Tour de France

The most popular cycling event in the world. It has been held in France every summer since 1903 (excluding the years of 1915-1918 and 1940-1946 due to the World Wars). The race has a current traditional length of about 3 weeks, and falls in the month of July. The rider do not race for three weeks straight, of course. They race one stage a day, with two rest days stratigically placed within the race schedule to give the riders ample time to recover. Each stage is usually around 100 miles or so. Among the most famous riders to win the tour are the Big Five. These are the five men who have won the Tour five times (or more). These men are: Jacques Anquetil (1957, 1961-4), Eddy Merckx (1969-72, 1974, Bernard Hinault (1978-9, 1981-2, 1985), Miguel Indurain (1991-5), Lance Armstrong (1999-2005). All of the above men won the tour just five time except Lance Armstrong, who won seven times in a row. The overall leader of the Tour wears the notorious "maillot jaune", or "yellow jersey". Other special jerseys include the polka dot jersey, given to the best climber, the green jersey, won by the best sprinter, and the white jersey, which is awarded to the rider under 23 years of age who is highest in the overall classification.