Tour de France 2021
26.06-18.07
The Tour de France, also known as La Grande Boucle, will be held for the 112th time in 2025. First organised in 1903, it has grown into the third most-watched sporting event in the world, with over 3.5 billion viewers across all platforms. This year’s edition runs from July 5 to July 27, starting in Lille and finishing in Paris. The race is broadcast in over 190 countries, underlining its global reach. At stake is the iconic maillot jaune, one of the most prestigious jerseys in sport.
When 60 cyclists lined up outside a Parisian café in July 1903, few could have predicted they were launching what would become the world’s greatest bicycle race. Over a century later, the Tour de France remains the pinnacle of professional road cycling - the oldest and most prestigious of the sport’s Grand Tours. This annual three-week spectacle has evolved from a publicity stunt into a beloved international event, rich with history, epic athletic feats, and cultural significance.
Origin of the Tour de France
The Tour de France was first organized in 1903 by Henri Desgrange, a former cyclist-turned-newspaper editor, as a scheme to boost sales of his sports daily, Desgrange’s plan worked: the inaugural Tour captivated the French public as riders braved grueling multi-day stages on dusty roads.
Maurice Garin won that first edition, and L’Auto’s circulation skyrocketed. The race quickly became an annual fixture (skipping only the World War years 1915–1918 and 1940–1946). By establishing a “grand boucle” (big loop) around France, the Tour not only sold newspapers but also tapped into a growing national enthusiasm for cycling.
Evolution of the race
As the Tour gained popularity, it expanded in scope and difficulty. In 1910 organizers sent riders into the high mountains for the first time, tackling the unforgiving passes of the Pyrenees - an ordeal nicknamed the “Circle of Death”. This dramatic addition, followed by the inclusion of the Alps a year later, transformed the race into a true test of climbing and endurance.
The distinctive maillot jaune (yellow jersey) was introduced in 1919 to make the race leader stand out (fittingly, L’Auto was printed on yellow paper). Over the decades, the Tour’s format settled into the roughly 21-stage, three-week challenge we know today, with courses changing each year to visit different regions.
Post-World War II, the race grew into a symbol of renewal and national pride in France. It also became more international - early Tours were dominated by French riders, but stars from Belgium, Italy, Spain and beyond soon etched their names into the history books as the event’s popularity spread across Europe.
Iconic moments and champions
With its long history, the Tour de France has no shortage of legendary moments and heroic champions. The mid-20th century saw the rise of cycling icons who elevated the race’s profile. Frenchman Jacques Anquetil became the first to win the Tour five times (1957, 1961–64), a record since equaled by three others: Belgium’s Eddy Merckx, France’s Bernard Hinault, and Spain’s Miguel Indurain. These men - nicknamed “The Lords of the Tour” - dominated their eras and captivated fans.
Merckx, for example, was so relentless in his 1969–74 reign that he earned the moniker “The Cannibal.” Memorable battles have defined the Tour’s lore, such as the 1989 edition when American Greg LeMond overcame France’s Laurent Fignon by a mere eight seconds on the final day - the closest finish in Tour history.
Through triumph and occasional tragedy, the Tour’s mystique has only grown. Its storied climbs (like Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux) and dramatic duels have become defining chapters in cycling history, retold among enthusiasts every summer.
The Tour today
More than 120 years since its inception, the Tour de France today is both a world-class sporting competition and a cultural phenomenon. Each July, almost 200 riders from dozens of countries embark on 21 stages covering roughly 3,500 km, cheered on by millions of roadside spectators and a global television audience in the billions.
The race caravan now winds not only through France’s picturesque towns and mountain passes but often into neighboring nations as well, reflecting the Tour’s international reach. Modern Tours showcase cutting-edge technology - featherweight carbon fiber bikes, aerodynamic gear, and data-driven training - a far cry from the heavy steel bicycles of 1903.
Yet for all the innovation, the essence of the Tour remains unchanged. It is still an extraordinary test of endurance, teamwork, and strategy, where a rider’s maillot jaune signifies the ultimate achievement in cycling.
Perhaps most importantly, the Tour de France endures as a celebration of the sport: a rolling festival that unites avid cycling fans and casual onlookers alike in admiration of human athleticism and the enduring allure of this great race
How does the Tour de France work?
The Tour de France is one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, alongside May’s Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España in August and September. The three-week race is cycling’s ultimate test of endurance and versatility, and the Tour de France is cycling’s most prestigious event. There are 23 teams in the 2025 Tour de France, each with eight riders. The 18 WorldTour teams are joined in the peloton by five wildcard teams.
The overall winner of the Tour de France is the rider who covers the 21 stages and 3320km total distance in the quickest cumulative time. The overall leader each day wears the yellow jersey, or maillot jaune. The best young rider – open to competitors under the age of 26 – wears the white jersey, or maillot blanc.
The points classification sees riders earn points based on their position in each stage and in intermediate sprints (full explanation here), with the leader wearing the green jersey, or maillot vert. The king of the mountains classification (read all about it here) sees rider earn points based on their positions on selected climbs, with the leader wearing the polka-dot jersey, or maillot à pois rouges.
The team classification is based on the general classification times of the first three riders of each team on each stage, with the leading team denoted by wearing yellow race numbers and helmets.
On each road stage, there is a prize awarded to the most combative or courageous rider – the Prix de la Combativité – and the rider wears a red race number the following day. At the end of the Tour, the rider judged to be the most aggressive of the entire race is awarded the Super Combativity prize.
Tour de France winners
As explained above, the Tour de France features several classifications. Curious about all the winners? Check them out below:
- All winners Tour de France general classification
- All winners Tour de France points classication
- All winners Tour de France king of the mountain classification
- All winners Tour de France young riders classification
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Riders
- Tadej Pogacar
- Demi Vollering
- Matthieu van der Poel
- Lotte Kopecky
- Wout van Aert
- Katarzyna Niewiadoma
- Remco Evenepoel
- Juliette Labous
- Jonas Vingegaard
- Marianne Vos
- Jasper Phillipsen
- Lorena Wiebes
- Primoz Roglic
- Elisa Longo Borghini
- Mads Pedersen
- Kristen Faulkner
- Matteo Jorgensen
- Chloé Dygert
- Jonathan Milan
- Egan Bernal
- Pauline Ferrand-Prevot
- Juan Ayuso
- Puck Pieterse
- Isaac del Toro
- Liane Lippert
- Mads Pedersen
Races
- Tour de France
- Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
- Giro d’Italia
- Giro Donne
- Vuelta a España
- Vuelta a España Feminina
- Paris-Nice
- Tirreno-Adriatico
- Milano-San Remo
- Sanremo Women
- Strade Bianche
- Strade Bianche Women
- Tour of Flanders
- Tour of Flanders Women
- Paris-Roubaix
- Paris-Roubaix Femmes
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes
- Critérium de Dauphiné
- Il Lombardia
Teams
- UAE Team Emirates-XRG
- Team SD Worx - Protime
- Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
- CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women
- FDJ - SUEZ
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Movistar Team
- INEOS Grenadiers
- EF Education - EasyPost
- LIDL - Trek
- LIDL - Trek Women
- Bahrain - Victorious
- Team Picnic PostNL
- Alpecin - Deceuninck
- Uno-X Mobility
- Team Jayco AlUla
- XDS Astana Team
- Fenix-Deceuninck
- Ruud Dimmers
- Rudy Kappert
- Rob Peters
- Sjoerd van Oosten
- Ivo Willekens
- Lennart Boven
- Gijs Moonen
- Dennis Vandewalle
- Tim Claes
- Vegar Kulset
- Bram van der Leij
- Matthias Socker
- Karolína Vyskočilová
- Jeff Betts
- Bram Wulteputte
- Jakob Coleman
- Koos de Boer
- Jens van Hulle
- Jan de Vries
- Martin Lehovec
- Marc Frei
- Katelyn Stevens
- Kristen Greenland
- Dane Hamann
- Michiel Deseyn
- Rafael Santos
- Josse Deboiserie
- Matteo Arosio
- Charlotta Wallensten
- Quinten Lucq
- Gisela Kunz
- Arthur Chrispin
- Laura Roberts
- Jorik Tilstra
- Fabian Deleersnyder
- Max Zulauf
- Kjell Crauwels
- Francesca Gallione
- Tonke van den Berg
- Alex Taylor
- Bart Thys
- Kenneth Thuy
- Josh Sakofsky
- Daniel Nimpfer
- Jolien Vermeulen
- Joe Morgan
- Sravan Pannala
- Graham Denny
- Thomas Huyghe
- Stephan Kehr
- Martin Hickman
- Jeroen Sneyers
- Jim Naughton
- Eric Secember
- Katy
- Florian Aussieker
- Kate Veronneau
- Bryan Alberts
- Wouter ter Halle
- Dirk Spits
- Guido Gelman
- Tom Dijkerman
- Ethan Lessiter
- Joao Galveia
- Koen van der Zwet
- Bart van Vegchel
- Jens Van Hulle
- Simon Dalsgaard
- Ilkka Holma
- Ghislain Hofman
- Harry Talbot
- Andre Cunha
- Erik Bulckens
- Jennifer Treptow
- Jiri Zakravsky
- Jorge Serrano Barthe
- Eddy van der Mark
- Lynda Bowers
- Michelle Baxter
- Johan Ståhlbom
- Darrell Dilley
- William Burns
- Berten van Herp
- Keith Blackwood
- Peter Eastaugh
- Aaron Borrill
- Pete Stanton
- Shawn F.