Athletes participating in the 110th Cycling Tour started in Spain, will pedal for 3404 kilometers. 176 riders from 22 teams will compete in the Tour de France, considered the oldest and most prestigious of the tours since it has been organized since 1903.
The start of the tour was given for the 25th time from a country other than France. After 1992, Spain once again hosted the opening stage of the Tour de France.
Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 – 16 August 1940) was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.
The tour, which is planned to have a total length of 3404 kilometers, started from Bilbao, the largest city of the Basque autonomous region in Spain. The 2nd stage and part of the 3rd stage of the race will also be held in Spain. The climbing sections of the tour, which consist of 21 steps, 8 plains, 8 mountains, 4 peaks, and 1 individual time trial, will pass through the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura Mountains, Alps, and the Vosges Mountains. Stages 6, 9, 13, and 15 will be completed with a summit finish.
Vingegaard-Pogacar duel expected for the yellow jersey
Tadej Pogacar (UAE), the winner of the "yellow jersey" struggle given to the general classification leader in 1919 due to the color of the paper on which the newspaper L'Auto, founded in France, was printed in 1900, with the last champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma team) and the winner of 2021 and 2022. Emirates) is expected to pass between.
Vingegaard, who will be deprived of the support of Primoz Roglic, who decided not to participate in the Tour de France this year, showed that he is in shape by winning the Criterium du Dauphine, which is a rehearsal for the Basque Tour, O Gran Camino and the Tour de France.
Early years of the Tour
The competition of the Tour de France, which has hosted some of the biggest sporting competitions in the world from the past to the present, is rooted in its roots so much so that the ashes of the race are born from the conflict between the newspapers Le Velo and L'Auto.
Founded as a competitor to Le Velo, the best-selling daily sports newspaper of its time, L'Auto is looking for ways to deal with Le Velo. In this vein, the magazine's editor-in-chief, Henri Desgrange, and its financial manager, Victor Goddet, embraced the idea of organizing a bicycle race to tour France, put forward by sports journalist Geo Lefevre. The aim is to increase the readership through the race.
The duo achieves their goals, because thanks to the Tour de France, L'Auto retains the title of the best-selling sports daily in France until the Second World War. As a matter of fact, with the race, L'Auto gained such momentum that it continues its publication life with the name of the famous French sports newspaper L'Equipe today.
According to Henri Desgrange, the success of the race comes from its uncompromising strict rules. Although the first Tour ran 15 stages less than today, outside support was strictly prohibited and stages could be over 400 kilometers, which would be considered extraordinary today.
Tour's cruel boss
A visionary for some, a monster for others... There is a truth that Henri Desgrange is the man who made the Tour de France the toughest race in the world...
Desgrange led the Tour for 33 years with an iron club. His dream was to run a race so tough that he could only complete one pedal. To achieve this, he banned anything that could prevent a cyclist from suffering, including beverages, transponders, ditching, spare bikes, and mechanical support.
All these strict rules were part of Desgrange's character, who enlisted in the army in the First World War, yet not everyone had to agree with him. It was not in vain that Octave Lapize, winner of the 1910 Tour, yelled "You are a murderer" to Desgrange when he arrived exhausted on the Aubisque summit.
The story of the swimsuits
Yellow Jersey: This jersey, given to the race leader, has been added to the Tour for easy identification of the leader in the peloton. The swimsuit gets its color from the newspaper pages of L'Auto, the founder and sponsor of the race.
Green Jersey: Fausto Coppi was so overwhelming in 1952 that no one finished the race in hopes of winning. In 1953, the organizers decided to celebrate the race's 50th anniversary by launching the green jersey line-up inspired by lawnmower manufacturer sponsor La Belle Jardinière. Thus, a second goal was created to keep cyclists from quitting the race. The first winner of this jersey, which is given to the best sprinter today, was Swiss Fritz Schär.
Polka Dot Swimwear: Calendar leaves were in 1975 when Belgian cyclist Lucien Van Impe won the first polka dot swimsuit, the swimsuit awarded to the Tour's best climber. So why the red and white polka dots? The original sponsor of the swimsuit was Chocolat Poulain. The packaging of the chocolate maker consisted of red and white polka dots.
White Jersey: Although today it is given to the young cyclist sitting on the highest rung of the general classification, the white jersey included in the race in 1968 was initially awarded to the highest-ranked rider, taking into account all other categories. In 1975, the meaning of the white jersey was changed to represent the best young cyclist. and after two stage wins that year, Italian cyclist Francesco Moser took the prize home.