Tour de France

cycling
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Key People:
Lance Armstrong
Related Topics:
cycling
Notable Honorees:
Bradley Wiggins
Chris Froome
Alberto Contador
Greg LeMond
Related Facts And Data:
Champs-Élysées - Facts

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 España), the Tour de France attracts the world’s best riders. Staged for three weeks each July—usually in some 20 daylong stages—the Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of 9 riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles), mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to such countries as Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Although the race may start outside France—as was the case in 2007, when England hosted the opening stage for the first time—it always heads there quickly; the 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 among 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) of victory 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 jersey—yellow 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.) Three 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. The white jersey is awarded to the rider age 25 and under who has the lowest cumulative time. 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.”

The peloton, including Thomas Voeckler-Europcar, passing the Col de Val Lauron-Azet during the stage 9 of Le Tour de France on July 7,2013. (cycling, extreme sports)
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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 tactics such 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.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs—especially erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that increases the level of red blood cells and thus the flow of oxygen to muscles—has become a major problem of the Tour de France. Amid frequent drug testing, doping scandals have threatened to overshadow the race itself. In 1998 one of the leading teams (Festina) was expelled due to allegations of drug use, and the 2006 winner, American Floyd Landis, tested positive for testosterone and was stripped of his title after an arbitration panel in 2007 upheld the drug-test results. In 2007 several teams withdrew from the Tour after their riders failed drug tests. That year also saw Bjarne Riis of Denmark, the 1996 victor, dropped from the Tour’s list of winners after he admitted using EPO during his race; however, due to time limits for sanctions, his title could not be officially revoked. The most infamous Tour doping scandal came in 2012 when seven-time winner (1999–2005) Lance Armstrong of the United States was stripped of his titles after an investigation revealed that he had been the central figure in a doping conspiracy during the years in which he won his titles.

Four riders have won five Tours each: Jacques Anquetil of France (1957 and 1961–64), Eddy Merckx of Belgium (1969–72 and 1974), Bernard Hinault of France (1978–79, 1981–82, and 1985), and Miguel Indurain of Spain (1991–95).

A list of Tour de France winners is provided in the table.

Tour de France
year winner km
*Riis was no longer recognized as champion after his 2007 admission of illegal drug use.
**Armstrong was stripped of the title in 2012, having declined to continue contesting ongoing charges of illegal drug use.
***Became champion after the original winner tested positive for illegal drug use and was stripped of the title.
1903 Maurice Garin (France) 2,428
1904 Henri Cornet (France) 2,428
1905 Louis Trousselier (France) 2,994
1906 René Pottier (France) 4,637
1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (France) 4,488
1908 Lucien Petit-Breton (France) 4,487
1909 François Faber (Lux.) 4,497
1910 Octave Lapize (France) 4,734
1911 Gustave Garrigou (France) 5,344
1912 Odiel Defraeye (Belg.) 5,289
1913 Philippe Thys (Belg.) 5,287
1914 Philippe Thys (Belg.) 5,380
1915–18 not held
1919 Firmin Lambot (Belg.) 5,560
1920 Philippe Thys (Belg.) 5,503
1921 Léon Scieur (Belg.) 5,484
1922 Firmin Lambot (Belg.) 5,375
1923 Henri Pélissier (France) 5,386
1924 Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) 5,425
1925 Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) 5,440
1926 Lucien Buysse (Belg.) 5,745
1927 Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) 5,398
1928 Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) 5,476
1929 Maurice De Waele (Belg.) 5,286
1930 André Leducq (France) 4,822
1931 Antonin Magne (France) 5,091
1932 André Leducq (France) 4,479
1933 Georges Speicher (France) 4,395
1934 Antonin Magne (France) 4,470
1935 Romain Maes (Belg.) 4,338
1936 Sylvère Maes (Belg.) 4,442
1937 Roger Lapébie (France) 4,415
1938 Gino Bartali (Italy) 4,694
1939 Sylvère Maes (Belg.) 4,224
1940–46 not held
1947 Jean Robic (France) 4,640
1948 Gino Bartali (Italy) 4,922
1949 Fausto Coppi (Italy) 4,808
1950 Ferdinand Kubler (Switz.) 4,775
1951 Hugo Koblet (Switz.) 4,690
1952 Fausto Coppi (Italy) 4,898
1953 Louison Bobet (France) 4,479
1954 Louison Bobet (France) 4,656
1955 Louison Bobet (France) 4,495
1956 Roger Walkowiak (France) 4,496
1957 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,669
1958 Charly Gaul (Lux.) 4,319
1959 Federico Bahamontes (Spain) 4,355
1960 Gastone Nencini (Italy) 4,173
1961 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,397
1962 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,274
1963 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,137
1964 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,504
1965 Felice Gimondi (Italy) 4,188
1966 Lucien Aimar (France) 4,329
1967 Roger Pingeon (France) 4,780
1968 Jan Janssen (Neth.) 4,492
1969 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 4,117
1970 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 4,254
1971 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 3,608
1972 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 3,846
1973 Luis Ocaña (Spain) 4,090
1974 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 4,098
1975 Bernard Thévenet (France) 4,000
1976 Lucien Van Impe (Belg.) 4,017
1977 Bernard Thévenet (France) 4,098
1978 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,908
1979 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,765
1980 Joop Zoetemelk (Neth.) 3,842
1981 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,765
1982 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,507
1983 Laurent Fignon (France) 3,809
1984 Laurent Fignon (France) 4,021
1985 Bernard Hinault (France) 4,100
1986 Greg LeMond (U.S.) 4,091
1987 Stephen Roche (Ire.) 4,231
1988 Pedro Delgado (Spain) 3,286
1989 Greg LeMond (U.S.) 3,285
1990 Greg LeMond (U.S.) 3,504
1991 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,914
1992 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,983
1993 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,714
1994 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,978
1995 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,635
1996 Bjarne Riis (Den.)* 3,765
1997 Jan Ullrich (Ger.) 3,950
1998 Marco Pantani (Italy) 3,875
1999 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,870
2000 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,663
2001 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,454
2002 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,272
2003 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,428
2004 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,390
2005 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,593
2006 Óscar Pereiro (Spain)*** 3,657
2007 Alberto Contador (Spain) 3,570
2008 Carlos Sastre (Spain) 3,554
2009 Alberto Contador (Spain) 3,460
2010 Andy Schleck (Lux.)*** 3,642
2011 Cadel Evans (Austl.) 3,630
2012 Bradley Wiggins (U.K.) 3,497
2013 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,404
2014 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) 3,664
2015 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,354
2016 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,529
2017 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,540
2018 Geraint Thomas (U.K.) 3,349
2019 Egan Bernal (Colom.) 3,366
2020 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,482
2021 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,383
2022 Jonas Vingegaard (Den.) 3,328
2023 Jonas Vingegaard (Den.) 3,406
2024 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,498
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.