The Tour de France: The World's Biggest Sporting Event

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

A Fresh Start

It’s a new day, a new week and a fresh start to create a connection with someone new by knowing just a little about sports.

Seize the day,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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PGA (Professional Golfers Association)

That’s Italiano. Everyone has their recipe for success and for The Open (aka the British Open) champion Francesco Molinari it involves pasta (seriously). Yesterday, he became the first Italian player to ever win a major. (There are four major tournaments during the golf season). On the flip side, golfer Eddie Pepperell said he owes his success to battling through a hangover. WE’LL TAKE THE PASTA

Overtime

Apparently, Clevelanders are having too much fun at Department of Motor Vehicles because the DMV had to take matters into their own hands to get people to stop smiling in their driver’s license photos. To turn that smile into a frown, they taped a photo of LeBron James to their camera. James left their Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA – National Basketball Association) for the Los Angeles Lakers. SMILING IS MY FAVORITE

Sideline stat

The grueling schedule of the Tour de France takes a little break today. The second and final day of rest in the 23-day competition is today. The riders will get back in the saddle tomorrow and race through the 29th of this month. FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LE TOUR

Coaches’ corner

The fresh face of American soccer, Christian Pulisic, proved that he’s wise beyond his years. A young fan rushed the field during Pulisic’s postgame interview, but instead of allowing security to haul him off, the 19-year-old star took the time to take a selfie and sign an autograph for the fan, making his day. SAY CHEESE

What to watch

Basketball hall of famer Shaq kicked off Shark Week last night, facing his fears of swimming with sharks. Tonight, Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers (NFL – National Football League), New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski (NFL) and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn will all try to avoid becoming shark bait. Imagine being the person who had to draw up those insurance policies... BITE ME