TOUR DE FRANCE

the world's most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race; of the three foremost races (the others being the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espaa), the Tour de France attracts the world's best riders. Staged for three weeks each Julyusually in some 20 day-long stagesthe Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of 9 riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles) of flat and mountainous country, mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain. The race may start outside France, but it always heads there quicklythe Tour is France's premier annual sporting event and has deep cultural roots. It is watched by huge crowds from the roadside and is televised around the world as one of the supreme tests of athletic endurance. Part of the difficulty cyclists face in the Tour is that it is divided amongst time-trial racing and racing stages covering both flat land and great stretches of mountainous inclines. It is a rare cyclist who can perform well at both time trials and climbing, and those who can usually wear the yellow jersey (Maillot Jaune) at the end of the race in Paris. Established in 1903 by Henri Desgrange (1865-1940), a French cyclist and journalist, the race has been run every year except during the world wars. Desgrange's newspaper, L'Auto (now L'Equipe), sponsored the Tour to boost circulation. Two events sparked spectator interest in the race: in 1910 the riders were sent, for the first time, over the treacherous circle of death in mountain passes in the Pyrenees; and 1919 marked the introduction of the yellow jerseyyellow being the colour of paper on which L'Auto was printed. The yellow jersey is an honour accorded to the cyclist who has the lowest cumulative time for the race at the end of each day. (A racer might well win a stage of a race on any given day but will not necessarily be given a yellow jersey, as that depends on the lowest overall time.) Two other types of jerseys are awarded during the Tour. Bonus sprints, awarding both points and a deduction of overall elapsed time, are held at several sites along the route each day during the race, and points are also awarded and time deducted for the first three finishers of each stage; the winner of the most points receives a green jersey. A polka-dotted jersey is given to the king of the mountains, the rider who has the most points in the climbing stages, racing over small hills as well as steep mountains. Riders usually have three types of bicycles: one for time trials, one for flat road stages, and a very light bicycle for the mountain-climbing stages of the race. All bicycles must meet the standards of the International Cycling Union (Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI). They may be specially engineered for speed for the time trials, but those used for the road stages of the race must be standard design. Early teams were sponsored mainly by bicycle manufacturers until 1930, when national and regional teams were introduced. In 1962 trade teams returned, and, except in 1967 and 1968, years that again featured national teams, trade teams have continued, with sponsors now including banks, insurance companies, and manufacturers of household goods. The team aspect of the Tour is important because, although only one rider is awarded the win, lead riders are dependent on their team members in order to succeed. Teammates help their leader with such tactics as letting him ride (draft) behind them to protect him from the wind, giving him one of their wheels when his bicycle has a flat, setting a strong pace for him in the mountains, and chasing down and blocking any major rivals who have accelerated away from the main group in an attempt to gain time. Thus, the Tour, and bicycle racing in general, is often referred to as an individual sport practiced by teams. The rewards for a selfless teammate include a share of prizes won by his leader as well as a continuation of the teammate's job into the next annual racing season. Four riders have won five times each: Jacques Anquetil of France (1957 and 196164), Eddy Merckx of Belgium (196972 and 1974), Bernard Hinault of France (197879, 198182, and 1985), and Miguel Indurain of Spain (199195), the first competitor to win five consecutive races. In 1998 the Tour's popularity was shaken by a drug scandal that included the expulsion of the Festina team, frequent police raids on riders' hotels in search of evidence, and protests by the riders in which all of the racers deliberately rode slowly or stopped during certain stages. But the event had recovered by the time Lance Armstrong won his second victory at the Tour in 2000. The Tour de France is still regarded as the supreme achievement in the sport of cycling and one of the premier athletic events in the world.