Tour de France Meaning, History, Format, Distance, Stages, Prize Money Purse, Winners List

Tour de France Meaning, History, Format, Distance, Stages, Prize Money Purse, Winners List

2022 Tour de France is scheduled to begin from 1st July 2022, we take a look at the history and all-time winners list of the prestigious competition along with the meaning and distance

The 109th edition of the Tour de France will take place in 2022. On July 1, it will begin in Copenhagen, Denmark, and conclude on July 24, with the final stage taking place on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The inaugural Tour de France Femmes, whose first stage will take place on the race’s final day, will come after it.

Tour de France Meaning, History, Format, Distance, Stages, Prize Money Purse And Winners List

Tour de France History, Organizers, And Other Details

The Tour de France is a yearly multi-stage bicycle race for men that takes place largely in France and sporadically in neighbouring nations. It has 21 stages, each lasting a day, spread across 23 days, same like the other Grand Tours.

The race is currently managed by the Amaury Sport Organisation and was first organised in 1903 to boost sales for the newspaper L’Auto. With the exception of the two World Wars, the event has been held every year since its inaugural edition in 1903. The race was lengthened as the Tour acquired notoriety and popularity, and its scope started to grow internationally.

With more cyclists from around the world joining the event each year, the field of competitors grew from a predominately French one. With the exception of the teams that the organisers invite, the Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams who compete in the race are primarily UCI WorldTeams.

Between 1984 and 2009, a similar race for women was held under various names. A one- or two-day event was staged between 2014 and 2021 in response to complaints from activists and the professional women’s peloton, and the Tour de France Femmes will hold its debut in 2022.

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Tour de France Format, Number of Participants, Track Length, And Difficulty

The majority of the race is typically held in July, with the COVID-19 epidemic delaying the race in 2020 to August 29, 2020, being the sole exception to this rule since the end of World War II. The race’s format, which includes the appearance of time trials, travel through the Pyrenees and Alps mountain ranges, and the conclusion on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, does not alter even while the route does. Modern Tour de France events encompass over 3,500 kilometers over a period of 23 days and 21 day-long parts. France’s clockwise and anticlockwise circuits are alternated during the race.

There are often 20 to 22 teams, each with eight riders. All of the stages are timed to the finish line, and the riders’ times are multiplied by the times of the preceding stages. The race leader and wearer of the yellow jersey is the cyclist with the lowest total finishing time.

There are other competitions held during the Tour besides the general classification, including the sprinters’ points competition, the climbers’ mountains competition, the young rider competition for riders under the age of 26, and the teams’ team competition, which is determined by the top three finishers from each team on each stage. A rider competing in sprints or a team’s sprint specialist will frequently win a stage to gain prestige.

Tour de France All-time Winners

With five victories each, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain have won the most Tours. The only other person to win five straight Tours is Indurain. The youngest winner was Henri Cornet, who took home the prize in 1904 just before turning 20. The oldest winner was Firmin Lambot, who was 36 years and 4 months old when he won in 1922.

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The most Tour victories have been earned by French cyclists, 21 of whom have taken home 36 victories. With 18 victories, Belgian cyclists are in second place, and Spanish cyclists are third with 12 triumphs. Slovenian Tadej Pogaar, who won the 2021 Tour, is the most recent victor.

Year Country Cyclist Sponsor/Team
1903  France Maurice Garin La Française
1904  France Henri Cornet Conte
1905  France Louis Trousselier Peugeot–Wolber
1906  France René Pottier Peugeot–Wolber
1907  France Lucien Petit-Breton Peugeot–Wolber
1908  France Lucien Petit-Breton Peugeot–Wolber
1909  Luxembourg François Faber Alcyon–Dunlop
1910  France Octave Lapize Alcyon–Dunlop
1911  France Gustave Garrigou Alcyon–Dunlop
1912  Belgium Odile Defraye Alcyon–Dunlop
1913  Belgium Philippe Thys Peugeot–Wolber
1914  Belgium Philippe Thys Peugeot–Wolber
1919  Belgium Firmin Lambot La Sportive
1920  Belgium Philippe Thys La Sportive
1921  Belgium Léon Scieur La Sportive
1922  Belgium Firmin Lambot Peugeot–Wolber
1923  France Henri Pélissier Automoto–Hutchinson
1924  Italy Ottavio Bottecchia Automoto
1925  Italy Ottavio Bottecchia Automoto–Hutchinson
1926  Belgium Lucien Buysse Automoto–Hutchinson
1927  Luxembourg Nicolas Frantz Alcyon–Dunlop
1928  Luxembourg Nicolas Frantz Alcyon–Dunlop
1929  Belgium Maurice De Waele Alcyon–Dunlop
1930  France André Leducq Alcyon–Dunlop
1931  France Antonin Magne France
1932  France André Leducq France
1933  France Georges Speicher France
1934  France Antonin Magne France
1935  Belgium Romain Maes Belgium
1936  Belgium Sylvère Maes Belgium
1937  France Roger Lapébie France
1938  Italy Gino Bartali* Italy
1939  Belgium Sylvère Maes* Belgium
1947  France Jean Robic France
1948  Italy Gino Bartali* Italy
1949  Italy Fausto Coppi* Italy
1950   Switzerland Ferdinand Kübler Switzerland
1951   Switzerland Hugo Koblet Switzerland
1952  Italy Fausto Coppi* Italy
1953  France Louison Bobet France
1954  France Louison Bobet France
1955  France Louison Bobet France
1956  France Roger Walkowiak France
1957  France Jacques Anquetil France
1958  Luxembourg Charly Gaul Luxembourg
1959  Spain Federico Bahamontes* Spain
1960  Italy Gastone Nencini Italy
1961  France Jacques Anquetil France
1962  France Jacques Anquetil Saint-Raphaël–Helyett–Hutchinson
1963  France Jacques Anquetil Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–R. Geminiani
1964  France Jacques Anquetil Saint-Raphaël–Gitane–Dunlop
1965  Italy Felice Gimondi Salvarani
1966  France Lucien Aimar Ford France–Hutchinson
1967  France Roger Pingeon Peugeot–BP–Michelin
1968  Netherlands Jan Janssen Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune
1969  Belgium Eddy Merckxdouble-dagger Faema
1970  Belgium Eddy Merckx* Faemino–Faema
1971  Belgium Eddy Merckxdagger Molteni
1972  Belgium Eddy Merckxdagger Molteni
1973  Spain Luis Ocaña Bic
1974  Belgium Eddy Merckx Molteni
1975  France Bernard Thévenet Peugeot–BP–Michelin
1976  Belgium Lucien Van Impe Gitane–Campagnolo
1977  France Bernard Thévenet Peugeot–Esso–Michelin
1978  France Bernard Hinault Renault–Gitane–Campagnolo
1979  France Bernard Hinaultdagger Renault–Gitane
1980  Netherlands Joop Zoetemelk TI–Raleigh–Creda
1981  France Bernard Hinault Renault–Elf–Gitane
1982  France Bernard Hinault Renault–Elf–Gitane
1983  France Laurent Fignon# Renault–Elf
1984  France Laurent Fignon Renault–Elf
1985  France Bernard Hinault La Vie Claire
1986  United States Greg LeMond La Vie Claire
1987  Ireland Stephen Roche Carrera Jeans–Vagabond
1988  Spain Pedro Delgado Reynolds
1989  United States Greg LeMond AD Renting–W-Cup–Bottecchia
1990  United States Greg LeMond Z–Tomasso
1991  Spain Miguel Indurain Banesto
1992  Spain Miguel Indurain Banesto
1993  Spain Miguel Indurain Banesto
1994  Spain Miguel Indurain Banesto
1995  Spain Miguel Indurain Banesto
1996  Denmark Bjarne Riis[b] Team Telekom
1997  Germany Jan Ullrich# Team Telekom
1998  Italy Marco Pantani Mercatone Uno–Bianchi
2006  Spain Óscar Pereiro[d] Caisse d’Epargne–Illes Balears
2007  Spain Alberto Contador# Discovery Channel
2008  Spain Carlos Sastre* Team CSC
2009  Spain Alberto Contador Astana
2010  Luxembourg Andy Schleck#[e] Team Saxo Bank
2011  Australia Cadel Evans BMC Racing Team
2012  Great Britain Bradley Wiggins Team Sky
2013  Great Britain Chris Froome Team Sky
2014  Italy Vincenzo Nibali Astana
2015  Great Britain Chris Froome* Team Sky
2016  Great Britain Chris Froome Team Sky
2017  Great Britain Chris Froome Team Sky
2018  Great Britain Geraint Thomas Team Sky
2019  Colombia Egan Bernal# Team Ineos
2020  Slovenia Tadej Pogačar§ UAE Team Emirates
2021  Slovenia Tadej Pogačar§ UAE Team Emirates

Tour de France Most Successful Players

Jacques Anquetil (FRA), Eddy Merckx (BEL), Bernard Hinault (FRA), and Miguel Indurain are the only four riders to have won five times (ESP). Indurain set the record with a run of five straight victories.

Wins Rider Editions
5  Jacques Anquetil (FRA) 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
 Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974
 Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985
 Miguel Indurain (ESP) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
4  Chris Froome (GBR) 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
3  Philippe Thys (BEL) 1913, 1914, 1920
 Louison Bobet (FRA) 1953, 1954, 1955
 Greg LeMond (USA) 1986, 1989, 1990

Tour de France Prize Money and Honorary Awards

Cash prizes have always been given out. Although the first reward was an apartment provided by a race sponsor from 1976 to 1987, prize money has increased year from the initial 20,000 francs. In 1988, the top award was an automobile, a studio apartment, a piece of art, and 500,000 Swiss francs. Only monetary prizes were awarded in 1990.

Both day finishes and overall finishes at the conclusion of the race result in prizes and bonuses. Each of the 21 stage winners in 2009 received €8,000, while the overall champion took home €450,000. The winners of the team classification receive €50 000, while the champions of the points classification and mountains classification each gain €25,000. The young rider competition and the combativity reward each receive €20,000.

Read More: Dewald Brevis Biography, Father Name, Age, Batting Stats, IPL 2022 RCB And Why He is Called “Baby ABD”.

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