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What are the biggest bike races in the world?
Interest in cycling is huge and it is fast becoming a popular sport. The first major races were organized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today such races are held throughout the year at local, national and international levels.
The “Big Three” of professional cycling are the following most prestigious cycling races: the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. They are held annually in France, Italy and Spain respectively. They are watched by millions of people around the world and the winners are recognised as true titans of cycling.
The Tour de France is an annual multi-stage men’s cycling race held primarily in France. It is considered the most prestigious and attracts the attention of millions of fans from all over the world. It is the oldest of the three Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España).
The race was first organized in 1903, at the idea of the French newspaper L’Auto, to increase its sales and promote cycling. Since then it has been held annually, except for its interruption during the two world wars. The Tour quickly became a national sporting event, the race gained popularity and attracted international participation.
The Tour de France is an International Cycling Union (UCI) world championship race, which means that the teams that compete in it are at the highest level, mostly from the UCI world championship, except the teams that the organizers invite.
Traditionally, most of the competition takes place in July. Although the route changes each year, the race format remains unchanged and includes time trials, a crossing of the Pyrenees and Alps mountain ranges and (except in 2024) a finish on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 daily stages over 23 or 24 days and cover a total of about 3,500 km (2,200 miles). The race alternates clockwise and counterclockwise laps.
Usually, twenty to twenty-two teams of eight riders compete. All stages are timed to the finish, and riders’ times are combined with their times from previous stages. The cyclist with the best cumulative time is the leader of the race and wears the yellow jersey. Other Tour races include a points classification for sprinters (green jersey), a mountains classification for climbers (red points jersey), a classification for young riders under 26 (white jersey), and a team classification based on the top three finishers from each team in each stage, even though the overall classification receives the most attention. Winning a stage also confers prestige, and this is frequently accomplished by a rider competing in a breakaway or by a team’s sprint specialist.
Last year’s (2023) winners by jersey: Phillipsen, Vingegaard, Pogacar and Ciccone.
Photo credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet, Source: https://www.theproscloset.com/blogs/news/tour-de-france-beginners-guide
The Tour de France is one of the few sports events in its rich history that brings people together from all over the world. It has had a huge impact not only on the development of cycling as a sport but also on the development of the bicycle industry. The longest Tour de France route was in 1926, covering an incredible 5,745 kilometres.
