How It Works 9 – A Beginners Guide to the Tour de France

Welcome to the ninth in our series where we look at how some of the major sports events in the world are organised. Taking in its history, its most famous competitors and of course, a look at some of the popular bets available on it.

This week, we are taking a look at the most famous cycle race in the history of the sport. The Tour de France, which starts this weekend in Bilbao, Spain.

So how did this famous race start? Let’s begin by looking at the history of Le Tour.  

What Is the History of the Tour de France?

The first Tour de France was organised by L’Auto newspaper to drive publicity about the publication.

Contested in 1903, the event featured around 60 riders, most of them French, and it was won by a rider called Maurice Garin.

However, rather than further the aims of the newspaper, the race seemed to catch the imagination of people and apart from during the two World Wars, the race has been held each year.

Traditionally, most of the race is held in July and in the past 30 years or so, the race has visited a number of other countries either for the start of the race (The Grand Depart) or for stages in the middle of the race.

A stain on the tour emerged in the shape of the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and treatments during the 1990s and into the 2000s. This has led to several riders being stripped of titles.

Most famously, Lance Armstrong was stripped of the seven consecutive race wins he landed from 1999 onwards after admitting the use of PEDs during that period.

Nowadays, stringent rules and testing of competitors is adhered to in order to ensure that riders are clean and since 2010 onwards, instances of the use of PEDs has been far less commonly detected.

The 2023 race will be the 110^th Le Tour contested and it runs from the 1^st July to the 23^rd July.

What are the Different Classifications of the Tour de France?

While everyone knows that there is a ‘winner’ of the Tour de France, there are actually several different races or competitions that take place throughout the 21-stage event. They are:

• General Classification

This is the classification we describe as the Tour de France winner. This is the rider who completes all stages of the race in the quickest time. The rider leading this category wears the yellow jersey during the race.

• Mountains Classification

The Mountains Classification is also known by the nickname King of the Mountains. This classification sees points awarded to riders on the mountain stages of the tour for being the first few to complete the climb.

The number of points earned depends on the classification of each climb, essentially how hard the climb is. The leader of this classification has worn the Polka Dot jersey since the 1975 race.

• Points Classification

Originally, the Tour de France only appealed to longer distance cyclists, but in order to appeal to sprinters, a new classification was added. The Points Classification.

Riders can earn points for finishing in the top 15 of each stage, with more points awarded for flat stages. Additionally, there are extra points available for Time Trials and Intermediate Sprints during stages.

The Points Classification leader wears the green jersey during the race.

• Young Rider Classification

This classification is determined in the same way as the General Classification in that it is accumulated time that determines the result.

However, this classification is only open to riders aged under 26 in the year of the race.

A rider that leads the Young Rider Classification wears the white jersey in the race.

There are a number of other classifications , including a Team Classification, awarded during the race too.

What is the Tour de France route and does it change each year?

There is no set Tour de France route, although the race will revisit some of the most famous and popular stages of previous races, frequently.

The Race Director works to decide the route each year and traditionally it will move across different parts of France.

However each Tour de France route is designed to have a combination of Flat, Hilly, Mountain and Time Trial stages to test the different strengths of the riders.

In more recent times, the Tour has also moved out of France on many occasions, often starting in a different country, as well as visiting a neighbouring country for stages in the middle of the Tour.

Many of the climbs have proved especially popular, due to their difficulty. The climbs at Mount Ventoux, Col du Tourmalet, Col du Galibier and Alpe D’Huez have become famous landmarks on the tour.

Who Competes in the Tour de France?

Around 150+ cyclists compete in the Tour de France each year, comprising of those selected by their teams competing in the UCI WorldTeam tournament, as well as those invited by race organisers and sponsors.

Each team can select up to eight riders for the team from their pool of riders. Competition for places on the top teams is tough. For example, four-time Le Tour winner Chris Froome was not selected for his team for the 2023 race.

The Team Classification is not as important as the General Classification.

What Are the Most Popular Tour de France Betting Markets?

If you fancy a bet on Le Tour with Bet365 Sport then alongside popular markets such as backing who will win the Overall Classification, you will find bets available on other markets such as who will win each stage and which rider will be crowned King of the Mountains.

You can bet on who will finish in the top 3 and the top 10 of the race overall, as well as whether a named rider will win one of the 21 stages of Le Tour.

There are also a range of team-themed bets, such as whether a team will win a stage.

Who are the Tour de France’s Most Successful Riders?

Four riders have won a record-holding 5 Tour de France races.

They are Jacques Anquetil (Fra), Eddie Mercx (Bel), Bernard Hinault (Fra) and Miguel Indurain (Esp).

Lance Armstrong did win seven consecutive races from 1999 to 2005, but these were later removed from the record after Armstrong admitted using performance enhancing drugs.

Chris Froome is next on the list of most successful riders in Le Tour holding four wins in total.

Who are the Tour de France’s Most Famous Riders – Past

Some of the most famous riders in Le Tour’s past include the following:

• Louison Bobet (Fra)
• Jacques Anquetil (Fra)
• Eddie Merckx (Bel)
• Bernard Hinault (Fra)
• Joop Zoetermelk (Hol)
• Laurent Fignon (Fra)
• Greg Lemond (USA)
• Stephen Roche (Ire)
• Pedro Delgado (Esp)
• Miguel Indurain (Esp)
• Jan Ullrich (Ger)
• Marco Pantani (Ita)
• Lance Armstrong (USA)
• Alberto Contador (Esp)
• Andy Schleck (Lux)
• Cadel Evans (Aus)
• Bradley Wiggins (GB)

Who Are the Tour de France’s Most Famous Riders – Present

Some of the most famous riders still competing in the event, although some may not taking part in 2023, include:

• Jonas Vingegaard (Den) – Current Champion
• Tadej Pogacar (Slv)
• Egan Bernal (Col)
• Chris Froome (GB)
• Mark Cavendish (GB)
• Geraint Thomas (GB)
• Jai Hindley (Aus)
• Mattias Skjelmose (Den)
• Ben O’Connor (Aus)
• Richard Carapaz (Ecu)
• David Gaudu (Fra)
• Simon Yates (GB)
• Adam Yates (GB)
• Tom Pidcock (GB)
• Wout van Aert (Hol)
• Mathieu van der Poel (Hol)
• Giulio Ciccone (Ita)