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WHITE JERSEY

Although the white jersey first appeared in 1968 to reward the leader of the combined classification, which was based on the overall, points and mountains standings, it wasn’t until 1975 that it began to symbolise the future and youth of the Tour de France peloton. A leader in waiting, the wearer of the white jersey, which is sponsored by Krys, is the best placed in the overall standings who is under the age of 26. The Italian Francesco Moser was the first winner of young rider classification and illustrated perfectly its philosophy since he went on to become world champion and the victor of the 1984 Giro, and claimed 10 Classics, including three victories in Paris-Roubaix. Only Laurent Fignon (1983), Jan Ulrich (1997), Alberto Contador (2007), Andy Schleck (2010), Egan Bernal (2019) and Tadej Pogacar (2020) combined the yellow and white jerseys at the final.

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The youngest and oldest riders at the Tour de France

Twenty-two teams and 176 riders lined up for the 2022 Tour de France. We look at the youngest and oldest riders at the race and their relative place in the history books

It was 1904 when Henri Cornet won the Tour de France aged just 19. Since then, the ages of winners have seemed to converge on a median age of around 28. But, things seem to have been changing...

With young winners like Tadej Pogacar and Egan Bernal, you could be excused for seeing a trend for a newer, younger Tour de France.

Yet, older riders have also been faring well at the Grand Boucle in recent years. So what does the real breakdown of riders by age look like? How young is too young, and how old is too old?

Oldest riders at the 2022 Tour de France

You can never have too much experience, right?

Last year, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) completed the Tour de France at the age of 41. He very nearly became the race's oldest winner too, finishing second to Sepp Kuss on the mountain stage to Andorra.

-  Tour de France 2022 route: everything you need to know about the 109th edition - Tour de France standings: the latest results from the race - Tour de France favourites: who will win this year's yellow jersey?

The oldest ever Tour de France stage winner was Pino Cerami, who won stage nine of the 1963 Tour de France aged 41 years and 65 days. On stage three last year, Valverde was the exact age that Cerami was when he won in Pau in 1963.

In 2022 though Valverde has chosen to skip the Tour de France in favour of riding the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in his final season before retirement, leaving the door open for another rider to take on the mantle of the Tour's oldest competitor.

Philippe Gilbert is the oldest rider at the 2022 Tour (Image: James Startt)

That man this year is Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal), who turns 40 on stage four of the race (July 5), and will be hoping to sign off from his 12th and final Tour de France with a stage win. 

Frenchman Cyril Lemoine (B&B Hotels - KTM) is the second oldest rider in 2022 at 39, while Movistar's Imanol Erviti is third at a spritely 38.

• Philippe Gilbert - 39 years and 361 days (when race began) <
• Cyril Lemoine - 39 years and 120 days
• Imanol Erviti - 38 years and 228 days
• Luis León Sánchez - 38 years and 219 days
• Maciej Bodnar - 37 years and 116 days

Youngest riders at the 2022 Tour de France

Last year Britain's Fred Wright took the crown of youngest rider at 22 years and 14 days, but this year that age would only just crack the top-three. 

Quinn Simmons is the youngest rider at the 2022 Tour de France (Getty Images)

The next youngest rider is California's Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) at 21 years and 258 days, while another Californian, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) is the fifth youngest, celebrating his 23rd birthday on the day of the Grand Départ).

Britain's Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) is the third youngest rider, making his Tour debut at the age of 22 years 336 days.

Defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has slipped out of the top-10 for the first time in his three Tour appearances, languishing in 12th at the wise old age of 23 years and 283 days.

• Quinn Simmons - 21 years and 54 days (when race began)
• Kevin Vermaerke - 21 years and 258 days
• Tom Pidcock - 22 years and 336 days
• Matis Louvel - 22 years and 347 days
• Matteo Jorgenson - 23 years and zero days

No-one at the Tour this year will have the opportunity to be crowned its youngest ever stage winner however. The youngest ever stage winner at the Tour de France was Fabio Battesini, who was just 19 years and 134 days old when he won a stage at the 1931 edition.

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The 10 youngest and oldest riders at the 2023 Tour de France

The Tour de France is starting this Sunday and the list of riders that will be competing is confirmed. With 176 riders at the start line, we take a look at the 10 youngest and oldest which will be competing at this year's Grand Boucle.

The youngest will be Trek - Segafredo's Quinn Simmons, the new USA national champion is set to race his second Tour de France, whilst Carlos Rodríguez is the youngest debutant.

Order Rider Age

1 SIMMONS Quinn 22y + 54d

2 RODRÍGUEZ Carlos 22y + 149d

3 VERMAERKE Kevin 22y + 258d

4 SKJELMOSE Mattias 22y + 278d

5 STRONG Corbin 23y + 62d

6 DINHAM Matthew 23y + 83d

7 GIRMAY Biniam 23y + 90d

8 WÆRENSKJOLD Søren 23y + 111d

9 FEDOROV Yevgeniy 23y + 135d

10 VAN GILS Maxim 23y + 218d

PREVIEW | Tour de France 2023 - Key stages, how the Pogacar vs Vingegaard battle will unfold and the star-studded peloton

Meanwhile on the opposite side of the spectrum, Dries Devenyns is the oldest starter in this year's race at 39 years of age, closely followed by Luis León Sánchez. The oldest debutant in this year's Tour is Antonio Pedrero who is 31.

1 DEVENYNS Dries 39y + 344d

2 SÁNCHEZ Luis León 39y + 219d

3 MØRKØV Michael 38y + 62d

4 CAVENDISH Mark 38y + 41d

5 GESCHKE Simon 37y + 110d

6 CLARKE Simon 36y + 348d

7 PICHON Laurent 36y + 347d

8 AMADOR Andrey 36y + 306d

9 COSTA Rui 36y + 269d

10 WOODS Michael 36y + 262d

TV Guide - Where and When to watch Tour de France 2023

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Tour de France Young Rider Classification Winners, 1975-2022

The Tour de France Young Rider classification is a secondary competition after the General Classification , similar to the Points Classification and Climber’s Classification . It’s often referred to as the white jersey (maillot blanc) or youth classification.

It was first introduced in 1975 and its criteria changed over the years. From 1975 to 1983, it was for riders who had been a professional for three years or lesser. From 1983 to 1986, it was for riders who were competing in their first Tour de France.

From 1987 onwards, the Young Rider classification is for riders aged below 26 on 1 January for the year’s Tour. The rider (aged 26 and below) who has the least cumulative time will wear the white jersey from Stage 2 to 21.

• Past winners, 1975 to present
• Multiple winners
• Most wins by nationality

List of Young Rider Classification winners, 1975 to 2022

Multiple young rider classification winners.

Five riders won more than one Young Rider Classification . Their wins happened in successive years except for Nairo Quintana.

• Andy Schleck (2008, 2009, 2010)
• Jan Ulrich (1996, 1997, 1998) 
• Tadej Pogačar (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Nairo Quintana (2013, 2015)
• Marco Pantani (1994, 1995)

There are seven years where the same rider won both the Young Rider and General Classification. The riders who won both classifications were all very talented, as the average age of the General Classification winner is 28.

• Tadej Pogačar (2020, 2021)
• Egan Bernal (2019)
• Andy Schleck (2010)
• Alberto Contador (2007)
• Jan Ulrich (1997)
• Laurent Fignon (1983)

Most Young Rider Classification wins by nationality

French riders are the most successful in the Young Rider Classification, with eight wins. The last win was by Pierre Latour in 2018.

Only 14 nationalities have won the Climber’s Classification in 47 editions since 1975.

Tour de France Race Guide

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Tour de France Competitions Points, KOM, Young Rider, Team GC

Les Woodland's book Cycling Heroes: The Golden Years is available as an audiobook here. For the print and kindle eBook versions, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The Tour de France has other competitions going on besides the Yellow Jersey for lowest elapsed time.

King of the Mountains: The first award for the best climber was in 1933. The famous Polka-Dot jersey was worn by Lucien van Impe in 1975.

Points : The green jersey is awarded to the rider with the lowest accumulated total placings. A sprinter usually wins this jersey.

Young Rider: The winner wears a white jersey. It is awarded to the best rider under 25 years old.

Team Classification: Awarded to the team with the lowest cumulative time based on each day's top three finishing riders from each team.

Tour de France Winners, Podium and Times as well as links to all other Tour de France information on our site

Tour statistics (dates, distances, etc.)

Tour de France prizes, winners and total prize pools, by year

From 1930 to 1961 plus 1967 and 1968, national and regional rather than trade teams competed

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Tour de France 2023: Adam Yates pips twin Simon to yellow jersey – as it happened

Adam Yates was the surprise winner of opening stage, leading home his twin brother Simon on a great day for the brothers from Bury

• Race report: Adam beats Simon in brotherly break
• 1 Jul 2023 Stage One top 10
• 1 Jul 2023 Stage one report: Bilbao to Bilbao
• 1 Jul 2023 Adam Yates speaks ...
• 1 Jul 2023 It's a Yates one-two on stage one ...
• 1 Jul 2023 Adam Yates wins Stage One
• 1 Jul 2023 They're racing in Stage One!
• 1 Jul 2023 Stage one of the 110th Tour de France is underway ...
• 1 Jul 2023 Increased calls for new safety measures
• 1 Jul 2023 Security tightened amid unrest concerns
• 1 Jul 2023 Vingegaard the man to beat in 2023
• 1 Jul 2023 Tour de France 2023
• 1 Jul 2023 Stage one: Bilbao to Bilbao (182km)

129km: The gap is 1min 42sec and there’s not a great deal of note going on out on the road. This is a very difficult stage to call but I’ve put my £2 pocket money on Soudal Quick-Step rider Julian Alaphilipe.

An email: “Bay Of Biscay surely a good call on your top five bays,” writes Julian Cravem. “Which other bays make the Top 5 and do the Bay City Rollers provide the soundtrack?”

Well, Galway Bay would definitely be up there, as would it’s fellow Irish bay in Bantry. I think I’d have Apollo Bay in Australia up there too, along with Woolacombe Bay in Devon. To be clear, these are all bays I have visited.

An email: “As many people have suggested, it’s time to phase out the white jersey as the best riders are so young these days,” writes Peter Craig. “Maybe replace with a best debutant or a best old rider jersey for those over 30?”

135km to go: |Our five-man breakaway are on a downhill and the gap is 1min 34sec. Your escape party: Pascal Eenkhorn (Lotto-Dstny), Lilian Calméjane (Intermarché), Simon Guglielmi (Arkea), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) and Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies). It’s been a very fast start to this year’s Tour – the breakaway covered 42.2km in the opening hour of racing.

145km to go: Heading north towards the Bay of Biscay, which is definitely up there in my top five bays, the race continues at a fair old clip. Jumbo-Visma continue to dictate the pace at the front of the bunch, aided and abetted by a couple of riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck. The gap is 1min 33sec. Lilian Calméjane (Intermarche–Circus–Wanty) is the only rider in the breakaway with previous Tour de France experience. As I am sure you all remember, the Frenchman won stage eight in 2017.

151km to go: Our five-man breakaway is being kept on a tight rein by a peloton being led by the riders of Jumbo-Visma. The gap is 1min 15sec.

An email: Niels Pedersen has been in touch to boost Tom Pidcock’s chances of winning the White Jersey for best young rider by eliminating Jonas Vingegaard from the competition.

“Vingegaard is too old to compete for the white jersey, so better chance for Pidcock,” he writes. The White Jersey goes to the best young rider aged 25 or under throughout the year the race is staged. Jonas Vingegaard turned 26 in December. The comparatively sprightly Tadej Pogacer is still only 24.

168km to go: Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) takes the first two points available in the the King of the Mountains classification, pulling clear of his fellow riders in the breakaway. He clearly hopes to be zipped into the polka-dot jersey at the end of the stage. The gap is 2min 23sec.

171km to go: Things have yet to settle down in the peloton where, somewhat irritatingly, at least half the teams are wearing different colours from last year. Movistar, for example, are now riding in white. White!

Jonas Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team are leading the bunch, while there are a few Ineos Grenadiers up there too. Egan Bernal is in the team as he continues his comeback from the horror crash that almost cost him his life in 2022, and nobody is quite sure what to expect from the Colombian. Geraint Thomas is sitting this Tour out following his second place finish in the Giro.

An email: “One must not overlook the white jersey competition for the best young rider,” writes William Preston. “It’ll end up on the shoulders of either Vingegaard or Pogacar, but Tom Piddock has to be in with a shout at some point before he gets too old for it. He’s got style, panache, and his descending skills are thrilling heroics at speed. He’s got a bright future across the disciplines. Also, I’m really pleased at the lack of time trials as they are massively dull.”

I couldn’t agree more on the time trial sentiment and it was interesting to hear Pidcock say before today’s stage that he hopes to secure a couple of stage wins and “maybe something on GC” if he isn’t too far behind after a couple of weeks.

176km to go: The five-man breakaway, including three French riders but curiously no local Basques, have opened a gap of 1min 10sec on the peloton.

179km to go: A group of five riders have been allowed to open a gap of 26 seconds on the bunch: Pascal Eenkhorn (Lotto-Dstny), Lilian Calméjane (Intermarché), Simon Guglielmi (Arkea), Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X) and Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies).

Lotto-Dstny have lost their sporting director Allan Davis after it emerged he sent an unsolicited topless picture of himself to somebody on Twitter and then threatened them with legal action when they made it public.

“In order to keep the peace, it has been decided, by mutual agreement, to keep the sports director out of the Tour de France ,” said Lotto-Dstny in a statement. “The team will not make additional comments on this case and asks to respect the privacy of those involved.”

They're racing in Stage One!

181km to go: Our old friend the race director Christian Prudhomme emerges from the sun-roof of his Skoda, waves his yellow flag and signals the start of the race in earnest. Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Dstny) is the first to make a break for it.

Chris Froome: The four times winner is one of several conspicous absentees from this year’s race, having failed to make the Israel-Premier Tech team due to a paucity of good performances.

"The wait is over" 🤩 @antmccrossan - the voice of @LeTour - takes you through the many hills and tricks of stage 1 around Bilbao #TDF2023 #TDFdata pic.twitter.com/dUtMfPtI7o — letourdata (@letourdata) July 1, 2023

An email: “Here we go,” writes Paul Griffin. “Christmas Day for people who can calculate their power to weight ratio. So obviously it’s Pogacar’s race right? He’s greatest talent of his generation, racing with panache, a streak of cold sadism, and with stronger team than last year.”

You can sense a “but” coming, can’t you? Back to you, Paul.

“But here is a mad mad mad stat: the last rider to race and lose a Grand Tour, then regain it, was nearly 40 years ago. Bernard Hinault in the 1985 tour. So maybe it’s Vingegaard and his Jumbo Visma storm troopers again. For waht it’s worth, I’m having a small wager on Tom Pidcock, given the paucity of time trials on the parcours. But something bad needs to happen to the big two for my boat to come in.”

The riders have another three kilometrres to go before racing begins. If I was unlucky enough to be among them, I would already be a wheezing, tailed-off wreck giving serio0us consideration to abandoning the race.

👋 The defending champion wishes you all a wonderful #TDF2023 ! 👋 Le tenant du titre vous souhaite un excellent #TDF2023 ! pic.twitter.com/QiAynempsp — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023

The riders are still in the neutral zone: The 176-strong field is still making its way through the streets of Bilbao at a leisurely processional pace ahead of being given the all-clear to start racing. It’s unlikely to be a slow start as today’s stage seems wide open and there is a classified climb inside the first 15 kilometres.

Stage one of the 110th Tour de France is underway ...

The riders are off, with just the 3,406 kilometres ahead of them! They roll over the start line but won’t be given the signal to start racing until they’ve covered 11.5 kilometres. It’s predicted to be a two-horse race between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar but nobody is quite sure what kind of shape the two-time Slovenian winner is after recovering from a broken wrist he suffered in a crash during Liege-Bastogne-Liege in late April.

An email: “I think one of the best things about a yearly three week stage race is that when it ends, there’s 49 weeks until it begins again,” writes David Alderton. “This year’s route looks to be an absolute corker, and there’s excitement a plenty on offer every day. I’m really willing Cavendish to get one more win, his career has just been phenomenal.

“Speaking of riders who are retiring, Pinot’s swansong will be filled with emotion, I think he’ll nab one stage win as a last hurrah. He’s had some poor luck and the results he has had don’t reflect his ability.

“Overall, though, I think it’s going to be Vingegaard in yellow at the end of the race by about a minute. Regarding the polka dots it’s a tough one, but Pogacar will grab it. Sagan getting another green jersey would be a giggle and a way to sweep out the old and bring in the new.”

A question: “Who are the Americans riding in this years Tour De France and is there a chance an American wins this year’s Tour De France?” asks Kurt Perleberg, via email.

An answer: Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar), Kevin Vermaerke (DSM-Firmenich) and Lawson Carddock (Jayo Alula).

It’s difficult to imagine any of them have a hope of winning the Tour, although Sepp Cuss is almost certainly the best equipped to do so. He finished 18th last year and was 14th in this year’s Giro. However, he’ll be working in the sevice of Jonas Vingegaard, but if the reigning champion was to be forced out of the race through injury or illness, who knows what could happen. Neilson Powless, the first US Native American to ride in the race, finished a highly respectable 12th last year.

Increased calls for new safety measures

Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF Education Easy Post team, is the latest high-profile figure within cycling to advocate the use of safety netting on mountain descents.

The call for increased safety precautions comes less than a fortnight after Gino Mäder, of the Bahrain Victorious team, died after going over the edge during a high-speed mountain descent in June’s Tour of Switzerland.

Security tightened amid unrest concerns

The Tour de France has ramped up security as race organisers brace themselves for a double dose of disruption, both from climate change activists and the threat of civil unrest in France. Jeremy Whittle reports.

Vingegaard the man to beat in 2023

Jonas Vingegaard goes into this year’s Tour with a new authority and a lot more confidence than in 2022, and should benefit from the race’s many climbing stages. However, safety concerns linger after the Swiss cyclist’s Gino Mäder’s tragic death following a crash on a descent in the recent Tour of Switzerland. His Bahrain Victorious team-mates have withdrawn the race number 61 – their team’s leadership number – from this year’s Grand Boucle. Jeremy Whittle sets the scene from Bilbao.

Stage one: Bilbao to Bilbao (182km)

The Tour starts in Spain’s foremost cycling heartland, with a stage through the Basque Country hills which will give many the jitters, writes William Fotheringham . Four stiff ascents in the final 80km with the Côte de Pike less than 10km from the line means an initial sort-out of the field; at least one favourite could lose the race here. The finish is made for Julian Alaphilippe, so France will expect a win and yellow jersey. The riders roll out at 11.30am (BST).

• Tour de France 2023

Starting with a three-day stint in the Basque country, this year’s Tour de France will feature 176 riders representing 22 different teams as they pedal their way along 3,406 kilometres of road. Plenty of them won’t make it to the finish line on the cobbles of the Champs Elysees in Paris in three weeks time but today, the contestants will set off on a 182km opening stage that begins and ends in Bilbao, the feeling in the bunch will be one of giddy excitement tinged with trepidation at the some of the almost superhuman challenges that lie ahead.

With Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard aiming to retain the title he won at his second attempt last year, Mark Cavendish attempting to break Eddie Merckx’s record for career stage wins, plenty of riders keen to nab the stage wins that are so important to their own and their team’s profiles and no shortage of other sub-plots, we’ll bring you all the action that’s fit to write up and plenty more that isn’t as the riders head off on today’s Grand Depart of the 110th Tour de France.

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Tour de France: FAQs

2022 tour de france, kreativefolks, january 27, 2023, how long is the 2020 tour de france.

The Tour de France’s 109th edition covers a total distance of 3328 kilometers (2068 miles), making it the second-longest of the three Grand Tours in 2022, after the Giro d’Italia (3410.3 kilometers) (La Vuelta a Espana is the shortest at 3280.5km).

How long is each day of the Tour de France?

Nine flat stages, three hilly stages, seven mountain stages (including five summit finishes), two individual time trials, and two rest days make up the Tour de France. Every day, one stage is run, which spans around 225 kilometers and takes about five and a half hours to complete.

How do you win the Tour de France?

After 21 stages, the cyclist with the best overall time wins. Each day, a stage winner is determined by the first racer to cross the finish line.

How long is each race in Tour de France?

Each stage, or racing day, varies in length from 32 to 141 kilometers. The Tour’s itinerary varies from year to year, but certain iconic towns are always included.

Do Tour de France riders sleep?

On TV, you’ll frequently see them come to a halt en masse for a “nature break.” Then they’ll sleep at night because the phases are specified in length and they’ll all be staying in a hotel.

What was the longest Tour de France stage?

The longest Tour de France stage on record was the fifth stage in 1920, which was 482 kilometers (300 miles) long! Stages are currently averaging 175km / 109mi in length. Stage 3 is the longest this year, measuring 198 kilometers / 123 miles

What is a peloton?

The peloton, sometimes known as the “pack” or “bunch,” is the largest group of cyclists on the route. A rider consumes 30% less energy when riding in a group than when riding alone. A following peloton usually has the upper hand over a smaller escape group.

How many hours a day do Tour de France riders ride?

Feeding the world’s best riders during a Grand Tour is no easy task, with riders spending up to six hours a day on the bike with little time for recovery and only two rest days over the course of the event. “To fuel the journey riders need to consume an average of 5,000-plus calories per stage,” says one rider.

Are females allowed in the Tour de France?

The 2022 Tour de France Femmes, a widely anticipated new stage race for professional women, was announced at the event. From 2014 through 2021, the eight-day Tour de France Femmes will replace the single-day La Course by le Tour de France, which was conducted in various sites across France.

What is an echelon?

When the peloton is buffeted from the side, the riders form smaller angled formations to take advantage of each other’s draught. Echelons form a formation similar to that of flying geese, however the size of each echelon is regulated by the width of the road. In crosswinds, smart riders can employ echelons to put distance between themselves and their opponents.

What is a domestique?

A rider who puts his personal objectives aside in order to help his teammate. A domestique rides into the wind to protect his team leader, as well as carrying extra water bottles and snacks. If the leader suffers a puncture, the domestique has the option of abandoning his wheel or bicycle and waiting for the leader to rejoin the peloton.

What is the gruppetto?

During mountain stages, a group of riders forms towards the back of the race. They only ride fast enough to make the cutoff time for the day, which is based on a percentage of the winner’s time. Sprinters, wounded or sick cyclists, and riders wanting to conserve energy for the next day are frequently found in the gruppetto.

What is the purpose of the Publicity / PR caravan?

The PR caravan, a two-hour-before-the-race display of sponsor-emblazoned cars and floats, runs the entire route, handing away millions of souvenirs and sweets to the supporters along the way.

What is the fastest time for the Tour de France?

Rohan Dennis’ stage 1 of the 2015 Tour de France in Utrecht is the fastest time trial, with an average speed of 55.446 km/h (34.5 mph). In a team time-trial, the 2013 Orica GreenEDGE team won the quickest stage. At 57.7 km/h, they completed the 25 km time trial (35.85 mph).

How hard is Tour de France?

The Tour de France is often regarded as one of the world’s most arduous and tough sporting events. Cyclists strain their bodies to the limit for 21 stages over 23 days, day after day, after day, after day.

What is the race caravan?

The peloton is preceded and followed by a long line of team vehicles, broadcast and photographer motorcycles, and race official cars. Riders will return to team trucks for food, clothing, or mechanical assistance, and then slowly exit the vehicles to rejoin the peloton.

What is the broom wagon?

The vehicle that follows the Tour and “picks up” riders who drop out during a stage.

How do cyclists pee whilst racing the Tour de France?

Some cyclists prefer not to urinate on the bike, while others seek assistance in the form of a teammate pushing them from behind so they can maintain momentum while pedalling.

What is hors catégorie?

Climbs in the Tour de France are divided into categories based on their length, steepness, and location throughout the stage. The simplest is Category 4, which is usually less than 2 kilometers long. The most difficult climbs are referred to as “Hors Catégorie,” or “beyond categorization.” A climb is sometimes given this designation because of its vertical elevation rise or because it ends at the top.

How do professional female cyclists pee during a race?

Because many women’s races are under 5 hours, we normally pee 8 times right before the race and can hold it until the end if necessary. Other times, a rider will stop to potty and then get in the car to assist them in getting back. At least not on purpose, no woman pees herself while riding!

Can anyone ride the Tour de France?

Although the event is primarily for amateurs, it is available to anybody who is 18 years or older on race day. (Younger riders may enter with permission from their parents.) It is marketed to ‘amateurs,’ yet it also attracts potential and former professionals. It’s been ridden by Greg LeMond, Raymond Poulidor, and Miguel Induráin.

How fast do they go downhill in Tour de France?

To say the obvious, Tour de France riders are in excellent physical condition. They’re nearly twice as fit as the average non-Tour rider of the same age group who’s in fair to good form, according to the gold standard of cardiovascular fitness, V02 max (or how much oxygen your body can utilize per minute).

How fast do cyclist go in Tour de France?

The champion of the tour has averaged roughly 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour) over the last few years–but that is throughout the entire tour. Everything is averaged at 25 mph, including uphill, downhill, time trial, and flatland. Weirdly, they’re a little speedier than we are. Quite a bit.

How much weight do Tour de France riders lose?

Van der Stelt explains that in the event of an emergency, the maximum weight loss would be 0.5kg. Though calorie burn and consumption vary by person, she claims the riders consume up to 8,000 calories a day – “taking on 10% extra every day, just in case,” she says, which can lead to weight gain.

What do Tour de France riders eat during race?

Riders may eat carbohydrate snacks such as bananas or protein bars while travelling. They’ll refuel with a mix of homemade rice cakes and tailored items like snacks and gels during the race.

What is Autobus?

Every stage of the Tour de France has a time limit, and on mountainous days, the autobus forms as non-climbers from all teams fight together to finish within the cut-off. The grupetto is another name for it.

What is Bidon?

A bidon is an abandoned water bottle, and many roadside fans will try to gather them as mementoes.

What is Breakaway?

During a stage, a small group of riders (or an individual) surge away from the main bunch.

What is bunch spirit?

Flatter stages usually end in a bunch sprint, which is a high-octane, hell-for-leather contest for stage honours between the peloton’s fastest sprinters.

Despite the fact that the race comes at the finish line in a group sprint, the stage win is decided by the sprinters and their lead-out riders.

What is Combativity award?

According to the race commissaires, this prize is given to the most aggressive rider each day.

The combativity award honors the rider who enlivened the stage by forming a breakaway, attacking frequently, or staying out in front of the pack for an extended period of time. The winner can be easily spotted the next day thanks to their red race numbers. At the conclusion of the race, an overall combativity medal is granted.

What is Feed zone?

Lunchtime. Every stage has its own feed zone, when riders slow down to collect musettes (small bags containing food and drinks) from their team soigneurs.

What is Flamme rouge?

A red air bridge marks the one-kilometer mark, beneath which a red kite flies.

What is General Classification?

After each stage, the riders’ finishing times are tallied. The riders are sorted by their total time, plus or minus any bonuses or penalties, in the general classification. The famed yellow jersey is worn by the cyclist who has completed the race in the least amount of time.

What is Grand Départ?

The ‘Big Beginning.’ Riders will begin the Grand Départ in Copenhagen this year 2022.

What is Grand Tour?

The Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a Espana are cycling’s three most prestigious stage events, each lasting three weeks.

What is Intermediate sprint?​

Each stage has an intermediate sprint with points and prize money for the first riders across it, in addition to the finish line.

What is King of the Mountains?

The mountains classification, one of the Tour de France’s secondary prizes, ranks the first riders over each of the race’s classified climbs. The more difficult the climb, the more points are available for that climb. The King of the Mountains, who wears the polka-dot jersey, is the leader in the mountains classification.

What is Lanterne rouge?

The lanterne rouge is the final rider on the general classification, named after the red light attached on the back of a train.

What is Maillot jaune/yellow jersey?

The general classification leader wears the distinctive yellow jersey, or maillot jaune. Last year, the yellow jersey was won by Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates).

What is Maillot vert/green jersey?

The leader in the points classification is awarded the green shirt. Peter Sagan has won the sprinters’ classification seven times, owing to the fact that more points are available on flatter stages.

What is Maillot a pois/polka-dot jersey?

The leader of the mountains classification is awarded this characteristic white jersey with red polka-dots.

What is Maillot blanc/white jersey?​

The highest-placed young rider in the general classification wears the white jersey. This year’s youth classification is open to any riders born on or after January 1, 1996.

What is Musette?

A tiny cloth shoulder bag containing a rider’s food and extra bidons that is distributed in the feed zone.

What is Parcours?​

The race’s ‘course,’ or the route it will take.

What is Points classification?

Points are awarded to the top finishers in each stage and intermediate sprint, based on their position. These points are combined together to generate a points classification, with the green jersey worn by the leader.

What is Team time trial?​

This year, there will be no team time trial. The time of a team is determined when the fifth rider crosses the finish line.

What is Time trial?

Individual time trials will be held on stages 5 and 20 of this year’s Tour de France, totalling 58 kilometres between them – the most kilometres against the clock since 2013.

Riders set off on specialised time trial bikes in reverse general classification order with the goal of finishing the stage in the shortest time.

Individual time trials, termed the “race of truth,” can cause significant shifts in overall classification. A time trial will be held on the Tour’s penultimate stage, as it was last year, and it might determine who wears the yellow jersey on the final day and rides into Paris as the victor.

What is a Rouleur?

A rouleur is an all-rounder and often one of the hardest riders in the peloton, capable of excelling on a variety of terrains and making a superb domestique.

What is a Soigneur?​

The soigneur is the unsung hero of a team’s backroom staff, in charge of looking after cyclists off the bike and handing out musettes, bidons, and extra layers of clothing during the race.

What is Sprinter?

On the flatter stages, sprinters battle it out with their peloton counterparts, capable of remarkable bursts of acceleration over short distances.

What is a Sprint Train?​

Before a group sprint, sprint trains form, with teammates offering a wheel for their sprinter to follow through the pandemonium.

The lead-out guy will be at the rear of the train, with the team’s sprinter on his wheel, ready to dash for the finish as soon as possible.

What is a Team Classification?

The team classification system assigns a score to each team based on the total time of their top three finishers on each stage. Yellow helmets are sometimes worn by team classification leaders to help them stand out in the peloton.

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2022 Tour de France: How Time Has Evolved The Tour

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Giro d'Italia stage 11 Live - The sprinters return

Rating the Tour de France top 10

From Caruso to Pogacar, we assess the performance of this year's best GC riders

The 2020 Tour de France standings were turned on their head in the final time trial on Saturday, with the youngest winner in over 100 years, Tadej Pogacar ( UAE Team Emirates ) coming out on top. 

Joining the then 21-year-old on the podium were two riders in their 30s – Primoz Roglic and Richie Porte – while the rest of the top-10 was made up of experienced team leaders and valuable super domestiques.

Cyclingnews  takes a look at where the 2020 Tour de France leaves its top-10 finishers, and what now lies ahead.

10th: Damiano Caruso (Bahrain McLaren)

Age:  32

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  A consistently impressive third week in which the veteran held his form while several around him began to fade. His La Planche des Belles Filles time trial performance was one of the best of his career.

Tour report:  Caruso came into the Tour de France with no aspirations of his own as the Bahrain McLaren squad pinned their hopes on Mikel Landa. However, as the race evolved and Rod Ellingworth's men began to find their legs after a bruising first week, Caruso became the benchmark for their stability in the mountains. He was consistent and dependable – two factors that define his career – and although he's still missing a WorldTour win to his name, his reputation as a super domestique has been enhanced by his Tour performance.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Won the Circuito de Getxo-Memorial Hermanos Otxoa in early August

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Tour 2021? There are so many factors around this: not least whether Ellingworth wants to throw all his climbers into supporting Landa for the second time of asking. 

Route profiles will be key, but if WorldTour points become the team's main ambition and the team don't think Caruso's presence at the Tour would make the difference between Landa finishing fourth or fifth, then the Italian might be dispatched to the Giro d'Italia, where he has had top-10 success in the past.

9th: Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott)

Age:  28

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  Several days in the yellow jersey.

Tour report:  The future Ineos rider came to win stages, but other than his third place to Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi in Nice, the Englishman never really threatened. 

It looked as though he was caught in two minds between losing time and retaining a top-10 position but as the race wore on, it was clear that his GC aspirations had overtaken stage hunting through long breaks. It made sense. Why give up a top-five in the final week when the race was demonstrating that a number of early breaks weren't surviving? 

Yates' game-plan wisely changed to solidifying a top 10, and then looking to exploit any weaknesses for possible stage wins. The latter part didn't come off, and his time trial saw him eventually drop two places to ninth, but that's still the equal-second best GC result in his career over three weeks, and proof that he can be a factor in major tours.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Beating Pogacar to win the UAE Tour.

Tour 2021?  Everyone thought that they had Ineos' Tour team dialled in two weeks prior to the race, and look what happened there. Yates is an exceptional rider, and one that could well benefit from the Ineos environment, but they've signed so many proven talents to complement an already exceptional squad that they could legitimately have competitive teams at all three Grand Tours and Yates would still play a secondary role.

8th: Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling)

Age:  33

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  Vying for a podium spot all the way until the final few days.

Tour report:  Uran came into the Tour as one of three possible GC leaders for EF Pro Cycling but after Daniel Martinez crashed on stage 2 and Sergio Higuita crashed out on stage 15, the veteran became the American squad's focal point outside of stage hunting. 

Everything looked on course until the Alps, and when the favourites began to really test each other, Uran was found wanting. He rallied with a brave TT on the penultimate day, but his final place in Paris was a fair reflection of his performance. 

He has come a long way since his crash last year, but when the hammer went down, he just didn't have it. 

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Part of a winning TTT ride at the Tour Colombia.

Tour 2021?  Uran is a figurehead within the Slipstream organization, and he provided valiant cover for the team in this year's Tour when the rest of their GC cards folded. But the Colombian – who will be 34 in January – could find himself in the role of road captain and mentor to younger options next season, rather than the go-to guy for a top 10. 

That said, if Martinez does move to Ineos, then EF can't rely on Higuita at every turn. And while he may not be the force he once was, Uran is still a consistent performer.

7th: Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma)

Age:  29

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  It should have been his second place on the final time trial but it's probably best if he doesn't mention that in the Jumbo-Visma Whatsapp group.

Tour report:  Dumoulin effectively sacrificed his GC ambitions in the Pyrenees and then slipped into the role of super domestique as Jumbo-Visma built their overall challenge around Roglic. The Dutchman had several key cameos in the race, and on a personal level he should be proud of how he's bounced back from a terrible 2019. 

If Roglic had seen off Pogacar in the final time trial, the world would be hailing Dumoulin as the final piece in the jigsaw that helped Jumbo-Visma win the Tour. As things stand, the Dutch team will have to open an inquest into how they managed to lose the race despite their depth and domination. Was their strength in numbers a façade? Was Roglic simply undone by one bad day? Or could Dumoulin – as Steven Kruijswijk mentioned on the first rest day – have been utilised in a different way? 

Hindsight is wonderful, but those questions will loom large over the entire team for months to come.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Not much to choose from because he didn't race until post-lockdown, but probably seventh overall at the Criterium du Dauphine.

Tour 2021?  At some point, Dumoulin will want his chance at Grand Tour glory, so the question for Jumbo-Visma will be whether they repeat their plan for a second year running or opt for something else. 

George Bennett has already earmarked the Giro for next year, but once this year's postmortem is complete, the management will need to pick up their riders and devise a new plan.

6th: Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team)

Age:  26

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  Winning stage 17 with one of the few major attacks from one of the GC riders in this year's race.

Tour report:  If you'd offered Lopez a stage win and sixth overall at the start, or when he got up off the floor having ridden into a lamppost and bush on stage 1, he probably would have taken it. But despite the success he gained in his maiden Tour, he arrived in Paris with some of the shine worn off. 

It's a shame, because this year's route was well suited to the Colombian, with no cobbles, just one day in the crosswinds and no time trial kilometres of any kind until the penultimate day. 

He seemed to improve as the race wore on, but his final time trial undid so much hard work. That said, only four riders inside the top 20 overall won stages, leaving the Colombian with plenty to savour.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Fifth overall in the Criterium du Dauphine or winning a stage in the Volta ao Algarve.

Tour 2021?  Lopez is a very underrated GC rider. Out of seven Grand Tours, he has finished six and never been outside of the top eight since an initial DNF. Outside of the Grand Tour winners, there are few riders with that level of consistency. Lopez's time trial, however, will always be an issue, and whether he returns to the Tour or heads back to his Giro/Vuelta comfort zone will very much depend on the routes once they are presented. At 26, though, he deserves another shot at the Tour.

5th: Enric Mas (Movistar)

Age:  25

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  Moving into the top-five after coming good in the Alps.

Tour report:  Mas was barely visible in the opening half of the race, and either conceded time or fell towards the back of the group of favourites during a number of the early skirmishes. But he found his form on the Grand Colombier with a dogged ride, and then backed that up with two more top 10s in the Alps and then an excellent time trial ahead of Paris. 

He may have ghosted his way through much of the race, and only on the road to La Roche-sur-Foron did we see some aggression, but the rider from Mallorca answered many of his critics with a fifth-place finish in Paris.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  20th in the Dauphine, which demonstrates Mas' incredible turnaround.

Tour 2021?  When it mattered most, Mas rose to the challenge. He came into this race with huge pressure on his shoulders, because not only was he replacing Landa and Quintana at Movistar but he also had to spearhead a team that hadn't taken a single win since the opening weeks of the season. 

Having Alejandro Valverde's shadow looming over him probably didn't help, but the 25-year-old did enough to not only suggest that his 2018 Vuelta result wasn't a fluke and that he should be Movistar's leader for both the short and long-term.

4th: Mikel Landa  (Bahrain McLaren)

Age:  30

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  Equalling his best-ever result and being part of a team that actually did more than follow.

Tour report:  There were always questions over Landa's podium credentials heading into the Tour, and they only amplified when most of the Bahrain-McLaren team crashed on stage 1, and then Landa himself lost time in the crosswinds on stage 7. 

To his and Bahrain McLaren's credit, they showed resilience with the former Movistar man moving from 19th to fourth overall by the time the race reached Paris. There were flashes of his ability in the mountains, but when the final selections were made, Landa was found lacking that one or two per cent that would have made his podium chances more realistic. 

His attitude and application to alter his tactics on repeated days in the Alps were admirable, but it's quite possible that Landa has reached the limits of his Tour potential.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Second overall in the Vuelta a Burgos.

Tour 2021?  If Bahrain McLaren had the funds to sign another Grand Tour leader to provide competition or an alternative for Landa, they probably would, but due to financial pressures, they'll probably return to the Tour in 2021 with a squad once more built around the Spaniard. 

They might provide less cover, with Dylan Teuns and Sonny Colbrelli allowed to target stage wins, but Landa is their best and only proven Tour de France leader over three weeks.

3rd: Richie Porte (Trek Segafredo)

Age:  35

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  The comeback on the gravel and the time trial of his life to seal third overall.

Tour report: Porte came into this race with little to no pressure after a 2019 that was plagued by illness and a number of setbacks. However, as a GC rider in the Tour, he saved his best for last, with a string of consummate performances in the mountains that led to a fully deserving spot behind the Slovenian pair at the top of the standings. 

There was a mini-wobble in the crosswinds, but the way he and Trek kept their heads, especially after losing Bauke Mollema to a crash, deserves credit. Mads Pedersen was immense when it came to protecting the Australian, but it's Porte who deserves the spotlight. After all the hard knocks and brutal crashes, he finally has a Grand Tour placing his talent deserves. What a great way to end your time as a GC leader.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Winning a stage and the GC at the Tour Down Under.

Tour 2021?  Unlike Yates, the Australian heads to Ineos with no aspirations of leadership in major three-week stage races, as he looks to find stability and calmness in what are likely to be his final two years as a pro cyclist. 

There's honour in that: dropping down into a previous role and admitting that family life and needing to find enjoyment in cycling are major priorities, so if Porte does return to the Tour in 2021, it will be as a super domestique. If you think that's a step backwards, re-watch the footage of from 2013 and 2014 and see just how important Porte was for Chris Froome.

2nd: Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  It's hard to look for positives after such a crushing defeat, but there's still plenty for Roglic to be positive about, including his stage win and the fact he came so close to winning a second Grand Tour in a row.

Tour report:  He fell heartbreakingly short of fulfilling his and his team's quest to win the Tour de France with a performance that flipped between the unbeatable to the unthinkable in just 36.2km of racing. 

This was not a classic Tour by any means, but the final individual test provided a stark reminder that no matter how dominant a rider and especially his team can look, it can all unravel in the blink of an eye. 

Roglic and Jumbo-Visma will have a long, hard winter in which to analyse where they lost this race, and there will be no easy answers. For Roglic, this signifies a much tougher blow than his Giro defeat last year, but it's often forgotten that despite being 30, he is still learning how to lead. 

For now, the overriding feeling will be one of bitter disappointment, but he will not argue with the result: Pogacar simply rode a better race.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Winning the Tour de l'Ain.

Tour 2021?  The knee-jerk answer would be yes. Roglic can time trial and climb, and if there's a team time trial next year, then he instantly has an advantage over all of his rivals. 

Whether Jumbo-Visma suit up all their stars for the Tour for a second concentrated tilt remains to be seen; sprinter Dylan Groenewegen will only sit on the sidelines for so long, but dispatching Roglic back to the Giro might knock his confidence significantly, and even though Dumoulin is improving, the Slovenian remains the team's best rider.

1st:  Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)

Age:  22

Highlight of the 2020 Tour:  Providing the best smash-and-grab performance the Tour de France has ever seen, and taking the mountains classification and the best-young-rider prize alongside yellow.

Tour report:  If you're still struggling to understand exactly what happened at La Planche des Belles Filles, don't worry – you're not alone. But what you witnessed was a standout performance from a highly rated 22-year-old (21 when he won) who decimated the entire field with a time trial that only Eddy Merckx apparently saw coming. 

Until that point, Pogacar had ridden a near-perfect race. Other than the loss of time in the crosswinds, he was imperious in the Pyrenees, and he demonstrated both calmness and a clinical mindset as he slowly chipped away at Roglic's lead. 

Whether Jumbo were oblivious to the danger or simply couldn't put enough distance into the UAE rider is a question only they can answer, but his win at the Grand Colombier showed that he wasn't in the mood for settling for second overall.

Best non-Tour result of 2020:  Winning two stages and the overall in Valenciana.

Tour 2021? Never in doubt, but those comparing him to Merckx need a timely reminder that they were saying the exact same thing 12 months ago in relation to Egan Bernal.

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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.

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Tour de France 2011 – 2020: Riders’ Ages, Nationalities and Stage Types Analysis

The 2020 Tour de France witnessed the second-youngest winner of the event ever, but also the lowest average age of stage winners.

The 2020 edition of La Grande Boucle saw the eventual winner, Tadej Pogacar, win three stages, at the age of 21.

Stage Wins by Age

It is quite an uncommon age for a rider to win a stage, let alone three – as uncommon as a 35 or a 36-year-old winning a stage.

However, the last time a 35 or a 36-year-old won a stage at the Tour was back in 2016 (Steve Cummings) and 2015 (Joaquim Rodriguez).

As the graph shows, the most common ages of stage winners in the last decade is between 25 and 29 – a rider’s prime for stage victories, which is 27.7.

26-year-old riders have taken the majority of stage wins with 36 stages – that happened most often in the 2011 Tour, where Mark Cavendish won five stages, and Jelle Vanendert, Andy Schleck and Tony Martin all chipped in with one stage victory each for the 26-year-olds.

2019 saw four 26-year-olds win stages (two for Simon Yates) and 2020 witnessed five riders win stages (two for the Dane, Soren Kragh Andersen).

2012 was the only edition of the Tour in the last decade that did not see a single 26-year-old win a stage.

This is followed by 25- and 29-year-old riders, each winning 24 stages – with the former age dominating the flat stages, from Marcel Kittel’s four stage wins in 2014, to Caleb Ewan (five stages) and Wout van Aert (three) winning stages in 2019 and 2020.

Four years later, Kittel was at it again, winning another four stages – what does stand out, however, is that in that four-year gap, more riders are winning mountain, medium mountain and hilly stages than their 25-year-old counterparts.

In the last decade, riders at the age of 29 have won 13 stages that have included hills and/or mountains; riders four years younger only won 11, five of which came from French climbers (Warren Barguil won two stages in 2017 and the Polka Dot jersey).

27-year-olds have won 21 stages in the last decade, which together with 28-year-olds is where we see a move away from victories on flat stages to victories in mountain stages.

27-year-olds have won just seven flat stages (three of the for Cavendish) and 11 hilly and mountain stages, where 28-year-olds have won seven flat stages and nine hilly and mountain stages.

Indeed, the average age of mountain stage victories since 2011 is 27.7.

Having mentioned different ages, nationalities, and stages, what types of stages and lengths suite what ages of riders?

Flat Stages

What stands out here is that the average distance of a flat stage in 2015 was just under 170kms – the average age of the winners was also the highest at 31.3 years.

However, last year the average distance of a flat stage was just over 170kms and the average age of the stage winner was 26.4 – almost five years younger than five years previous.

Another point to take note of is that the average age of winners on flat stages has decreased in the last five years.

In 2011 and 2012 the average age was just over 27, that decreased to 26.4 in 2013 and 2014 only for it to go as low as 25.9 in 2019 – helped, of course by victories van Aert and Ewan, where the oldest rider to win a flat stage was Eli Viviani at 30 years of age.

Analysing data of flat stages from the last decade of the Tour de France, the table above shows that the younger riders are most up for the shortest stages (<120), while those with four years more experience target and win stages between 120 and 160kms long.

Flat stages have also been dominated by German and British riders in the last decade – more likely than not, Cavendish, Kittel or Andre Greipel would come away with a win, although the last year that happened was in 2017 (Kittel).

Since his win in Pau, the average age of flat stage winners has been 26 years and has been a battle between Dylan Groenewegen and Fernando Gaviria or van Aert, Ewan and Sam Bennett (the odd one out at 29 years old).

Mountain Stages

Moving on to the mountain stages in the last 10 years, since 2013, the average distance of these stages has decreased slightly.

While the average distance of mountain stages in 2013 was as high as 182kms, that has dropped over the years to as high as 174kms (2014) and as low as 154kms (2018).

Another interesting trend to note is that as these average distance decrease, the age of that year’s Tour de France winner has increased year by year, up until 2018, when Geraint Thomas won at the age of 31.

When the average distance was at its highest (182kms in 2013), the average age was 27, a year under the average excluding 2020 – average age then increases slightly as the average distance decreases.

This is until 2017 when the average distance was 172kms and the average age decreased to 26.6.

As the average distance has decreased over the years, the average age of mountain stage winners has increased again since 2017.

Between 2011 and 2019, the average age of a mountain stage winner was 28, with the youngest being 26.6 (2017), and the oldest being 30.2 (2012).

When taking 2020 into account, the average age of mountain stage winners drops to 27.7, as the average age was just 24.7, with an average distance of 161.5kms.

Have some ages been better than others at certain distances? And if so, what nationalities can you count on to do well?

As noted previously, the average age of mountain stage winners is 27.7 – stages between 120kms and 180kms have seen winners younger than the average, as have winners on stages between 200km and 220kms.

The French have been the most present riders on home turf in the last decade, taking 15 victories in 62 mountain stages in this data set – more than any other nation.

However, they only have two mountain stage wins when the distance is between 160kms and 180kms, and two wins on stages between 200kms and 220kms.

26-year-old riders have a preference for this length of a mountain stage, winning five stages – other winners have included Primoz Roglic in 2018 at the age of 28, and Nairo Quintana at the age of 29 in 2019.

French riders, do, however, have a preference for stages up to 160kms, winning eight stages since 2011.

Together with Chris Froome and S. Yates, the French have also accumulated a number of wins on stages above 180kms – five, although the last victory on a stage of that length was in 2018 thanks to the current world champion, Julian Alaphilippe.

Belgian riders have been most present on stages between 160km and 180kms – Vanendert winning on Plateau de Beille in 2011, Thomas De Gendt in 2016 at Chalet Reynard and finally, Dylan Teuns creeping past Giulio Ciccone in 2019, where the Italian took the yellow jersey and wore it for two days.

Finally, another point of interest is that Nibali is the only Italian rider to have won any mountain stages in the last decade – five.

He won three stages in 2014 at the age of 29, one in 2015 at 30 and the shortened stage in 2019 – the average age of his wins (disregarding the 2019 stage) is 29.25, where the average distance of those stages was 160.6kms.

Medium Mountain Stages

Matteo Trentin and Fabio Aru have won medium mountain stages to bring Italy’s total to eight in the mountains, however, one may have expected more stage wins from a country that has produced climbing talents such as Marco Pantani and Riccardo Riccò.

According to multiple sources, the 2018 and 2019 editions of the Tour de France did not have any medium mountain stages.

For that reason, there is no data for those two years in the graph shown above.

Across the last 10 Tour de Frances, the trend on medium mountain stages is that as distance decreases, so too does the age of the stage winner and vice versa.

This is also true of the age of the Tour de France winner – as distance increases/decreases, so too has the age of the winner, except for last year’s Tour.

The two years this is not true was in 2012, and last year’s Tour; in 2012, on average, the medium mountain stages were 195kms long, and the average age of the winners was 26.5 – last year the average distance was 4.5kms shorter and the average age of winners was half a year younger.

The 2012 edition saw a mix of riders win the medium mountain stages – Sagan, Froome, Thibaut Pinot and David Millar – perhaps only two of those can be considered exceptional climbers.

Sagan is, well, Sagan, and Millar’s biggest strength was his time-trialling – the Scot was also the oldest rider to win a stage that year, while Sagan and Pinot were just 22 years of age.

Although last year only had two stages categorised as a medium mountain, both of them were won by riders adept in ascending the mountain road in Alaphilippe and the young Colombian Daniel Martinez.

When including data from hilly stages for 2018 and 2019, this trend is still true; as distance decreases, so too does the average age of the winner – the exceptions would be the 2019 and 2020 Tours, where the average distance increased, yet the eventual winner was 22 and 21-years-old.

So which nations do best over these medium mountain stage distances which have ranged between 145kms and 226kms in the last decade?

The average age of medium mountain stage winners is higher than both flat stages (26.9) and mountain stages (27.7) at 29.2 years old.

Four stages have been less than 160kms in this data set, won by riders from four different nations – France, Belgium, Australia, and The Netherlands.

The youngest winner was Pinot (22), while the oldest medium mountain stage winner was Simon Gerrans in 2013 at the age of 33.

Britain’s Steve Cummings has won two medium mountain stages in the Tour de France, one in 2015 and one in 2016 at the ages of 34 and 35, respectively.

This distance does seem to suit the older riders, with Thor Hushovd also winning a stage in 2011 at the age of 33 – the youngest rider to win this type of stage was Michael Matthews at 26 years old in 2017.

The French riders have won three stages at the distances between 180kms and 200kms, and it is riders who are about to reach their prime who win stages these distances in the medium mountains.

Although the youngest winner in the last decade was 22 (Sagan in 2012), the oldest winner was Andre Greipel in stage 15 of the 2015 Tour at the age of 33, taking victory in a bunch sprint.

Michael Matthews is also a fan of the medium mountain stages, he won one stage in 2016, and two in 2017 – as he got older, the distance of those stages also became smaller (197kms, 182kms, 165km).

Of the five medium mountain stages that occurred between 200kms and 220kms, it has been Spanish riders who have won two of those stages – Luis Leon Sanchez in 2011, and Ruben Plaza Molina in 2015 at the age of 35.

Greg Van Avermaet was the next oldest winner at the age of 31 in 2016 – in a 216km stage from Limoges to Le Lioran, he broke away from his countryman Thomas De Gendt on Col de Pertus 17.3kms from the finish, going solo, and taking the yellow jersey.

There have only been two medium mountain stages more than 220kms long – Millar winning one in 2012, and Tony Martin winning the other of 223kms in 2015 at the age of 30; both of these riders are, of course, well known for their time-trialling ability.

Of his five stage wins at the Tour, not including a team time trial win, Tony Martin has won three individual time trials; the remaining two were medium mountain stages.

If a team is looking for stage victories, then its best bet is to bring in a French rider who can climb. This is obviously something Quick-Step did when they brought in Alaphilippe, but even before his arrival, Patrick Lefevre’s team didn’t have issues winning stages.

French sprinters have not had much of a say in the last few years – Arnaud Demarre was the last French winner in a bunch sprint in the Tour, in 2017, beating Sagan and Alexander Kristoff to the line, which also saw Cavendish and John Degenkolb hit the ground.

However, cycling, like everything else, is a landscape that changes over time . The average age of stage winners has decreased, where British and German riders used to dominate between 2011 and 2018 (62 stage victories between them in eight years), but in recent years the Tour has seen a re-emergence of Australian, Belgian and Colombian stage winners, as well as some new nations, join the list, such as Slovenia.

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What Is the Average Speed of a Tour de France Rider? Plus More FAQs

Even if you are tuning in for the first time, these facts will make you look like a seasoned viewer of the TdF.

As you get ready to watch the 2023 Tour de France, you might have some questions. This information will transform you—quickly—into a Tour expert. First, the basics: The 110th Tour de France will take place from July 1 - July 23. It’s good to know that the route changes every year. And in 2023, the Grand Départ is in the Basque Country of Spain, with the typical finish in Paris after 21 stages.

How fast do riders go?

We have looked into this ! A Tour pro’s ability to produce more power for longer means that they can really hammer over different types of races and terrains.

Average Time Trial Speed Average Rider: 19 to 20 mph | Tour Pro: 29 to 31 mph Average Speed on Flat Terrain Average Rider: 17 to 18 mph | Tour Pro: 25 to 28 mph Maximum Sprint Power

Average Rider: 600 to 800 watts | Tour Pro: 1,200 to 1,400 watts

Why do so few Americans compete in the Tour de France?

In 2022, there were seven Americans in the Tour. As of the middle of June, start lists aren’t finalized, but viewers will most likely see Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), and Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar).

Christopher Thompson, author of The Tour de France: A Cultural History , believes fewer Americans race professionally because the U.S. has historically seen cycling as more of a pastime than a competitive endeavor. In Europe, it is more common for children to be trained in competitive racing, and it’s hard for American racers to compete with that training

Also, the cost of competing for an American is higher: Racers need to go where the big races are, and that almost always means moving to Europe.

How much prize money does the Tour de France winner get?

According to the Tour de France website, a total of around 2.3 million Euros will be awarded to the teams and riders, including 500,000 Euros to the winner of the final individual general classification (who usually shares his money with his team). That is equal to roughly $537,000 (USD). Second place GC is awarded 200,000 Euros, third place GC walks away with 100,000 Euros, and so on. Other top prizes go to stage winners, who get 11,000 Euros, and the winners of the points classification and mountains classification, both of whom receive 25,000 Euros. Riders can also win money during intermediate sprints and certain climbs. There’s even prizes for the five best teams and the four best young riders.

Who has won the most Tour de France titles?

That depends whether you’re counting titles that have been taken away ( cough — Lance — cough ). If not, the answer is a four-way tie between Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault, says Thompson.

Has the Tour ever been cancelled?

Only the two World Wars caused the race to be put on hold, says Thompson. All in all, battles cost the world 11 editions of the Tour: WWI broke out a few days after the 1914 Tour, he says, and didn’t run again until 1919. It went on hiatus again during WWII from 1940 to 1946, running again in 1947—two years after the end of the war.

“WWI was a war of attrition and the French were fighting the whole time. There were several Tour winners who were killed in the trenches,” he says. “But in WWII, France was defeated and occupied quite early, and that was different. There was a government that went along with the Nazis, so there was some racing to prove that things were normal under the occupation, but the Tour wasn’t held. After, France was so devastated by WWII that it took a while to get restarted.”

The Tour was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually held in August of that year.

​Why is the leader’s jersey yellow?

Simple, says Thompson: L’Auto , the newspaper that first started and sponsored the race, was printed on yellow paper, so it was essentially an advertising strategy. (That’s also why the Giro d’Italia leader’s jersey is pink —the newspaper that created the Giro was printed on pink paper.) By the way, yellow in French is jaune and the jersey is called maillot jaune .

How do they make the jerseys so quickly?

There are four jerseys awarded during the course of the Tour de France each year and because who wears them gets decided during the race, they have to made on the spot and in a moment.

Has anyone ever died in the Tour?

Sadly, yes. Four riders have passed away over the course of the race’s history. In 1910, Adolphe Heliére drowned on a rest day; in 1934, Francisco Cepeda crashed into a ravine on a descent; in 1967, Tom Simpson passed away after a heart attack ; and in 1995, Fabio Casartelli was killed after crashing and hitting his head.

Unfortunately, there have also been a number of horrific crashes. To see how grueling the race is, even for those who don’t fall or crash, watch Unchained on Netflix.

​What do Tour riders do on rest days?

They ride! At least, they go for short rides to keep their legs from cramping up. Max Testa , M.D., former team doctor for a variety of Tour teams including Team BMC, 7-Eleven, and Motorola, says that the short rides (which can be up to three hours!) help keep inflammation at bay and keep muscles ready for another hard day in the saddle.

Is there a women’s Tour de France?

After a number of iterations over the years, the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be held from Sunday, July 23 to Sunday, July 30. The course is 594 miles and includes a mountain stage, four flat stages, two hilly stages, and the time trial. They will not race at all in Paris.

Who were the oldest and youngest Tour cyclists?

Both distinctions occurred in 1904: Henri Paret was the oldest competitor at age 50 when he competed in 1904, while 20-year-old Henri Cornet was the youngest. Cornet was also the youngest winner. The oldest winner was in 1922, when 36-year-old Belgian Firmin Lambot took the yellow jersey.

Do racers make their stage data public?

Sometimes—but don’t count on them spending their evenings uploading their numbers . Still, you can keep an eye on some top pros’ Strava accounts.

How much do Tour de France bikes weigh?

In the 1900s, a Tour de France cyclist pedaled up and down mountains on a bike that weighed a whopping 40 pounds. In fact, Fiets, a Dutch cycling magazine, showcased a bike from the 1903 race weighing 39.7 pounds with a fixed gear. Today, bikes weigh just under 15 pounds—but not any lower, since the UCI’s minimum bike weight is 6.8kg, which translates to 14.99 pounds.

What tire pressures do the cyclists run?

Every racer and mechanic has a specific (top-secret) tire pressure that they considers to be optimal, but there are some guidelines.

“In general, with all of those variables [like weather and riders’ personal preference], that tire pressure is 8 to 8.5 bar for the road stages, and then 9.5 to 10 bar for the time-trial stages. Around 115 psi in the front and 125 psi in the back for the road stages and 130-135 psi for time-trial stages. And we drop that by 10 or 15 for rainy days,” Geoff Brown, veteran mechanic for Garmin-Sharp and EF Education First teams tells Bicycling .

They run about 10 psi lower in the front for more control, as well, and with tubular tires , they tend to run slightly lower pressures. Clinchers need to be kept around 110 to 120 psi in order to avoid pinch-flatting.

How do the competitors go to the bathroom?

It’s a long, hot ride so the pros are hydrating a lot. 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 just like you would underwear—you know, pull front down, do your business,” says retired pro cyclist Ted King, who’s ridden the Tour de France several times.

During this neutral roll out, King says, there’s plenty of time to catch back on to the peloton before the race starts in earnest. Fortunately, nature calls for all riders. “It’s a lot easier to wait for a lull in the race when a big fraction of the peloton pulls to the side of the road rather than doing it solo, because that solo chase is tough!” King says.

Of course, riders also pee off the bike while riding, although it requires having their teammates pedal while they go. “If peeing to the right, your right leg is in a 6 o’clock position, left at 12. Left hand on the handlebars, right hand holds the shorts down, and coast while relieving yourself,” King advises.

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FAQs of the Tour de France: How lean? How much power? How do they pee mid-stage? All that and more explained

Ever wondered why riders have such veiny legs? Do riders share rooms? How does a 60km ride count as a rest day? We take a look at the burning questions and those you never thought to ask

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The 2023 edition of the Tour de France is now underway - and if you’ve been following the racing action, there’s probably quite a fair few points that might have piqued your curiosity. That is to be fully expected - a lot is left going on behind the scenes that the cameras aren’t capturing.

Google's autocorrect can provide us with a wealth of information around the general public's deepest thoughts about the pros. For instance, it seems there are enough people desperately searching for ‘how do cyclists pee whilst racing the Tour de France?’ that the search engine is serving up this suggestion for everyone. 

Naturally, we couldn’t leave them hanging, and our answer to how exactly cyclists do pee during top level races can be found here. There’s an almost dizzying array of other questions, too, which we'll get fully stuck into here.

We will take a look at Tour de France performance trends and, continuing past the finish line, we’ll also reveal what the riders get up to in their team buses and talk more about how the pros deal with the hotel-to-hotel life that makes up the three weeks of a Grand Tour.

Why are Tour de France cyclist’s legs so veiny?

We’ve all got veins in our legs quite near to the skin surface, but they are hidden by a layer of fat just under the skin. 

Tour de France cyclist's legs appear to be uber-veiny for two main reasons: firstly, they have much less body fat than ‘ordinary’ people, and secondly, their veins and arteries have adapted to carry more blood around their bodies. The cardiovascular adaptations are numerous, but a large increase in vein and artery diameter is one of them. You can read more about the science behind why Tour de France rider’s legs are so veiny here.

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What do Tour de France riders do on their rest days?

They ride, and not just a little amble around the streets. Most will be on their bikes for two hours and some even more. 

In the early days of Team Sky, Russell Downing found out why after the first rest day of his Grand Tour debut in the 2011 Giro d’Italia: “It was a hard race, the weather was bad and by the first rest day I was really tired. The others asked if I was going with them, but it was cold and raining and I said I’d go on the turbo in the hotel basement instead. I did that for about 45 minutes, just very easy, then went back upstairs to lie down. Next day I was nailed for the whole stage, just hanging on. I was okay the day after, but I’d learnt my lesson and rode with the boys on the next rest day. If you don’t ride reasonably hard on the rest day , your body thinks you’ve stopped and switches off ready for deep recovery. You’ve got to keep it firing for the whole three weeks.” 

What is a soigneur in cycling and what are their duties during the Tour de France?

Soigneur is the French word for ‘carer’, and basically soigneurs care for riders. They prepare them for each stage, looking after them at the finish and back the hotel, with massage and rehab therapies. And they care in other ways too. 

Dirk Nachtergaele, a Belgian pro team soigneur for over 40 years says: “A soigneur is also like a priest. We are the one who riders can confide in, confident that anything they tell us goes no further. They can complain about another rider, the sports director even; they can talk about problems at home – anything. They know we will not tell anyone what they said. That role as confidante is as necessary in a team as being a skilled therapist.”   

How light and lean are the Tour de France climbers?

Double Tour de France stage winner, the recently retired Irish pro rider Dan Martin was a climbing specialist. His racing weight was 62kg, which is light for his 5ft 9in height, but some shorter climbers weigh under 60kg. However, being super-light is no longer the preserve of the pure climbing specialists. Defending Tour champion Pogacar is the same height as Martin and only slightly heavier at around 66kg, while 2019 winner Egan Bernal , also 5ft 9in, is a true featherweight at just 60kg. 

The riders mentioned start the Tour de France with body fat percentages well below 10 per cent, but nutritionists are careful not to allow ‘cutting’ to go too far. 

In fact, it can be better to offload a little muscle, as Dr Rob Child, a performance biochemist who worked with several World Tour teams, explains: “It’s sometimes worth losing a bit of muscle to reduce weight because very low body fat has health implications. Tour de France performance is governed by the cardiovascular system, not by the maximum force applied to the pedals. Pro riders don’t need huge amounts of muscle to pedal at 400 watts for 20 or 30 minutes, and that’s often the key to performing well overall in the Tour. They need a highly developed cardiovascular system, not big muscles.” 

Why do Tour de France riders drink Coca-Cola?

Most team nutritionists would rather the riders didn’t drink coca cola, and some teams even forbid it.

That said, there’s also always one small can of coke in the musettes Trek-Segafredo gives its riders. Drinking a regular fizzy drink such as a cold can of coke after a stage is good for morale – and preserving positivity in a brutal three-week race is vital.

Of course, the most important nutritional consideration for riders is getting enough calories to meet the extreme demands of the race. If you’re wondering how they achieve that, here we look into what exactly goes into fuelling the riders of the Tour de France .

What do Tour de France riders do to recover between stages?

The standard of hotels used by the Tour has improved a lot in recent years, so that helps with sleep and recovery . Even so, teams provide further ‘home comforts’ by carrying all their own bedding, including mattresses and pillows. They also have their own washing machines in the team buses and equipment trucks. Everything is done to promote good sleeping habits and hygiene. 

Riders generally do room-share, partly through tradition but also because it’s good to have company. Pairings are decided diplomatically, though.

Why and how do riders warm up before each stage?

The ‘why’ is explained by double Tour stage winner Steve Cummings: “There are two races in every stage: the first is to get a breakaway established, and the second is to win the stage. If I saw a stage that suited me, one where a break might stay away and give me a chance to win, I’d focus on the first hour to 90 minutes, nothing else. Typically it was attack after attack right from the start, then a huge effort to get the break established. You had to be fully warmed up for that.” 

As to the ‘how’, a Tour warm-up is usually done on a turbo trainer, allowing the whole team to warm-up in one compact space, everyone controlling their effort. Ineos-Grenadiers’s deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth says: “The idea is to prepare the rider’s energy systems for a fast start. They ride steady but progressively harder for at least 20 minutes, then do five minutes of capacity work to open everything up. After that they pedal easily and try to stay loose.”

How much do riders have to eat to meet energy demands?

Riders can burn twice or even three times their usual calorie requirement during a hard day at the Tour. Nigel Mitchell, a nutritional consultant who worked extensively with WorldTour cycling teams, says: “At a Grand Tour, riders can burn more than 5,000kcal on a single stage, depending on the terrain, and that means consuming a huge amount, both off the bike at meal times and on it during the race, in the form of energy drinks, bars and gels.” To put 5,000kcal into perspective, it is roughly equivalent to four large McDonald’s BigMac meals. 

What do the riders eat after each stage?

 Does each rider have their own bespoke meals? Who does the cooking?  

Three questions, but they are related and so are the answers, which come from a former Tour de France rider, UAE Team Emirates former sports director and current race analyst Allan Peiper. The man who oversaw Tadej Pogačar’s first Tour de France win in 2020 told us: “Each rider has a bespoke meal plan based on any needs flagged up by team doctors and physiologists, and on any personal physiological quirks such as intolerances or allergies. The medics talk with nutritionists, and the nutritionists tailor meals to meet specific needs. Each team also has its own chef who works with the nutritionist to prepare tailor-made meals.” 

How heavy are the heaviest riders in the race, and how do they get over the mountains inside the time cut?

There are very few riders of over 80kg in the Tour de France nowadays. The limiter when climbing mountains is power-to-weight ratio, and if a rider is too bulky they cannot overcome the disadvantage, no matter how mighty their power output. The heaviest Tour de France rider since 2000 was the Swede Magnus Backstedt, who says: “I had to be the lightest I could be for the Tour, which was around 90kg, and as fit as I could be. But at my weight, every hill is steep, and the mountains were a real challenge. On mountain stages, I’d hang on to the peloton for as long as possible, then look for a good grupetto – that’s what we call the groups of non-climbers who ride together to get inside the time limits. Once in a grupetto with experienced riders, it was just a case of digging deep, sometimes very deep, and hanging on.” 

Grit and stubbornness get heavier riders up the mountains, but they have an advantage to deploy on the other side, going down. Tour stage winner Sean Yates was a tall, well-built rider, and he says: “You have to get good at descending if you are bigger. You can’t regain all the time you lost going up, but you can get some of it back by really going for it on the descents.”

What’s the relationship between rider age and Tour de France performance?

It used to be that riders developed into Tour contenders gradually over many years. Those youngsters who did take part would be expected to help the team and gain experience, and possibly even drop out after the first week. That’s all changed. Tadej Pogačar was just 21 when he first won in 2020, and Egan Bernal was 22 when he won in 2019. Pogačar’s coach Inigo San Millan has this to say about his rider’s prodigious ability: “He has extraordinary physiological characteristics, and the correct mental attributes, so he was already good enough to win at 21.” 

Until Bernal’s win three years ago, it was thought that riders reached their peak in terms of physiology, psychology and skill at around 26 or 27. According to Allan Peiper: “This may still be true, we just don’t know what the young winners we have now will be like when they are 27 or 28. Will they still be winning, or will the next generation have surpassed them?” At the other end of the scale, the oldest Tour winner of modern times was Cadel Evans in 2011, at the age of 34.  

What do the riders’ musettes contain?

Nothing very surprising, just a re-supply of the gels, drinks and energy bars. Musettes were more interesting in times gone by, when they contained cakes and tarts for energy, small ham and cheese baguettes for protein, and all manner of delights. The food was individually wrapped and packed by the soigneurs. The first female soigneur Shelley Verses, who worked for US team 7-Eleven in the 1980s, used to wrap her riders’ food in pages from Playboy magazine. “It was good for their morale,” she commented. 

Do Tour de France riders drink alcohol during the three weeks?

Yes, but not much. Stage wins might be celebrated with a glass of champagne, and sometimes a small glass of red wine is taken with the evening meal, but that’s as far as it goes. Teams have tried total bans on alcohol, but most allow small amounts to protect morale. 

All rather sensible – not like Tour riders from previous eras. In the early days of the race, riders drank wine and beer during stages because it was less of a threat to health than the contents of some of the primitive water supplies. Right up to the 1960s, some riders enjoyed a mid-Tour tipple or two. One of the most notorious stories is about the 1964 Andorran rest day when race leader Jacques Anquetil went to a party and indulged to such an extent he was hungover the next day and almost lost the race. 

How do Tour de France riders stay hydrated through sweltering long stages?

Nigel Mitchell tells us: “I get riders to start drinking as soon as they wake. I mix water with a little fruit juice in a big bottle, because that makes it more interesting than plain water, and I ask them to finish it before breakfast. They drink fruit juice with breakfast for the electrolytes, and another bottle of diluted fruit juice travelling to the stage start.

“During the stage, they drink from two bottles on the bike, one plain water and one energy drink, and they keep getting fresh bottles from the team car or support motorbikes. They get more fluid in a protein shake after the stage, and an electrolyte drink if it’s been hot. I also provide rice cakes, which contain quite a lot of moisture from the water absorbed by the rice during cooking. 

“Even then, we still check on hydration by checking the rider’s weight each morning. If they are well hydrated, they will stay at pretty much the same weight throughout the Tour.” 

What’s the role of the bottle-carrying domestiques in the Tour de France?

The cycling community uses a lot of French words, with domestiques being one of them. Transporting bottles from the team car to team-mates in the peloton is just one of many duties carried out by domestiques. 

This supply chain is overseen by the sports directors, as Allan Peiper explains: “The sports directors have real-time information in the team cars on each rider’s performance metrics. They can tell if anyone is having a bad day, and they won’t ask that rider to drop back to the team car and pick up bottles, because it could just push them further into the red.” 

Each team has several domestiques and their role, although complicated in execution, is straightforward in mission. It’s to put the team’s leader (or leaders) in the best position to challenge for victory.

That could involve riding at the front to control the peloton’s pace, leading riders who’ve punctured back to the action, chasing when a breakaway needs to be brought back, leading out sprinters at the end of stages, setting the pace in the mountains, and many other jobs. They even perform a very unglamorous function in comfort stops.

Find definitions of the French cycling terms you hear during the Tour de France , such as domestiques, over here.

In terms of FTP and watts per kilo, what does it take to be a GC contender at the Tour de France?

In 2020 the power meter supplier to Team UAE Emirates, Stages, released the following information on Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar’s performance metrics from Stage Nine, a mountainous stage in the Pyrenees: 

Time: 3:58:16 

Average power: 301W (4.5W/kg) 

Normalised power: 351W (5.4W/kg) 

Peak 5min power: 473W (7.2W/kg) 

Peak 20min power: 429W (6.5W/kg) 

To put these figures in context, good amateur racers (i.e. cat two) are capable of five-minute power in the region of 4-5W/kg and 20-minute power of 3.5-4.1W/kg. Even for committed amateurs who train hard, a huge gulf in performance separates them from the likes of Pogačar. 

Do Tour de France riders use dietary supplements. If so, which ones?

They need lots of protein to help recover, so they drink recovery drinks and eat protein bars to augment the protein they get from food. They sometimes consume vitamin and mineral supplements too. Dr Rob Child says: “I try to meet a rider’s needs through well-cooked, nutritious foods, but I always know what their nutritional state is in detail. We take regular blood tests, and I can use supplements to make good any deficiencies.”  

Do riders pee during the Tour de France?

If the race pace isn’t too high, riders can stop by the side of the road, having picked a place where nobody can see – which can be difficult. Peeing on the move is a skill Tour de France pros must have in their toolbox. It’s tricky, as it’s impossible to pedal while peeing, so it’s up to the poor domestique to ride alongside and with a hand on the back to maintain forward momentum. 

And here’s how difficult peeing can be…In 1965 British pro Vin Denson rode the 1965 Bordeaux-Paris, a 365-mile single day race, in support of the race winner Jacques Anquetil. As he approached Paris late in the afternoon, Denson realised he hadn’t peed since the start at 2.30am, and he was bursting. He stopped at the side of the road, but found he couldn’t pee at all, even though his bladder was full. Desperate, he shouted to the stationary team car and his soigneur got out, poured a flask of hot coffee down the front of Denson’s shorts, and Denson recalled: “I went like a fountain – it was glorious!”

This full version of this article was published in the print edition of Cycling Weekly.  Subscribe online  and get the magazine delivered direct to your door every week. 

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Chris has written thousands of articles for magazines, newspapers and websites throughout the world. He’s written 25 books about all aspects of cycling in multiple editions and translations into at least 25

different languages. He’s currently building his own publishing business with Cycling Legends Books, Cycling Legends Events, cyclinglegends.co.uk , and the Cycling Legends Podcast 

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