Photo: Instagram/wimbledon
Overview - The Tour de France is the world's biggest annual sporting event, with 3.5B television viewers and over 12M spectators annually. It starts on July 1 and runs through July 23. It covers over 2,115 miles and features 22 teams of eight riders. There are 21 stages (i.e., mountain or flat) that make up the race. Out of the 23 days of the Tour, the riders only have two days of rest.
1. Until the 1960s, it was common for participants to drink alcohol to hydrate and numb the pain. Despite its 'healing power,' alcohol was later banned because it's a stimulant. BRAKE FOR BOOZE
2. It's not all about the benjamins. After enduring three weeks of grueling terrain through France after starting in Spain, the many winners of the stages and the race divide up $2.5M in prize money. (For comparison's sake, the Wimbledon men’s and women’s champions each take home $2.9M). The man to beat for the cash prize is defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and two-time champion Tadej Pogacar. CASHING IN
3. While you may fly solo while spinning away on your Peloton at home, in the Tour, a big group of riders is called the peloton, or French for "group." Other terms you might enjoy dropping into conversation include a musket bag, a shoulder bag containing food and water handed to riders at feeding stations. Then there's a SAG wagon. You and I might know it as an Uber, but it's a vehicle that follows cyclists and picks them up when they can no longer ride, whether from fatigue, injury, equipment failure, etc. OUI
4. There are two American teams in this year’s race (out of 22 teams). Their riders are vying for the yellow jersey. Why the different colored jerseys? The overall leader in the Tour wears a yellow jersey, the points leader wears a green jersey, and the red polka dot jersey goes to the best hill climber. SO FASHION-FORWARD
5. When Le Tour is over, the excitement doesn't stop. It’s the second year of the Tour de France Femmes, the new stage race for pro-women, which runs from Jul 23 - 30. the eight-stage race packs in 594 miles across central and southwestern France. LET’S GO, GIRLS
