Col de Joux Plane at the Tour de France

Tour de France 1914 started on the same day, 28th June, as the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg  were assassinated in Sarajevo. When the riders lined up in the middle of the nigh for the start of the first stage in Paris, they knew nothing about that this day … Read more

Snow at the Tour de France? Yes, it happens sometimes, especially, when the race visits such high places like Col d’Iseran in the Alps. In the 16th stage of Tour de France 1963, the peloton visited the Alps. It was a 202 km long stage between Grenoble and Val d’Isere, including Col de la Croix … Read more

Although the first ever Italian Grand Depart of Tour de France will take place in 2024, the race visited Italy for plenty of times, usually during mountain stages in the Alps. Turin is one of the most visited Italian cities by Tour de France.  In 1956, peloton made a trip to the place in 17th … Read more

There is a simple reason, why Alpe d’Huez was introduced to the Tour de France only in 1952, while the race visited the Alps since 1911 frequently: there is only one way up to the top, hence the stage must be finished there. But the concept of a hilltop finish wasn’t born yet. Indeed, the … Read more

You might wonder which Tour de France edition was the slowest and wich. one the fastest. Here you have the answer.The slowest Tour de Francewas the 13th edition, held between 29th June and 27 July in 1919. The 5560 km long route of the race was  divided into 15 stages. (And it wasn’t even the … Read more

They used to say history remembers only the winners. Fortunately this is not the case of Tour de France history. The last ones, the receivers of the famous lanterne rouge get enough attention too. Lanterne rouge is an actual red lamp used to be served to the last rider of the race as some of … Read more

There are only three riders who managed to win eight stages during a single Tour de France edition. One of them is Eddy Merckx, of course. He achieved it twice, in 1970 and 1974. The other two cyclists  are Charles Pelissier (1930) and Freddy Maertens (1976). Charles Pelissier (1930) Charles Pelissier, the youngest brother in … Read more

The iconic yellow jersey of Tour de France was introduced to the race in 1919. Eugène Christophe  was the first rider to wear it. Of course, on the top of the list there are those riders, who won 5 times the Tour de France. Also, there are cyclists, like Fabian Cancellara or René Vietto, who … Read more