The Tour de France is one of the most prestigious and exciting endurance cycling events in the world. If you’re not a fan already, here are 10 reasons why watching The Tour de France is worth it.
The Tour de France is the most prestigious and exciting cycling event in the world. It consists of 23 stages, spanning 3 weeks. The race starts in the Vendee area of France, heading east before encircling back to Paris. The first Tour de France was held in 1903 and has been an annual event since 1930.
The Tour de France starts in Vendee, France before going east and circling back to Paris.
The course is set up so that the riders will not be riding for more than 4 or 5 consecutive days before taking a day off, allowing them to recover.
It starts in Vendee, France before going east and circling back to Paris.
There are many fantastic reasons why watching The Tour de France is worth it.
From incredible athleticism to international camaraderie, here are 10 reasons why you should watch the professional cycling event.
1. It’s Unbelievably Exciting!
Watching the Tour de France, especially in person, is an incredibly exciting experience. The energy of all 70,000 spectators combined with the riders competing at their highest level makes for a thrilling atmosphere. Every time a rider passes by you can feel the adrenaline rush through your body.
2. It’s a Team Sport at the Highest Level
In every cycling race, there are teams of cyclists from around the world competing, but in The Tour de France, all 22 teams have 9 riders each- that’s 189 riders total! In addition to this, many people describe cycling as “the thinking man’s sport” because of how much strategy goes into it. Cycling is about teamwork, planning, calculating, and executing the perfect racing plan.
3. The Course Changes Every Year
Every year, the Tour de France course changes to accommodate host cities as well as other challenging features of the road that have been discovered over time. These could include steep descents or difficult climbs that have been challenging to riders in the past.
The Tour de France course changes every year. This picture shows a difficult climb coming up very shortly after starting.
4. A Large Variety of Local Culture is On Display
In every city and village where The Tour de France races through, there is a large variety of local culture and customs displayed in the forms of food, drinks, and art.
5. The Race is Extremely Spectator-Friendly
The Tour de France cycle race is extremely spectator friendly with an estimated 10 million fans attending every year. There are designated areas for people to cheer along the course, which become very raucous when cyclists come by.
10 million people attend the Tour de France every year to cheer along the course!
6. The Race is a Celebration of International Unity
Every country that has a team registered in The Tour de France competes for a chance to win, but there is more at stake than just winning this prestigious cycling event. In 2016, an estimated 3.5 billion viewers watched The Tour de France, with many of these people watching to support their countrymen.
The Tour de France is an international celebration of unity!
7. The Race is Extremely Competitive
Over 200 cyclists are participating in the Tour De France so it’s very competitive. Each team will have one or two designated leaders, the rest of whom are vying for positions to win. Riders need exceptional fitness and endurance to compete!
8. It Inspires the Cycling Community
Many individuals who watch The Tour de France get inspired to ride their bikes more often and take up cycling as a hobby. It is estimated that every year, over 200,000 people in the world register for their first race after watching The Tour de France!
9. Major League Cyclists Compete
One of the biggest reasons why watching The Tour de France is worth it is because many well-known cyclists are competing. In the 2017 race, you could see famous riders such as Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas, and Alberto Contador from Team Sky.
10. The Race Changes Lives!
In every year of the Tour de France, one or two cyclists will be given Yellow Jersey (first place) and Green Jersey (second place), but what people don’t always realize is that almost anyone who participates in The Tour de France race can win it. The prize for winning The Tour de France is not only fame and recognition among cycling fans, but a cash prize of about 400,000€ as well as a plot of land in the French countryside. In 2015, one cyclist from an African nation even won The Tour de France race and was given free surgery to straighten his teeth!
The 2017 Yellow Jersey winner, Britain’s Chris Froome.
Watching The Tour de France is worth it for so many reasons. Visit our blog post to read 10 Reasons Why Watching The Tour de France Is Worth It and see how cycling can inspire you, your family, or friends!