The 100th annual multi-day cycling race "Tour de France"

The winner of the first stage of the Tour de France was the German Marcel Keeler, who better oriented himself in the finish chaos. The Australian team bus was stuck right at the finish. Therefore, the organizers even wanted to move the finish line, but later managed to pull out the car. However, not all riders were able to restructure their tactics at the final stage ... Begun in far 1903 as an advertising project of the newspaper, cycling today was the third most significant sporting event of the year, - reports the paragraph .

For their already centuries-old history of the cycling "Tour de France" (informal name "Big Loop") had two forced breaks. From 1915 to 1918, they were not conducted in connection with the First World War, from 1940 to 1946 - because of World War II. As early as the mid-1950s, the cycling race went beyond the borders of the country. With the aim of promoting cycling in the world of the race, the races began to be organized in other countries. In different years the competitions were held in Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. 19 times "Tour de France" started abroad. In 1994, they even decided to drive through the newly opened tunnel under the English Channel.

During the race athletes have time to get acquainted with different areas, because you need to overcome both steep climbs, and sharp descents, and various bends. The length of the route is different every year and can range from 3000 to 4000 km. The longest distance "Tour de France" was in 1926. Then the riders overcame 5745 km. General with the distance traveled by the riders since 1903, is simply amazing. For the previous 99 races athletes in the total overcome 426678 km. This is more than the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

The prize fund of this tournament is also gradually gaining astronomical character. This year it will be 2 million 023 thousand 300 euros. The winner of the bike race will receive 450,000 euros, and the winner of each stage - for 8,000 euros.

June 29, 198 riders who represent 34 countries and are part of the 22 teams that started with the Corsican Porto-Vecchio. For the first time in the history of the Tour de France, the race began in Corsica. The island all this time remained the only European region of France, where the stages of the "Big Loop" were not conducted. This year the organizers decided to correct this injustice and planned three stages at once in Corsica, the first of which became the longest - 213 km. Among the features of the current "Big Loop" and the fact that the cycling race will take place only in France, and the athletes will finish in Paris, for the first time under artificial lighting. To protect the competition, the French authorities attracted 14,000 police officers, 47 of whom were motorcyclists from the Presidential Regiment.

Round of the Tour de France includes 21 stage. Each stage is one day. The time for the athlete to complete each stage is summarized and the total race time is obtained. The runner, whose total time is the minimum, is declared the winner of the entire tournament. It is possible that the athlete becomes the winner of the tournament, and did not win any of its stages, as happened in 1990 (then the winner was the American Greg Lemond). The greatest achievement in the "Tour de France" is the record of the American cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was subjected to 7 times "Big Loop" (from 1998 to 2004). Winners are also announced by those drivers who have won at least one stage. In this category of victors there are also Ukrainians. In 2006, Sergei Gonchar twice won the stage with a separate start. In the same year Yaroslav Popovich won one of the flat stages. This success remains the achievement of the Ukrainian bicycle riders at the Tour de France. This year there will not be any of our compatriots at the "Big Loop" at all.

"Tour de France" is interesting and the fact that the tournament determines the best and in some categories: a sprinter mountain racer, a young racer. The winners of these nominations receive colored jerseys. So the cyclist who received the most points in the sprint set puts on a green jersey. Already traditionally for the last five years, the American claims Mark Cavendish for this title. His closest competitor in high-speed spurt will be last year's best sprinter Slovak Peter Sagan. White jersey in red peas is the winner in the nomination "the best mountain racer". In this category, the favorite can be called the French athlete Thomas Fokler. Local people put their hopes on their fellow countryman and not without reason, because last year Thomas was wearing a "pea" shirt and eventually became the fourth.

Also at each stage of the Tour de France, a special commission determines the most "combat" racer. The day after the completion of the stage, the rider who won this nomination is handed a white number on a red background instead of black on white. The main criterion in determining the winner is a long stay in isolation from the peloton (racers moving in a dense group), attempts to keep the leading position for as long as possible.

The most cherished at the Tour de France is the yellow jersey of the leader. The right to dress it is only the one who wins in time. His vivid color shirt was inherited from the newspaper L'Auto, which founded this competition, - its pages are yellow. For the entire history of the cycling "Big Loop" only 254 racers put it on. In the current "Tour de France" for a yellow jersey will argue Christopher Frum and Alberto Contador. Frum has been very active this season, winning in the spring "Tour of Oman", "Tour of Romance", "Criterium Dauphine" and "Criterium InterNational". Frum left the "Tirreno Adriatico" and could not win. The 28-year-old rider may become the second British to win the general classification of the Tour de France. Last year, the ambitious Frum won the "silver" of the "Big Loop", losing only to his compatriot Bradley Wiggins. Unfortunately, last year's winner of the Tour de France will not be able to participate in the current elections. Cycling driver injured his knee at the "Giro di Italia", after which he could not fully recover to start the race in France. Therefore, for Frum opens a direct path to the French pedestal.

Alberto Contador will try to prevent him. The Spaniard returns after disqualification for using dope. In 2011, banned clenbuterol was found in his blood. In early 2012, the decision of the Sports Arbitration Court of the Spaniard was disqualified for six months and deprived of all titles for the period from 2010. Last fall, the cyclist returned and now is again in the fight for another victory at the Tour de France. Contador, like none of the current members, knows how to win the Tour de France. During his career, he managed three times to try on a yellow jersey. However, one of his victory in 2010 was canceled. In the spring, Contador looked very pale against the background of Frum. But the Spaniard is very good at preparing for responsible starts. Therefore, it is possible that at the Tour de France he will demonstrate his strong athletic qualities.

The doping scandal almost prevented the jubilee race. In early January, the legend of cycling race American Lance Armstrong in an interview with a famous TV host Oprah Winfrey admitted that he used illegal drugs during his performances at the Tour de France. Given that recently doping scandals in cycling have erupted too often, many were prepared to put an end to the Tour de France. Fortunately, this did not happen, and the 100th anniversary races began with even greater scope. However, all that still Armstrong was not afraid to add a fly in the ointment. Just before the start of the cycling race, the American racer said that it was impossible to win the Tour de France in his time without taking illegal drugs. Armstrong says that a race of this level requires a lot of money from an athlete, first of all, oxygen. In his opinion, it is very difficult to maintain a high pace of competition for a long time. Therefore, athletes and have to resort to the use of stimulant drugs. This annoyed the director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme: "Armstrong says that no one could win the Tour without doping, but perhaps it's just an attempt to clean up, saying that otherwise it was impossible."

The current "Tour de France" will be held from June 29 to July 21. During this time, the riders will go 3360 km and will have only two days of rest. Since 1998, for the "Big Loop" there is a trail of doping scandals. Recently, another winner of the Tour de France, the German, Jan Ullr, admitted that he also used dope. Moreover, the cyclist noted that many of his colleagues accepted illegal drugs. French cyclist David Moncoutier, in principle never resorted to the use of banned drugs, said that since the arrival of erythropoietin in cycling in 1994-95, any of the triumphors of the Tour de France could cheat ...