THE 2022 Tour de France gets under way today (Friday, 1 July) from Copenhagen, Denmark with 22 teams covering some 3 500 kilometres of Europe’s most spectacular landscape before finishing 21 days later in Paris,
France on Sunday, 24 July. Whether you’re an avid fan of this epic cycle race or are new to the scene, here are some interesting facts to propel you along the winding road.
1. Tour de France origins
One of the world’s biggest cycle races actually started as a marketing scheme to push sales of the newspaper, L’Auto back in 1903. The mastermind of this innovative scheme was the newspaper’s editor, Henri Desgrange.
2. Take it in stages
After Le Grande Depart – as the start is known – ‘Le Tour’ is competed in stages, with each stage lasting around six hours and the Stage Winner taking to the podium at the end of the day. There are 21 stages across 23 days which means only 2 rest days.
3. The first controversy
The Tour de France is no stranger to controversy… and this goes all the way back to the start (well, almost). The second year of the race, 1904, the winner was Henri Cornet who, at 19 years old, is still the youngest-ever winner. However, he wasn’t originally named as the winner, Maurice Garin was. Fortunately for Cornet, though, it was discovered that Garin and the three runners up were all disqualified after it was alleged they had some help from trains during the race.
4. Performance-enhancing drugs
One cannot mention the Tour de France without picturing Lance Armstrong, the fallen hero who, in 2012, had all his titles stripped after a thorough investigation found that he’d been involved in long-term doping. However, back in the day riders used to actually consume alcohol as a way to ease pain during the race – but this was banned in 1960 when it was finally considered a stimulant. Riders in the 1920s would also smoke cigarettes as a way to ‘open up the lungs’.
5. A European journey
Despite its name, the Tour de France doesn’t just take place in France, many of the stages take places in neighbouring countries including Belgium, Corsica, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Denmark (for the 2022 edition).
6. Competing against the clock
Some of the 21 stages of the Tour de France are known as time trials which is where the cyclists don’t necessarily start the race at the same time. Rather, there is a gap of a minute between each rider with the fastest person to complete the course the stage winner.
7. Jerseys, but not for warmth
Stage winners are awarded jerseys of different colours that indicate different stage section wins. The lead rider of the General Classification is awarded the yellow jersey. The Green Jersey goes to the winner of the points classification and is also known as the ‘sprints’ jersey. The polka dot jersey is the leader of the Mountain Classification or King of the Mountains for those who reach the summit of designated climbs.
8. The overall winner
The main winner of the Tour de France is the rider with the quickest time for all stages with the final stage ending with the winner parading into Paris, riding the yellow jersey. There is also a final sprint race to determine the winner of the green jersey.
