Le Tour de France

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The French Icon pages have been moved as part of the reorganisation of this website. Click to go to the new Icons of France index page.

If you are linked into this site, you will need to change your link to:
http://www.terrace.qld.edu.au/academic/lote/french/icoindex.htm

July is the month in which Le Tour de France takes place. This is one of the most famous cycle races in the world.

Click here to download the worksheet for this page.

The race was started in 1903, sponsored by the magazine "L'Auto" ( a rather unusual sponsorship since this is a cycle race!) Then, as now, the course ran through the whole of France; in recent years, the race has often included neighbouring countries too.

What makes this race so special is the fact that the riders have to be very skilled - they are expected to be able to sprint, ride cross country, have the stamina to race over enormous distances and be expert climbers since the course crosses some of the highest mountain passes in Europe.

http://www.letour.fr/2004/presentationfr/parcours.html

Route of 2004 Tour de France.

Each year a different course is designed, with the route of the "Tour" running clockwise or anti-clockwise around France (the direction alternates each year.) The route designers aim to cover the distance in about 21 to 25 "stages" which roughly average about 250 km each.

Rather like the Olympic Games, towns vie for the honour of having the tour pass through, since it brings sponsorship money and visitors. Towns and villages close for the day that the Tour passes through. People line the streets and the roads through the countryside to cheer on the riders. The day becomes a picnic day for the thousands who live near the route of the Tour.

The design of the route incorporates all types of terrain. The mountain rides are classified on a scale of 4 (least difficulty) to 1 (highest difficulty), and a special category of "hors catégorie" (beyond a category!) for the ascents which are so extreme that they are beyond the "1" classification.

These classifications are determined by the gradient of the slope, the length of the climb and the general difficulties presented by local conditions. The first three winners of a "4" climb are awarded 5, 3 and 1 points respectively. The "hors catégorie" ascents, though, award the first fifteen riders with points, the winner receiving 40.

The race is determined on points. Riders perform as individuals and as part of a team.

Each day, there are sprint sections and climbs as part of the route and the overall winners are awarded coloured jerseys as shown below.

Award	Winner	Origin of award
Yellow jersey - the "maillot jaune."	Overall points winner for the day.	This prize was sponsored by "L'Auto" magazine, whose pages were coloured yellow. Thus, this advertised the magazine.
Green jersey - the "maillot vert".	Winner of the sprints for the day.	This prize was introduced during the 1930's by a chain of gardening stores, who felt that green would advertise their products.
Polk dot jersey - "maillot aux pois rouges"	Awarded to the 'King of the Mountain".	A chocolate firm was a major sponsor of the race and decided to award a prize for the best mountain climber. One of its best known bars had a wrapping of white with red spots, so it was felt that this colour would give the sponsors maximum exposure.

The route is designed so that the final day is held in Paris, when the traditional sprint for the finishing line takes place in the Avenue des Champs Elysées.

For more information and to see the profiles of the mountain stages, go to the Official Tour de France site.

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