Tour de France
Multi-stage cycling race
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Key Takeaways
- The Tour de France ( pronounced [tuʁ də fʁɑ̃s] ) is an annual men's multiple-stage road cycling race held primarily in France.
- The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto (which was an ancestor of L'Équipe ) and has been held annually since, except when it was not held from 1915 to 1918 and 1940 to 1946 due to the two World Wars.
- The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.
- While the route changes every year, the format of the race stays the same and includes time trials, passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and, from 1975 to 2023, a finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
- Each year, the race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits of France.
The Tour de France (pronounced [tuʁ də fʁɑ̃s]) is an annual men's multiple-stage road cycling race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.
The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto (which was an ancestor of L'Équipe) and has been held annually since, except when it was not held from 1915 to 1918 and 1940 to 1946 due to the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity, the race was lengthened and gained more international participation. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.
Traditionally, the bulk of the race is held in July. While the route changes every year, the format of the race stays the same and includes time trials, passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and, from 1975 to 2023, a finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23- or 24-day period and cover approximately 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) total. Each year, the race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits of France.
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