{"id":34,"date":"2016-06-17T08:29:12","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T08:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/tour-de-france\/wide\/?p=34"},"modified":"2017-02-14T14:48:29","modified_gmt":"2017-02-14T14:48:29","slug":"tour-de-france-10-fascinating-facts-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2016\/06\/17\/tour-de-france-10-fascinating-facts-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France \u2013 10 Fascinating Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tour de France was founded in 1903 to promote L\u2019Auto \u2013 a sports magazine with a particular interest in car racing. Cars and bicycles have been happily sharing the zeitgeist for a very long time. Today it\u2019s without a doubt the biggest celebration of cycling in the world, and although the official numbers vary, it\u2019s generally considered that more than a billion people watch La Grande Boucle each year. And with an event this big, there are always some fascinating facts if you dig deep enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1904 Tour de France nearly didn\u2019t happen. Rumours of race favourite Maurice Gavin\u2019s cheating prompted a car load of thugs to attack him on the Col de la R\u00e9public \u2013 they wanted local favourite Antoine Faure to win the stage.<\/p>\n

The first race organiser, Henri Desgrange, insisted cyclists fix their own bikes and finish the race on the same bike they started with. Early photographs show cyclists with spare tyres around their necks and wheels strapped to their backs.<\/p>\n

\"Swiss
Swiss racing cyclist Georges Antenen picks himself up after falling on the 12th stage Gap-Grenoble of the 26th Tour de France, on July 22, 1932.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Desgrange was something of a traditionalist and didn\u2019t like the idea of gears or metal wheels \u2013 so cyclists rode on wooden wheels and hoped they wouldn\u2019t warp during the competition. Desgrange finally allowed gears in 1937.<\/p>\n

Over 12 million spectators will line the streets making Le Tour the largest sporting event in the world.<\/p>\n

\"Tour
Tour de France 2005, El Diablo demands more speed from a rider<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 3 weeks, the peloton will drink over 40,000 litres of water. A peloton insider told me, there may also be one or two glasses of red wine drunk the night before each rest day.<\/p>\n

\u0160koda sends a fleet of 250 cars to the Tour de France each year, and during the three-week period they usually do more than 2.8 million kilometres. Since 2004, the \u0160koda fleet\u2019s total mileage at the Tour de France mounts up to over 30 million kilometres without a single breakdown.<\/p>\n

A rest day isn\u2019t really a day of rest for the competitors \u2013 they\u2019ll cycle for about 2 hours to flush out the lactic acid.<\/p>\n

\"Italian
Italian Marco Pantani sprays water on his face as he is supported by a spectator in the Plateau de Beille climb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Tour de Force fund raising page estimates that over the 21-day route, a pro cyclist would sweat enough liquid to flush a toilet 39 times, and if a Jaguar were to drive the same route, it would cost over \u00a3400 in petrol money.<\/p>\n

From 1984 to 1993 there was a female Tour de France \u2013 with the increasing popularity of the sport many are hoping for its reintroduction.<\/p>\n

The competitors need to consume about 8,000 calories a day to maintain their body weight and energy levels. Breakfast and pre-ride snack are about 1,000 calories, another 1,500 consumed on the bike during the race, and then dinner and evening snacks provide a further 5,500 calories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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