23 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About the Tour de France
Written by
Marc Lindsay
Have you ever wondered how many calories riders burn during the Tour de France, or how many tires they go through? Check out these 23 fun facts to learn more about the largest sporting event in the world—one for each day of the race.
1. The Longest Tour
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The length of the 2017 Tour route is 2,200 miles. The 1926 edition was the longest route in history, totaling 3,570 miles.
The average cyclist will burn around 4,000 and 5,000 calories during each stage of the Tour. That’s 123,900 calories for the entire race, the equivalent of eating 252 McDonald’s double cheeseburgers.
Until the 1960s, it was common for participants to drink alcohol during the race to numb the pain. Alcohol consumption was soon banned because it was considered a stimulant.
Five-time winner Bernard Hinault of France once said of the Tour de France, “An amateur should think long and hard before attempting one of these stages. Two would probably necessitate a visit to a doctor, and three would require a psychiatrist – any more and you should be checking if that person has written a will."
In the early years of the Tour de France, there were 14 rest days instead of two. Stages often ran into the night and cyclists needed the following day to recover.
On July 23rd, women will race the last stage of the Tour de France separate from the men. Though a landmark event, it isn’t the first time women’s race has taken place. Between 1984 and 1989, the Tour Cycliste Feminine was an 18-stage race. The first winner was American Marianne Martin.
The first winner of the Tour de France was Maurice Garin. He won again in 1904, but was later disqualified for cheating. Garin was caught taking a train to victory in the Alps.
The winner of the Tour receives a cash prize of $609,525. The long-standing tradition of the race dictates that winners split this money evenly with each of his teammates.