Tour de France™
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00:00The Tour de France is an annual multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France with
00:04occasional passes through nearby countries.
00:08Held over three weeks spanning July, it's a grueling test of human endurance covering
00:11around 3,500 km, stretched over 21 stages over multiple styles of terrain.
00:20That's roughly the distance from London to Tel Aviv, New York to Las Vegas, Kathmandu
00:25to Shanghai, or Melbourne to Perth.
00:29The race's history dates back to 1903 when Gilles Lefebvre, a 26-year-old cycling journalist
00:34for the daily sports newspaper L'Auto, suggested the idea of a bicycle race to his editor Henri
00:40Desgranges in order to promote the newspaper.
00:43Henri liked the idea and the inaugural race was held over 19 days from July 1 to 19.
00:49The race attracted 60 competitors who each shared in the prize money of 20,000 francs,
00:546,075 of which went to the inaugural Tour winner Maurice Garin.
00:59Garin arrived in Paris nearly three hours ahead of runner-up Lucien Pottier and almost
01:0365 hours ahead of the 21st and last to finish competitor.
01:07With only 21 out of 60 riders finishing the inaugural race, the grueling nature of the
01:12Tour was established early.
01:14In some ways, the race was more grueling than the modern-day version.
01:19Competitors peddled the dirt roads of France through the day and night on fixed-gear bikes
01:22evading human blockades, route-jamming cars and nails placed on the road by fans of other
01:28riders.
01:29The first Tours were open to whoever wanted to compete.
01:32Most riders were in teams organized according to bicycle brand names who looked after them.
01:37The private entrances were called Touristes Routiers, Tourists on the Road, and were allowed
01:41to take part provided they make no demands to the organizers.
01:45Some of the Tour's most colorful characters have been Touristes Routiers.
01:48There was no place for individuals in the post-1930s Tours and the original Touristes
01:53Routiers mostly disappeared although some were absorbed into regional cycling teams
01:57created by Henri Desgrange.
02:00Night riding was also dropped after the second Tour in 1904 when there had been persistent
02:05cheating when judges couldn't see riders.
02:08That reduced the daily and overall distance but the emphasis remained on endurance.
02:12Desgrange said his ideal race would be so hard that only one rider could make it to
02:17Paris.
02:18The demanding nature of the race caught the public's imagination and the race has been
02:22held annually since its first edition in 1903 except for when it was stopped for the two
02:26world wars.
02:28As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began
02:31to extend around the globe as riders from all over the world began to participate in
02:36the race each year.
02:37Today the Tour is a UCI World Tour event which means that the teams that compete in the race
02:42are mostly UCI World teams with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.
02:47The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day long segments or stages
02:51held over a 23 day period.
02:55While the route of the modern Tour de France changes each year, the format of the race
02:59stays the same with the eventual winner being the cyclist with the lowest cumulative time
03:04across three different types of stage categories.
03:07These include flat stages, usually high speed sections across the French countryside, time
03:13trials where the cyclist competes individually against the clock using an aerodynamic bike
03:17and gear, and mountain stages which mostly take place in the Pyrenees and the Alps and
03:24make up the hardest part of the Tour.
03:26All of the stages are timed to the finish with the riders finishing times compounded
03:31with their previous stage times.
03:33The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race and gets to wear the
03:36competed yellow jersey.
03:39Although the holder of the yellow jersey can change throughout the race depending on who
03:42is leading at the end of each stage, the ultimate winner is the rider who is awarded the yellow
03:47jersey at the conclusion of the final stage of the race which has ended every year since
03:521975 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
03:55This year, there will be an exception to the race's traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées.
03:58Due to Paris hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics, the final stage of the Tour de France will
04:04conclude in Nice.
04:07Why a yellow jersey?
04:08First awarded in 1919, its distinctive colour was inspired by the original L'Auto newspaper
04:13which was published on a yellow newsprint and so was a way to promote the paper in the
04:17early days of the race's history.
04:19But the yellow jersey, also known as maillot jaune, is not the only jersey in the race.
04:24Although it garners the most attention as it is awarded to the winner of the overall
04:27classification, there are other classifications or contests within the Tour most with their
04:31own distinctive jerseys.
04:33The green jersey, or maillot vert, represents the race's best sprinter.
04:38The polka dot jersey designates the race's finest climber.
04:41The white jersey designates the highest-ranked rider in the overall competition aged 25 or
04:47younger.
04:48Aside from the jerseys, distinctive, coloured bibs are also awarded to certain riders during
04:52the competition.
04:53For example, the dossard noir et or is awarded to the most aggressive rider of the stage
04:58and is worn by the rider on the following day of competition, while the dossard jaune,
05:03the yellow bib, is worn by the team leading the team classification.
05:07Aside from these distinctive prizes, riders of each of the 22 eight-man teams are required
05:12to wear the same coloured jersey.
05:14Each team's jersey features logos of sponsors who finance the teams that pay the riders'
05:20salaries.
05:21A few riders wear special jerseys.
05:24For instance, the reigning world champion wears a special rainbow jersey.
05:29National current road champions wear team jerseys featuring their country's colours.
05:34Together, all these riders, with their different coloured jerseys, form a kaleidoscope of moving
05:38colour on wheels called the peloton, and it is the image of the peloton moving through
05:43the picturesque French countryside and mountainous regions that make the Tour de France one of
05:47the most beautiful sporting shows in the world.
05:51But the peloton isn't just there for good looks and serves a very important purpose
05:55of conserving a rider's energy.
05:58This is because the peloton reduces drag by shifting shape to exploit tailwinds, fight
06:03headwinds and cope with crosswinds, a strategy known as drafting.
06:10Riding in the middle or at the back of a well-developed peloton, a cyclist can save
06:14up to 40% in energy expenditure, whilst those exposed at the front, which requires the most
06:20effort and energy consumption, have little chance of winning the stage at the end.
06:25They do so for the sake of their team in order to set the pace of the peloton in accordance
06:30with what best suits their team's overall race strategy.
06:33But one cannot win the Tour de France or get to wear one of the coveted coloured jerseys
06:38by simply riding along in the peloton and being a passenger.
06:42Some point riders must break away from the pack if they hope to improve their overall
06:46standings in the race.
06:49When a group breaks away, the drafting strategy changes resulting to different types of placed
06:53lines such as the double-paced line, where the lead rider pulls over to the side away
06:58from the wind and the following rider takes a short relay facing the wind before subsequently
07:03pulling aside.
07:04This has the effect of creating a continuously rotating paced line.
07:08When the paced line encounters a crosswind, an echelon will usually form, adjusting the
07:12double-placed line at an angle so that the riders will naturally find cover.
07:17This is where team strategy can come into play.
07:20For example, if the breakaway consists of riders largely from the same team, all riders
07:24who are no threat to each other in the classification, then they can work together effectively to
07:28distance themselves from the peloton and rival competitors.
07:32If, however, the breakaway consists of a rider from a rival team or a threat in the
07:36overall standings, then riders will offer no assistance and make him work hard to stay
07:41within the group, sacrificing a lot of his energy.
07:47In fact, whilst the Tour de France is an individual event in the sense that every man pushes his
07:51own pedals to get around the course, a rider's individual triumph, at least to some degree,
07:56is the result of selfless teammates.
07:59It's rare for a cyclist to win a stage without acknowledging teammates who've put him in
08:03the position to ride to a triumph.
08:05Team members who are not in the frame for major awards, known as domestiques, do the
08:09donkey work that enables their leader to thrive, or sometimes simply to survive.
08:14This may mean fetching and carrying water and supplies from the team car, or providing
08:18a small slipstream by spending a lot of time at the front of the peloton.
08:22Or it could even mean slowing right down to enable a colleague to catch up and pace him
08:27back into contention.
08:28A contender, stripped of all his teammates in a breakaway or a mountain climb, is very
08:33vulnerable and can result in what is known as cracking.
08:36Cracking, or hitting the wall, is what happens when a rider becomes completely exhausted
08:42and simply has no strength to carry on.
08:44When a rider cracks, they can dramatically fall away from the field, losing valuable
08:48time and, in some cases, drop completely out of the race altogether.
08:55Many Tour de France leaders have dramatically lost the Tour as a result of cracking mainly
08:59on the mountain stages.
09:00In fact, often the most exciting moments in the race is when two riders competing for
09:05the overall lead in the Tour will battle each other up the mountain stages, mentally and
09:10physically testing each other's resolve and trying to force the other to crack.
09:15If a rider does crack or retires from the race, for whatever reason, luckily for him,
09:20there is the brewmagen.
09:21The brewmagen is the name of the vehicle that follows at the tail of the race, picking up
09:26stragglers or sweeping them up, who are unable to make it to the finish of the race within
09:32the time permitted.
09:33It goes without saying that you have to be a supreme athlete to overcome the physical
09:37and mental challenges of the race, but you also need to have a good team, a bit of luck
09:41and nerves of steel as there are many hazards and obstacles that can play a significant
09:46part in determining the outcome of the race.
09:49For example, battling with the other riders in the race can often result in massive pile-ups.
09:56There are many perilous descents on mountain stages where riders can reach speeds well
10:01in excess of 100kmh, where the slightest slip-up or mistake can result in a dangerous fall.
10:08Then there's the weather.
10:09Rain, hail and even snow in the mountains can mean for a bad day resulting in falls
10:13or even catching a common cold, which can kill your chances of finishing the race.
10:18While on the flats, blistering heat and sun can result in chronic dehydration and fatigue.
10:26But the riders do not battle the Tour alone and there are just as many vehicles that form
10:30a long procession of team staff, race organisers and media, all working hard to support the
10:36riders and bring the race and the beautiful pictures of the Tour live to a global audience.
10:42Passed by 100 channels in 190 countries with approximately 6,300 broadcasting hours as
10:48well as millions of fans following on social networks.
10:53Then of course there are the 10 million fans and spectators cheering the riders and made
10:57up of men and women and children who line the roads of the Tour de France for an average
11:01of just over 6 hours, all eager to see their heroes up close as one of the greatest sporting
11:06spectacles in the world passes them by.
11:09But before it does, they are entertained by the spectacle of the long publicity caravan
11:13that has become a big part of the Tour de France experience.
11:16Passing by one hour before the race, it includes approximately 160 vehicles, 600 people and
11:23distributes nearly 15 million items to fans.
11:28So you can see there's a lot to the Tour de France but all of it makes for one of the
11:32most amazing and memorable sporting events and spectacles on the face of the planet.