The Tour De France Is Up There With The Most Famous Sporting Events In The World, And It Is To Be Hoped That This Summer’s Tour Will Be As Exciting As Former Events

One of the toughest sporting events in the world is the Tour De France, the yearly cycling extravaganza which takes place over a three week period each summer, and during which the greatest road racers from around the world participate in approximately twenty different stages of racing and cover a distance of about 2,000 miles. The event is an incredible feat of endurance and has been likened to running several marathons during a similar three week time span.

The Tour has an interesting history and was first raced in 1903, having been organised by a newspaper editor as a means to put a competing publication out of business, by exclusively providing coverage of this amazing event. Over the history of the event, the style of the competition has evolved, with entrants comprising all-comers, regional and national teams and commercial teams of cyclists at varying times. It has also tried holding one stage away from France in nearby European countries (one of which was in the UK in 2007). But two things are always the same – most of the various stages take place on a fairly circuitous route around France, and generally alternate between a clockwise trip one year and a counter-clockwise one the following year. The end stage always finishes in Paris, in front of countless cheering and enthusiastic spectators, though the Tour doesn’t arrange the expensive ‘closing ceremony’ with fireworks and Laser eye light displays along the same lines as many other big sporting events.

There are ordinarily roughly twenty teams competing in the event, each with nine members. Team-mates are able to help each other, and every team has its own back-up crew of mechanics and managers who drive along behind the riders in cars so that they can solve any diificulties which arise along the route.

As anyone who has ever viewed the race will know, the cyclists are preceded on the course by a massive number of sponsored vehicles which plug their particular products and hand out free gifts and advertising brochures to the many spectators. It is confirmed that there are generally around 250 vehicles taking part in the parade every year and each business will have paid a large amount of cash in order to be able to promote their brand at such a prestigious event.

The very first organisation to pay for the privilege of being involved in the Tour was a chocolate maker – nowadays, it could be that almost any product would be acceptable – from cars to jewellery, tooth whitening to Laser eye surgery, computer games to coffee shops, and undoubtedly food and drink (the kinds that are healthy anyway). As the Tour De France is the most viewed annual sporting spectacle in the world via the French TV coverage, it’s unsurprising that companies are prepared to pay decent money to be involved.

In each of the individual stages of the race, every participant will have his finishing time logged, and as the Tour continues, the times for the stages are added up, giving an aggregate score for each rider. Timing technology is now so efficient that every rider is timed individually by a transponder affixed to their bicycle which records each time they cross one of the marker wires located on the course and possibly it is only a question of time before Laser eye beams are used rather than actual wires. The rider with the best aggregate score is the Tour leader and will then wear the well known yellow jersey during the next stage. Prizes are also earned for winning each stage, but the scoring system does mean that in reality a participant could end up as the overall winner without needing to win an individual stage, as has been the case on a number of occasions. Just being consistent during the three weeks can provide a far better overall time than the total time for a rider who may be fast on the flatter stages of the Tour, but find the mountainous climbs more of a challenge, for example.

The other leader’s jersey which most casual fans of the sport will have heard of is the King Of The Mountains. This is a white jersey with red dots which is worn by the rider who has gained the most points for reaching the top of designated mountains and hills in first place. As the route of the event could often pass through the Alps or the Pyrenees, it isn’t surprising that a specific category would exist to reward those cyclists who specialise in such steep and difficult climbs.

A further competition exists for those who finish at the front in the less hilly stages and again points are given based on the rider’s final position when passing over the finish line. The leader of this competition will then wear a green jersey during the following stage. By now it is quite apparent that the Tour De France does really include several different ways for participants to gain points, praise and possibly most importantly, money.

The 2011 race will begin on 2nd July and it will be the 98th time that the event has taken place (the missing years being during both World Wars) and it is anticipated that this year’s event will be every bit as exciting as those we remember from years past. It is also to be hoped that there isn’t any suspicion of the doping scandals which have plagued the sport of cycling in recent times. There are some legal methods of enhancing performance, for example the golfers who get Laser eye surgery to enhance the standard of their vision, but taking illegal drugs is wrong in every sport.