved, the problem is proving difficult to deal with, despite very widespread blood testing of the riders involved.
A fascinating recent book about drug use in the Tour de France is Bad Blood by journalist Jeremy Whittle:
