CORRECTION: A previous variation of this story misstated the variety of contending groups in the Trip de France. The proper number is 22.
The 110th edition of the Trip de France, the most tough and best-known bike race on the planet, begins July 1 in Bilbao, Spain, and ends 2,115 intense and unpleasant miles in the future the Opportunity des Champs-Ãlysées in Paris on July 23.
In France, the trip is more than a three-week race– it’s a cultural phenomenon 10 million to 12 million racing fans will line the roadways of the course to cheer on 176 riders amongst 22 groups.
All over the world, millions will see on broadcast television or streaming services. 41.5 million saw the 2022 race on the French civil service broadcaster France Télévisions alone.
And while almost 200 riders complete, just one will win.
The race: More than 2,100 miles in 21 days
The Trip de France is really a collection of 21 single-day races, called phases, over 23 days. (2 day of rest are integrated in.) The phases vary from:
- Flat (8 phases): While the path is not constantly flat, racers normally ride together in a big group called a peloton Flat phases end with riders breaking away on their own or a big group running together.
- Hilly (4 phases): Thought about more difficult than a flat phase however less challenging than a mountain phase.
- Mountain (8 phases): Very first presented in 1910, mountain phases are the most tough. This year, riders will climb up the 6,939-foot Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees.
- Time trial (1 phase): Private riders race versus the clock. The 2023 time trial is 13.7 miles. The other phases balance to 105 miles, and the longest phase is 130 miles.
Trip path is various every year
The Trip de France has actually been held every year– other than for war years– considering that 1903. While the format remains the exact same, the path modifications every year, rotating in between a clockwise and counterclockwise circuit of France.
It’s developed by 2 guys, Christian Prudhomme, a previous television reporter who is basic director of the trip, and Thierry Gouvenou, a previous professional racer who is the trip’s race director. Prudhomme chooses the basic path and Gouvenou draws up information, connecting towns and cities together.
The trip was restricted to France in the early years however has actually broadened beyond French borders. The Grand Départ, the start of the race, was held outside France for the very first time in 1954, in the Netherlands.
Other countries have actually hosted the Grand Départ, consisting of the U.K. in 2007 and 2014.
Because 1975, the last has ended in Paris In 2024, nevertheless, the race will surface in Good
Do ladies complete in the Trip de France?
![Anna Van Der Breggen of the Netherlands and the Rabo Liv Woman Cycling Team celebrates as she crosses the finish line in Paris to win the La Course By Le Tour De France 2015 Women's Race on July 26, 2015.](https://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/02/USAT/cdca6d7e-827a-4849-b7e1-548fb555aec2-women.jpg?width=980&height=629&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Ladies have actually completed, however not straight with guys and not over the exact same ranges. Ladies have raced on smaller sized editions of the trip for many years, as soon as in 1955 and once again from 1984 to 1989. That series was canceled over monetary issues.
Other comparable occasions such as la Grande Boucle Féminin were held, however these did not last.
The ladies’s trip was restored in 2022 with 144 ladies contending in the Trip de France Femmes avec Zwift, a smaller sized variation of the guys’s occasion with 640 miles over 8 days.
Femmes avec Zwift returns this year, with ladies riders racing 8 days over a 594-mile course.
Which riders are preferred to win this year?
The leading 3 competitors according to Biking News are:
How does a rider win the Trip de France?
![Last year's Tour de France winner, Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, celebrates after the 21st stage.](https://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/02/USAT/3dc22b4a-e7d6-4f4e-99d7-09134b8e433b-winner.jpg?width=980&height=584&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The total winner is the rider with least expensive accumulated time over the 21 phases of the race. It’s possible to win the trip without winning a single phase– American rider Greg LeMond won in 1990 without a phase win. Roger Walkowiak of France won in 1956 without winning a phase.
Total leaders use an unique yellow jersey as long as they remain in the lead. The jersey can be used by a variety of riders throughout the race. Its usage was presented in 1919.
There are likewise secondary honors, such as the award provided to the rider who ratings the most points, made by ending up amongst the leading 15 in a particular phase.
There’s likewise the King of the Mountains award for the rider who gets the most points in classified mountain climbs up.
Domestiques are the trip’s unrecognized heroes
Winning riders do not win on their own. They get essential assistance from colleagues, called “domestiques,” the French word for servants, who support the lead rider and the group in general.
Domestiques help by:
- Bringing food and water to colleagues.
- Assisting leaders with blowouts and mechanical breakdowns, consisting of providing leading riders their own wheels or perhaps bikes to continue the race.
- Riding in front of leading riders to offer a windbreak.
- If a leading rider falls back, domestiques will lead him back to the pack.
The windbreak method is called preparing, in which domestiques cut the wind ahead of the leading rider. Biking sources state the leading rider saves 15% to 40% of his energy in preparing.
Riding in front of the pack is stressful. Domestiques typically compromise locations in front of the leading rider.
How physically requiring is it?
The race is thought about among the most challenging athletic occasions on the planet. Individuals are:
Riders can be hurt in crashes or crashes. Damaged bones, concussions and dislocated shoulders prevail.
![British sprinter Mark Cavendish grimaces after crashing in the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France.](https://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/02/USAT/f7945225-a254-4373-9184-d121e093ba31-crash.jpg?width=980&height=654&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
What do the jersey colors symbolize?
Trip riders use the distinct uniforms of their groups, however you’ll see 4 jerseys with unique colors and significance.
Trip de France terms you must understand
- Peloton: A French term significance “group.” It describes the primary pack of riders.
- Breakaway: One rider or a group of riders who have actually outdistanced the peloton.
- Attack: When a rider or riders race far from the group.
- Group leader: The very best rider on the group.
- Time trial: A race versus the clock.
- Rouleur: A stable rider with a constant rate.
- Slipstream: The reasonably still air behind a rider, utilized by fans to conquer air resistance.
- Preparing: Nestling in the slipstream of the rider ahead.
- Droop wagon: A lorry that gets riders who are no longer able to continue.
What do the riders win?
The trip states, “An overall of 2.3 million euros ( about $2.5 million) will be granted to the groups and riders consisting of EUR500,000 (about $531,820) to the last winner of the total specific category.”
Who are the legends of the Trip de France?
![Greg LeMond, left, and Bernard Hinault climb Alpe d' Huez on July 21, 1986.](https://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/02/USAT/dd486b38-c54d-4969-bfd8-4e49a64dc009-lemond.jpg?width=980&height=640&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Previous numerous winners consist of:
- Fausto Coppi|Italy, 1949, 1952
- Jacques Anquetil|France, 1957, 1961-64
- Eddy Merckx|Belgium, 1969-74
- Bernard Hinault|France, 1978-79, 1981-82, 1985
- Greg LeMond|U.S., 1986, 1989-90
- Miguel Indurain|Spain, 1991-95
- Chris Froome|Kenya, 2013, 2015-17
American Lance Armstrong won the Trip de France a record 7 times from 1999 to 2005, however he was removed of his triumphes by the International Biking Union in 2012 over claims of utilizing controlled substances. He confessed to years of performance-enhancing substance abuse to Oprah Winfrey in a telecasted interview.
How to see the Trip de France
![Crowds of spectators near Sonderborg, Denmark, cheer during the 3rd stage of the 2022 Tour de France.](https://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/02/USAT/acce824d-9ceb-42bc-bdea-ce684eace5bc-crowd.jpg?width=980&height=693&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Protection of the 2023 Trip de France will be continued:
- NBC Sports: Will relay choose parts of race.
- Peacock: Will stream all race phases.
- U.S.A. Network: Will reveal condensed live protection.
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SOURCE U.S.A. TODAY Network reporting and research study; Associated Press; VeloNews; letour.com; bicycling.com; cyclingnews.com