Tour de France – The World’s Most Important Cycling Event 1

The Tour de France is the most important bike race in the world. The three-week long race, which was
first organized in 1903, is traditionally held in July. Although the route of the race changes slightly every
year, it always contains a mixture of flat stages at the beginning and the difficult stages across the Alps
and the Pyrenees. There are time trials and a finishing stage in Paris. In the past, some stages of the Tour
de France have been held in neighbouring countries, like Germany, Belgium or the Netherlands.

Each of the teams that enter the Tour de France has 9 riders. Most teams have leaders, usually their
best cyclists. The other members of the team support him. They help him come back to the front if he
falls behind or they block off attacks by other teams. The main goal for every team is to have one of their
athletes in the yellow jersey, which always goes to the cyclist who leads in the overall competition. The
times of each of the stages are added up.

There are other classifications that are also important. The best mountain rider wears a polka-dot jersey
and the green jersey goes to the rider who is best at the in-between sprints of each leg. The best young
rider wears a white jersey. There is a mass start for most of the stages, but at least two time trials are
held, in which each cyclist starts separately and rides against the clock.

The tour has a few special highlights. One of them is the 15 km climb of the Alpe d’Huez, which is
included every year. Thousands of spectators roam the small road and hardly leave riders any room to
pass. Another highlight is the arrival on the Champs-Elyse in Paris.

Not all cyclists of the Tour de France make it to the finish line. Many drop out because of injuries or
because their bodies cannot cope with the physical strain of a three-week tour.

Doping has been a much-discussed topic throughout the history of the Tour de France. It has brought
the tour a bad reputation. The World Anti-Doping Agency is very alert during the tour to stop athletes
who violate rules and use banned substances. Lance Armstrong, winner of 7 Tour de France races, was
stripped of all his titles when he admitted having taken illegal substances throughout his career