The Tour de France: An Introduction for the Cycling Novice

The 101st Tour de France is only days away, so before it starts, here is a brief
introduction for those of you who are new to the cycling circuit.
Basics:
The Tour de France is one of three Grand Tours on the cycling circuit, and it is the
most prestigious race in the world of cycling. This year the Tour starts in Leeds on
the 5th of July and finally ends in Paris on the 27 th. During this time, the 198 riders
will be traveling 2,277mi or 3,364km. The Tour is starting on British soil for the
second time in its history and will wind through a course that is paying homage to
the 100th anniversary of WWI by going alongside important battlefields. There are
21 stages: 9 flat, 5 hilly, and 6 mountain stages. Of the mountainous ones, 5 are
high altitude while there is only one individual time trial this year. The amount of
each type of stage changes annually as does the route. There are 22 teams
competing, with 9 competitors on each. Typically, the whole team will be strong but
each will have one star racer that they are all supporting. The favorite to win it all
this year is last years winner, Team Skys Chris Froome. Look out for Froome who
will be wearing the number 1.
Things to Watch For:
In cycling, there are different prizes for different kinds of riders. The four jerseys
that are winnable in this particular race are yellow, polka dot, white, and green:
these colors represent overall winner, best climber, best young rider, and most
consistent finisher respectively. This years favorites to take home the maillot
jaune and 450,000 euros are Chris Froome (Team Sky), Alberto Contador (TinoffSaxo), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), and Tejay van Garderen (BMC). The green jersey is
usually tilted in the favor of sprinters such as Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel, and
Peter Sagan. The winner of the maillot vert wins 25,000 euro and collects points
during the sprint stages. The winner of each stage wins 45 points on a medium
mountain stage, 30 points in the high mountain stages, and 20 points in the
individual time trial. The favorites for the polka dot jersey are Jurgen Van Den
Broeck , Vincenzo Nibali, Thibaut Pinot. These are the best climbers of the group,
and points are based on sliding scales, much like the points for the green jersey. The
difference in points here is that points for the polka dots are doubled on summit
finish stages. This battle for the 25,000 euro prize will most likely start around stage
9. The last jersey is the white and it is for the best rookie. Only riders 25 and
younger can compete for the 20,000 euro prize. The favorites to win this prize are
Tejay van Garderen, and Rohan Dennis. There is also a prize for the team that has
the lowest cumulative time. Another thing to look out for is the rider with a red
number. This competitor was the most aggressive from the day before. At the end of
the race, the most aggressive rider overall is awarded 20,000 euro.
If you are not interested in watching every day, and every stage of the race,
there are a few that you can focus in on to get your fill of cycling excitement. Stages
5, 13, and 20 are the three most important bits of this years Tour. Stage 21 will also

be quite exciting as you get the chance to watch the end of the race as the athletes
make their way up the Champs-Elysses.