Although the route that the Tour de France takes every year varies, what doesn’t change is the distance that the riders have to cover. The distance of the Tour de France is always approximately 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers, or 1,800 to 2,500 miles. Most people don’t realize it but the distance of the Tour de France is not covered in one fell swoop. The race is actually divided into stages and each stage is held on one day only. Although in past years the amount of racing stages has varied, in recent years it has remained at 20. These 20 stages combined will make up the total distance of the race. The race is made up of individual riders from different teams.
The interesting part of the distance of the Tour de France is that riding the total distance is not the key to winning the race. A rider’s time on each individual stage of the race is timed and documented and it is an accumulation of these times that will decide the winner. This is called general classification. With so many riders, it would be virtually impossible for one rider to win every stage. As a matter of fact, the Tour de France was won in 1990 by someone who didn’t place first in any of the stages of the race.
These stages that make up the distance of the Tour de France are also broken down into categories. These include individual time trials, mountain stages, and team time trials with the rest of the race taking place over more flat terrain. Of course on the flat surfaces, individual races have the opportunity to sprint and the field can be wide open, but it is usually the rider who performs well on the mountain stages and the time trials that will come out on top.
Not only does the Tour de France change its course every year, it also changes direction. On alternating years, the distance of the Tour de France will flip between running clockwise and counter-clockwise. This helps to level the playing field since it flips the mountain stages of the race from the beginning to the end of the race each year. If you are a strong mountain racer, being at the end can be an advantage but if you’re weak in this area, having this stage at the beginning can be an enormous help.
Tour companies also offer a variety of tour packages that cover the distance of the Tour de France. These packages can include the opportunity to ride several legs of the race yourself and view the actual racers from some of the prime locations on the tour. These tour packages frequently include hotel accommodations, meals, cocktail parties and so much more. Depending on what you hope to accomplish and the type of accommodations you are after, these tours can vary greatly in price. The chances of you finding one in your price range and offering what you want are actually pretty good.
Although the race is called the Tour de France, France is not the only country that it takes place in. Some of the distance of the Tour de France can also be held in parts of Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany. The distance of the Tour de France doesn’t cover each of these countries each year, but most of the races do cover at least one country during the race. So, next time you tune into the Tour de France, just imagine how far riding 2,000 miles would get you in the old US of A!
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