Learn more about the Tour de France fun facts category of PelotonTales blog.
Because Tour de France is fun. There are lots of fascinating facts defining the history of the world’s most famous cycling race.
Read about the winners and loosers. The unbelievable achivements and the weird ones. Records and unique moments. Facts, dates and little stories.
Pelotontales blog focusing on the cultural historical aspects of road cycling races. Its author, Anita Pethő’s everyday routine of working with storytelling determinates the way how she is looking at the past, present and future of road cycling races.
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Tour de France 2024 will start in Florence (Italy). Although the race visited neigbour countries before the First World War already, the tradition of starting the first stage of Tour de France abroad dated back to 1954 only, when the Grand Départ took place in Amsterdam (Netherland) One of the most uniqe occasions was the … Read more
In 2024, for the first time in its history, Tour de France will start from Italy. But the race visited already the neighbour country several times already. Of course, mostly during mountain stages in the Alps. Take a look at the list of occasions. 1948 Marseille — San Remo (Gino Sciardis) 1949 Briançon – Aoste … Read more
As Tadej Pogacar says goodbye to the white jersey, because next year he will be too old for the competition (they all grow up, don’t they? even two-time Tour de France champions), let’s take a look at the list of riders spent most days in the jersey.The withe jersey was introduced to the Tour de … Read more
Col de Joux Plane was introduced to Tour de France in 1978. Since then the race returned to the climb several times.No stage ended at the top, the cyclists always had to ride down, right into Morzine.1978 Christian Seznec (FRA)1980 Mariano Martínez (FRA)1981 Robert Alban (FRA)1982 Peter Winnen (NLD)1983 Jacques Michaud (FRA)1984 Ángel Arroyo (ESP)1987 … Read more
8″ 1989 Greg LeMond vs Laurent Fignon 23″ 2007 Alberto Contador vs Cadel Evans 32″ 2006 Óscar Pereiro vs Andreas Klöden 38″ 1968 Jan Janssen vs Herman Van Springel 40″ 1987 Stephen Roche vs Pedro Delgado 48″ 1977 Bernard Thévenet vs Hennie Kuiper 54″ 2017 Chris Froome vs Rigoberto Urán 55″ 1964 Jacques Anquetil vs … Read more
Since the introduction of the yellow jersey in 1919, there were only two cyclists to win the race with taking the first place in the general classification in the last stage. Thus they didn’t have the opportunity to wear the yellow jersey during that particular edition of Tour de France. Jean Robic (1947) After the … Read more
Fausto Coppi was the first rider to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year (1949) The list of the riders Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1949 Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1952 Jacques Anquetil (FRA) 1964 Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1970 Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1972 Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1982 Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1985 Miguel … Read more
Between 1905 and 1912 points decided who is the best rider of the peloton. The first cyclist to cross the finish line received 1 point. Other cyclists received one point more than the cyclist who passed the line directly before him, plus an additional point for every five minutes between them, with a maximum of … Read more
There are only three riders, who managed to win at least a stage in all the three specialities (sprint and mountain stages and individual time trial) during a Tour de France: Eddy Merckx 1974 Bernard Hinault 1979 Wout van Aert 2021 MORE CYCLING FUN FACT ON PELOTONTALES
Between 1952 and 1988 Puy de Dôme was included into the program of Tour de France 13 times. Among the winners on the top are Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Federico Bahamontes Lucien van Impe, Luis Ocaña or Joop Zoetemelk. In fact, the two latter are those riders, who were able to win a Puy de … Read more