Features

Get Up to Speed on the Tour de France

Every year, the Tour de France attracts millions of fans to watch one of sport’s grand spectacles. But unlike some of the world’s more straightforward sports, cycling at its highest level is a complicated game. It’s not a matter of riders simply flogging themselves to the line. Instead, the Tour unfolds like an intricate high-speed chess match where tactics, wile and determination are just as important as fitness.

Then there’s the sometimes odd structure of the sport itself, with an array of superstars, team leaders, domestiques, sprinters and climbing specialists all supported by sport directors, soigneurs, mechanics, doctors, physiotherapists, chefs and bus drivers.

Built upon an odd mix of French, Italian, Spanish and cycling-specific terms, the Tour can be confusing even for old hands.

To help understand the dynamics of the Tour, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions that will come in handy as Team CSC takes on the 93rd Tour de France.

What do the different colored jerseys mean?

			Related Information: For help with Tour terminology, read Tour Talk: Learn the Lingo. Read all the latest news about the Tour and Team CSC at www.csc.com/cycling. Visit the official Tour de France site.

In the modern Tour, racers wear the jerseys provided by their respective team sponsors. In the early days, riders wore whatever they chose and later riders raced in national team jerseys. By the 1960s, professional teams donning the trademark of the title sponsor became the norm.

The Tour de France uses special jerseys to designate leaders in different categories.

There are four jerseys: the yellow jersey of the race leader, the green jersey of the points leader, the polka-dot jersey of the best climber and the white jersey of the best young rider.

The yellow jersey goes to the overall leader in the general classification, which is determined by the rolling total of each stage’s finishing times, minus any time bonuses. Time bonuses are awarded at three bonus sprints along each day’s stage and at the finish line (except in time trials). The rider with the least amount of accumulated time wears the yellow jersey in the next day’s stage.

The yellow jersey, called the maillot jaune in French, is cycling’s most prized jersey. Even holding it for a day is a career highlight for most riders. It was introduced in 1917 to help the race leader stand out among the bunch. Yellow was chosen because that was the color of the newsprint used by the race sponsor, L’Auto newspaper, predecessor of today’s L’Equipe.

Team CSC’s Jens Voigt wore the jellow jersey for a while during the 2005 Tour.

The green jersey, introduced in 1953, designates the leader of the points classification. Each Tour stage features three intermediate sprints with points in the offering for the first three across the line as well as points at the end of each stage for the top finishers. The green jersey is typically fought out among the sprinters, fast riders who fade in the mountains but who can dash to the finish line in short bursts.

The polka-dot jersey, called the maillot a pois in French, designates the best climber, also called the King of the Mountains among English-speaking fans. Points are earned at the top of mountain passes along the Tour route. The harder the climb, the more points are in the offing. The category was introduced in 1933 but it wasn’t until 1975 that the distinctive polka-dot jersey was introduced. Former Team CSC rider Laurent Jalabert won this jersey in the 2001 and 2002 Tours.

The white jersey goes to the best rider under 25 in the overall standings. The category began in 1975 and some of cycling’s biggest stars have won the jersey, including Team CSC’s Ivan Basso, the best young rider in the 2002 Tour.

How did the Tour de France get its start?

The very first Tour was held in 1903, almost as a fluke publicity stunt to save a struggling newspaper called L’Auto. The newspaper’s editor, one Henri Desgrange, was under pressure to increase sales and asked his staff for ideas. An intrepid 26-year-old reporter and part-time cyclist, Geo Lefevre, made the suggestion of a bicycle race right around France. Desgrange, not optimistic, took it to his boss, Victor Goddet, who surprisingly approved of the notion. The race was announced to the world Jan. 19, 1903, creating one of sport’s most endearing spectacles.

What started as a publicity stunt quickly turned into a phenomenon. These were the years before auto racing, and bicycle racing was a top betting sport. The first edition was a big hit, and the 1904 edition caused such a stir that fans would push along riders they liked and literally beat up less favorable rivals.

In those early Tours, riders would race punishing distances, upwards of 500 kilometers per day. There were no team cars or mechanics. Riders were dependent on themselves for bike repairs, food and drink. Cheating was prevalent and riders would sometimes be caught taking trains to the finish line. The Tour quickly grabbed a foothold, only disrupted by World War I and II. By the 1950s and the advent of television, the Tour expanded beyond the limits of France. By the time the Tour celebrated its centennial in 2003, the race was viewed by tens of millions of viewers worldwide and is considered the world’s largest annual sporting event.

But the original allure of the Tour persists. Every July, grandparents bring along grand-kids and have a picnic alongside the road, waiting for the swoosh of the passing peloton.

What happens if a rider becomes sick or crashes?

Crashes and illnesses are part and parcel of the Tour. Riders go down in pileups, fall ill and become too weak to carry on at alarming rates. On average, only about 75 percent of the starting riders each year make it to Paris.

David Zabriskie crashed during the team time trial in the 2005 Tour, and later abandoned the race.

When a rider crashes, he must be able to carry on or risk abandoning the race. Following behind each day’s stage is the broom wagon (voiture balai) to literally scoop up riders that are lagging behind. Most modern riders rarely use it, preferring to escape in one of the many team cars following along.

Riders are also obliged to finish within a certain amount of time of the winner, or risk being eliminated from the race based on time cuts. A general rule is 10-12 percent of the winner’s time, so if a stage takes six hours, riders have about another 36-48 minutes to reach the finish line.

Riders can succumb to a variety of ailments, diseases, dehydration, food poisoning and other illnesses during the three-week Tour. Strict anti-doping rules can often prevent riders from taking medication they need. In 2001, American rider Jonathan Vaughters was poised to finish the Tour when he was stung by a bee just below his eye. Rules prevented him from taking necessary cortisone injections to ease the allergic reaction and he was forced to pull out the next day. Doctors travel with the various teams to keep their riders healthy and race-worthy.

Crashes can have deadly consequences. Francesco Cepeda was the first rider to die in the Tour when he fell into a ravine and broke his skull in 1935. Tom Simpson collapsed and died on Mont Ventoux in 1967, and drugs were later found in his system. In 1995, Fabio Casartelli died after crashing into a traffic post while descending the Col de Portet d’Aspet. In 2003, hard-shell helmets became mandatory for all riders.

How do fans follow the race? What happens if a fan interferes with racers?

One of the attractions of the Tour is the proximity fans can get to their cycling heroes. Unlike other sports, where spectators are kept at bay either in stadiums or in grandstands, fans can line the course and attend the start village to get autographs and take pictures. And it’s free.

In key stages, such as the important mountain climbs, fans will camp out for two or three days before the arrival of the race to secure the best viewing spots. Last year, an estimated 400,000 followers lined the 10-mile climb at Alpe d’Huez.

Some fans, like the famed "Devil?" who runs alongside the peloton carrying a trident, make regular appearances and become part of the Tour circus.

Fans will sometimes interfere with the race. In 1999, Giuseppe Guerini was knocked off his bike by a fan who had stepped out to take a picture. Luckily, the Italian was able to remount his bike and win the stage. In 1975, a French fan punched Belgian rider Eddy Merckx. Fans will often push riders up steep sections, and sometimes a rider can be penalized if they openly encourage the help.

Protestors often use the Tour as a means to publicize a political cause, and strikes and demonstrations have often disrupted the race. In 2000, Basque separatists actually mounted bikes and rode across the finish line at Courchevel, momentarily confusing television commentators. Riders hold strikes as well, refusing to race to display their anger.

How do riders communicate with the car? Do all riders have a radio?

Team manager Bjarne Riis uses a hand radio to communicate with riders during races.

Since the 1990s, racers use short-wave radios to communicate between team members and the sport director, who follows behind the race in a team car. Ear-pieces are taped in place and a small microphone is clipped onto the collar of the jersey or hangs down from the helmet, allowing riders to receive orders from the team manager.

The practice is quite controversial, with many suggesting the use of the radios has diminished the element of surprise in modern cycling. Before the advent of the lightweight radios, riders were more self-reliant and had to be more attentive to stay informed about the race.

So-called "road captains", usually wily veterans, kept track of which riders were slipping away in breakaways and helped decide the team tactics during a race. Riders also had to be much more wary not to miss key moments in the race.

Today, with miniature televisions mounted inside the team cars, sport directors follow the action and simply call ahead with orders when a dangerous breakaway is making headway.

When riders get a flat tire, how do they deal with it?

Racers are allowed mechanical assistance throughout the race so long as it doesn’t give the rider an unfair benefit. Each team travels with at least one mechanic during each stage along with several spare bicycles, wheels and other parts to be replaced at a moment’s notice.

When a rider suffers a puncture, a mechanic traveling in the team car will scramble out to the waiting rider and quickly replace the wheel. A quick tire change can take less than 20 seconds before the rider is back on his way.

When a contender suffers a mechanical problem, several teammates will be told to wait until the wheel is changed and help "tow" the leader back to the main bunch by riding single file to minimize the drag to the wind.

Riders can also receive mechanical assistance without stopping their bike. If, for example, a rider’s saddle is too low, he can drift back alongside the team car and the mechanic can adjust the height.

Riders are also allowed to switch bikes with another teammate if there’s a serious mechanical problem during a critical moment of the race. Because of narrow roads and the high number of official cars following the race, organizers provide "neutral" mechanic help available to all riders if a team mechanic is not immediately available.

There are no set rules on the conduct of the opposing riders, though race etiquette frowns on attacking a rider who has suffered a mechanical problem. When Lance Armstrong crashed on Luz Ardiden in the French Pyrenees in the 2003 Tour, rivals slowed down to allow the Texan to rejoin the group before resuming the day’s battle.

How do race organizers decide how the team cars follow, and in what order? Who drives the car?

Each team is allowed two official team cars in the race. Team cars are typically driven by team managers and sports directors. At Team CSC, team manager Bjarne Riis is usually in the lead car that follows immediately behind the peloton. The second team car stays back and follows the stragglers when the bunch splits apart.

When a breakaway builds up a large enough gap, race officials will allow cars from teams represented in the attack to drive past the main bunch to follow behind the leading riders.

How do racers eat and drink on the road?

A helping hand from the team car.

Racers can burn 5,000 calories per day in a flat stage and up to 8,000 per day in the mountains, so they must eat and drink during the race. In the early Tours, when stages were much longer, riders would actually stop and eat at restaurants. Later, support riders would duck into roadside bars to grab water bottles and sandwiches to be carried to the leaders still in the race.

Modern racers don’t stop, but rather are handed feed bags, called musettes in French, at designated feed zones along the course. Team staff members wait alongside the road to hand off the cloth bags to riders, which the riders sling across their shoulders as they dig out the energy bars, drinks, fruit and light sandwiches.

Team cars are allowed to pass along food and drinks to the riders, but not in the first 50 kilometers or the final 20 kilometers. During the race, a domestique, or helper, will slip back to the team car and stuff as many water bottles as he can into his jersey. He will then speed back to the main bunch and pass them to his waiting teammates.

Riders go through several water bottles, sometimes a dozen each per day. In the 2003 Tour, when temperatures soared into the 100s for the first two weeks, the Tour went through its allotted 35,000 water bottles before the end of the second week.

How do riders take bathroom breaks?

With longer stages lasting up to seven hours, it’s inevitable that nature calls.

Riders try to go to the bathroom before the start of the stage. When the need for a bathroom stop is urgent, riders will pull off the side of the road to take care of business. Sometimes in longer stages the bunch will organize a bathroom break to allow several riders to stop while the remainder of the bunch rides slowly until they catch up.

Etiquette calls for riders not to attack when another rider is answering nature’s call. Sometimes, riders will even ease off the back of the bunch and take care of business without even stopping, a delicate, sometimes imprecise maneuver.

What do riders do when a stage is over?

The well-appointed Team CSC bus offers many of the amenities of home.

Once the day’s stage is over, riders retreat inside the team bus, which ranges from simple campers to elaborate, luxurious buses with showers, beds, kitchens, air-conditioning and television sets. Stage winners and race leaders head for the podium ceremony while all racers

are subject to random anti-doping tests at the end of each stage.

Racers typically travel to the night’s hotel in the team bus or inside the team cars. Sometimes on remote mountaintop finishes or if the hotel is close by, the racers will simply ride their bikes to the hotel.

Team hotels are paid for by Tour organizers and there seems to be no apparent order to where teams are given hotels. A team can be in a stately mansion one night and in a flea-ridden flophouse the next, although hotel quality across the board is generally quite good.

Following an after-race massage, riders enjoy a team dinner and some quiet time before resting for the next day’s stage. Some riders might give interviews to journalists or take visits from family and friends.

Stuffed lions and yellow bouquets are awarded to stage winners.

In the morning, mechanics scramble to get the bikes ready for the day’s stage. The team travels to the start in the team bus, where they are required to sign-in before each stage.

What is the significance of the stuffed lions awarded on the podium after each stage?

These are given each day to the overall leaders by Credit Lyonnaise, a French bank that sponsors the yellow jersey.