Unearth the thrill of the Tour de France beyond the race. Discover fascinating trivia and anecdotes that will make you the star of any cycling conversation. Prepare to impress with these 14 fun facts about the world's most famous bicycle race.
Tour de France facts and answers to 14 questions you’ve likely wondered about the race
In the first five to 10 minutes of a race, when the pace is more leisurely, riders pull to the side of the road, pull their shorts down, and do their business.
- During this neutral roll out, there’s plenty of time to catch back on to the peloton before the race starts in earnest. Once the pace picks up, riders still use this tactic to pee while racing.
Tire Pressure
General guidelines: 8 to 8.5 bar for road stages, 9.5 to 10 bar for time-trial stages, 115 psi in the front, 125 psi in back
- Rainy days: drop that by 10 or 15 for rainy days
- Clinchers need to be kept around 110 to 120 psi to avoid pinch-flatting
The history of the Tour de France
The four-way tie between Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault is the story of cycling’s greatest rivalry
- Only the two World Wars caused the race to be put on hold
- Four riders have passed away during the course of the race, including Adolphe Heliére in 1910, Francisco Cepeda in 1934, Tom Simpson in 1967, and Fabio Casartelli in 1995
Prizes
The prize money for winning the final individual general classification (GC) is 500,000 Euros, or roughly $560,000 (USD).
- Second place GC is awarded 200,000 euros, third place GC walks away with 100,000, and so on.
- Traditionally, winners share their prize money with their teammates.
