About Tour de France

Dating back to 1903, when it was founded by the journalist Henri Desgrange, the Tour de France is the oldest and most famous of all the major international cycling races. Viewed from above, its current route follows the shape of a large loop, beginning outside of the country, in Florence, Italy, and concluding three weeks and three-thousand six-hundred kilometres later in Nice. In addition to gathering all the world’s finest riders on a single stage, what makes the Tour de France such a challenging race in which to compete - and such an exhilarating spectacle to watch - is the diversity of its terrain. Flatland rises into mountains; time trials are succeeded by gruelling ascents. At the end of each stage, the winner is awarded the Maillot Jaune (Yellow Jersey), which owes its colour to t...